New Glasses

Last night I finished all of the reports for the parents of Dreaming Out Loud Club. I knew I wouldn't sleep well until they were done. Little did I know I totally forgot to eat all day! I left my house at 7 a.m. and worked until 10 p.m. As you can tell, that club had me a little stressed out. But in the end I am pleased with the way it all came together.

Here is the final letter I wrote for the parents. It will give you an idea of the things we addressed each week.

Hello Parents,

Thank you for allowing your son/daughter to participate in the Dreaming Out Loud Club. It was an honor and a privilege to work with this group of students over the past eight weeks.

The students chose “Dreaming Out Loud” as the name of the club to represent their hopes and dreams for the future. Each week we discussed ways in which their current behaviors serve them well, and also changes they need to make in order to achieve their goals.

For your information, below is a short summary of the topics we addressed:

Week 1 - INTRODUCTION:

Purpose of DOL Club

Goals of DOL Club

Personal goals – What do we need to do in order to achieve these goals?

Week 2 - FEELINGS:

Identifying feelings in ourselves, in others

How do feelings affect our actions?

Week 3 - EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION:

Methods of communication

Consequences of poor communication

Week 4 - HOW DO EMOTIONS AFFECT COMMUNICATION:

Passive vs. Aggressive vs. Assertive Behaviors and Communication

Impulse Control

Week 5 - LISTENING SKILLS:

How to be a good listener

Practicing listening skills through fun activities (dinámcas)

Week 6 - ANGER MANAGEMENT:

What can we do when we are angry?

Healthy vs. Unhealthy ways to manage anger or frustration

Relaxation Techniques we can use every day

Week 7 - RIGHTS vs. PRIVILEGES:

What are we entitled to?

What things are necessities?

Recognizing ways are we blessed above and beyond our daily necessities

Week 8 – REVIEW/WRAP UP

Evaluate personal progress

Discuss how to implement changes

For those of you who would like to know a little bit more about me - my background is in Psychology and Journalism. I worked with at risk youth in the United States for 16 years.

Currently I am serving in Honduras as a missionary. So far, I have been here for four years. I pray that God will allow me to serve in Honduras for many years to come. My main focus has been serving families in less fortunate communities.

My personal goal for this class was to impart positive social skills in an atmosphere where each student felt comfortable and respected. My hope is that the students enjoyed the class and are able to implement the techniques they learned in their every day life.

Once again, thank you for this opportunity. It was a blessing to get to know your sons/daughters and to share Wednesday mornings with them. I looked forward to our time together each week and thoroughly enjoyed working with them. They are an amazing group of students!

I wish them much success and happiness.

Bendiciones,

Lic. Mary Lynn Fager

Each parent also received an individual evaluation of how their child performed in the class. The director would like for me to offer the class again next year. We will see what my schedule looks like in August if she contacts me again. Right now I just feel relieved to have some spare time to breath and begin to look for a new(er) car.

This afternoon is the literacy program. For the first time I will go up alone, without my co-worker. But two students are coming down to meet me at the car. We explained that our security will not allow me to get out of the car unless the students are standing right there. I already called them and they said they will be there. I bet security will not be thrilled, but I feel fine.

Yesterday we had the club of 25 kids. A journalist from work came up to make a video tape of each child wishing their mother a Happy Mother's Day. Many kids recited poems. They are pros at this . Mother's Day in Honduras is one of the biggest holidays of the year.

Tomorrow I am dropping off my car to get the AC fixed. It is hard driving around with the windows up when the weather is in the 90's. But I am not tempted to crack my windows. My friend Jorge had a pistol held to his head last week as he was stuck in traffic while leaving our office. They only asked for his phone. Unfortunately, that is a common occurrence at stoplights or places where traffic slows to a halt. I'd rather sweat than have a pistol at my head so I keep my windows up. Hopefully my AC will be fixed Friday.

Today is literacy class! On Tuesday when I went for tutoring I was disappointed. I had glasses for Doña Maria Virginia but she wasn't at home. Turned out that God had a different plan. Doña Francisca needed glasses almost as badly as her neighbor, so I was able to find the right pair for her.

My friend Lynda gave me 11 pairs! She runs eye clinics in remote areas where regular cars can't go.I spent the weekend with her last weekend and was telling her about Doña Virginia struggling to see. When she heard that the majority of my students are over 40 she gave me exams that are easy to apply and glasses that should do well for each of them!

Here is a photo of Doña Francisca on Tuesday with her new glasses:

Trying on glasses

Feeling good in new glasses!

Just a cute photo