This week we have speakers from Women's Space talking about "Healthy Relationships."  How to identify warning signs in troubling relationships.  Three guest speakers and a lot of engagement in the class is making for interesting lessons.
We will follow up on these speakers by using their handouts and focusing on:

• Emotional Abuse signs
• Do's and Don'ts of starting a relationship
• What does Respect look like, and lastly
• How to be a supportive friend. 

This is a lot for our last class before our break, but remember, you are all above average...

     We have Planned Parenthood finishing up their presentations in classes.  Birth control, STI's, and HIV-AIDS.  We will continue our learning about Healthy Relationships" and end with our HIV-AIDS unit after the break.
Meanwhile, as winter sets in (Dec 21) take good care of yourself and others.  Eat well, sleep well, wash your hands often (cold season) and brush your teeth (always a good idea).

We begin our unit on Healthy Relationships this week.  This unit will focus on how we take care of ourselves, and how we take care of our friends.  There will be guest speakers, activities, and art in this unit.  We will have speakers from Planned Parenthood, and the HIV Alliance.  We will watch videos on the history of HIV/AIDS, as this is a state requirement.  We will make an AIDS quilt.  We will do many things to take the topic from personal and social responsibility. 
So put on your Global Health hats, and let's take a ride!

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.

Anais Nin

    
     The survey on this website resulted in the following requests/suggestions in no particular order:
          1.  Summary of class day
           2.  A link to get student grades
            3. Downloadable homework 
             4.  Nice background (what's this?)
I'll be working on integrating these suggestions as I learn how to manage this site.

Note to parents.  As noted in my syllabus, we will have Planned Parenthood speak to our Global Health classes for two days this and next week.  Topics will be Birth Control, and STI's and HIV/AIDS.  These presentations help set up our next unit on HIV/AIDS which is mandated by the state of Oregon.
If you have questions please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

Our "Personal Shields" have turned out beautifully.  I love how expressive students are in expressing and sharing their hopes, dreams, and aspirations.  And the art is wonderful!
We now transition into our engagement of healthy relationships.  Healthy relationships include taking good care of ourselves, and our friends.  Seeing patterns in our own behavior and choices that support our meeting our goals, or not.  Seeing our friends as supportive, or not.  Identifying when we, or our friends need support, or help. 
Healthy relationships include sexuality, HIV/AIDS, and global challenges that the world faces.
Planned Parenthood will be coming to our classrooms, as well as speakers on the topic of HIV/AIDS.
So the next few weeks will be interesting, and engaging.
Meanwhile, enjoy the short Thanksgiving break, no matter how you enjoy it.

A fun day in Health.  We discussed the notion/concept of "Personal Culture."  A nice mix of ideas, which included focusing on the personal, and also the broader culture within which we live.  It was fun discussing the elements of culture as they relate to the individual.
We also started our "Coat of Arms" assignment.  Artistic for sure, but also reflective of who we are in our cultural setting.
Here are the elements of our shield:
1.  Draw a picture to represent one thing you do VERY WELL and another picture to represent something you are struggling to IMPROVE.
2.  Draw a picture to represent one VALUE you have a deep committment to.
3.  Draw a picture to represent a MATERIAL POSSESSION that is significant to you.
4.  Draw a picture to represent your GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT in the last yeaR, and another picture to represent your GREATEST SETBACK/FAILURE.
5.  Show what you would do with your life if you had be year to do ANYTHING with guaranteed success.
6.  DESCRIBE YOURSELF (your personality) using THREE POSITIVE WORDS.

We will have about 30 minutes to complete this activity in our next class.  I'll be at Churchill on Wed and Fri of this week.

It has been a nice three day weekend.  My birthday, honoring veterans, and success on the gridiron.  At Sheldon the play The Laramie Project closed to rave reviews.  So all in all a wonderful time.
In Global health we ended the week with our "IHS Hakas."  Some were notable, some forgettable, but the performances were fun and inspiring.
This coming week we'll focus on our individual cultural heritage and dreams as we continue with an artistic focus on our lives and health.
Later in our year, we'll look at how our brain functions, and in the meantime, this video from TED (the web site) is quite a ride.  Get a good night's sleep, eat well, and watch and follow this quick paced romp through our brain and its functioning.
Einstein said that the intuitive mind is our sacred gift, and that our rational mind is a faithful servant.
Do you agree?  Check this video out...

http://www.ted.com/talks/iain_mcgilchrist_the_divided_brain.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2011-11-11&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email