Saturday, April 21, 2012

Jonas Salk -- Revisited

It was about two weeks ago -- I am writing this in September 2012, yet I am including this note their the comments that I have made about Salk and the students whom I met there.

I met some of the students who were enrolled in the Jonas Salk program at one of the local fast-food places.

I was surprised that one of them remembered me right away.

They were a lot more friendly that evening, probably in part because they did not have to "play to the crowd."

I was really impressed by the different reception from one kid. He was really kind. He shook my hand, remembering me, somewhat.

I cannot say that I was thrilled with the class, though, that I had covered that day. The full-time teacher had left me no plans, and the counselor who oversaw the PAU naively assumed that the students would "listen" to me as I proposed another lesson for them to work on. I was not so naive, at all, fully persuaded that these kids would do nothing that I assigned them because they knew that it would be busy work.

That evening, though, they carried themselves, the three kids whom I met, with a greater degree of decorum. I shared with them the Gospel  message that I had been preparing and passing around for a long time. I was really glad that I could share the Good News with them, something that would prosper them far more than anything that I could have taught them from a textbook.

It was a good moment, just a few minutes tops, but at least they were willing to say hi.

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