Chemistry Teacher

My job has changed. I lost my math student, because a schoolmate has changed class and so his math level has changed. He doesn’t need me anymore, but I have found new student and this one it is chemistry one. This is totally new experience for me, because now I learn with my 3 years old younger sister. I have to prepare her some materials to practice and I had to recall all the information I learnt in past years. Chemistry is a black magic for her, so she is very contumacious student and I feel like she is testing my patience. But I think that it is a fantastic experience. I can practice relations between people and get better contact with my sister. Also I have Chemistry at higher level at school so this is a wonderful revision and solidification of my current knowledge.  

Learning Outcomes:

• Work collaboratively with others

• Show perseverance and commitment

• Engage with issues of global importance

• Consider ethical implications

• Develop new skills

Ski Competition

I just had come back from the trip to Szczyrk, small town in the South of Poland, with my friends where I was on a voluntary service during ski competition of doctors and lawyers. It was organised by my friend’s parents and we were taken to help with the organisational things like doling the start numbers, checking the presence of the competitors, logging the scores and then collecting the start numbers back. Very simple job, but we had to be extremely focused because there were a lot of people at one time that wanted to list. What was surprising to me is that the competitors that should be well behaved because of their social status but they were not. Standing in the queue waiting for those numbers they were acting like wild animals screaming and shouting to us many at one time. It was a terrible situation for us, because we couldn’t handle it in this fast tempo.

Then another challenging job was to collect this numbers. I tried to be polite to all those people. I understood that it was 11 p.m. and they were tired after a few rides, but I was too and I didn’t want to postpone it on them. Also very surprising for me was competition between doctors and lawyers, but also among the families and friends. For me it wasn’t healthy competition but tug-of-war and it was not right, because that supposed to be a fun and joy for everyone.

We had spent about 8 hours at the outside during a freezing cold weather so unfortunately I was terribly sick for the next day of the competition but still it was great experience for me. I could get to know about the organizational side of such an events and also meet some new people and know their attitudes and behaviour to this case. I also learnt that people shouldn’t be judged by their appearance because sometimes it could mislead us in both sides and make us feel astonished.

Learning Outcomes:

• Plan and initiate activities
• Work collaboratively with others
• Show perseverance and commitment
• Increased awareness of strengths and areas for growth 
• Developing new skills
• Undertaking new challenges 

WOŚP

Today I participated in an annually event in our country called WOŚP. Together with my mates I was collecting money for a charity organisation. This year the money will be destined for the well care for older people and for the equipment to recognise some sickness in the early child life. I attend this event since I was 10 years old so this was my eighth time. Nothing has changed since then. There is a lot of people that are likely to donate some money but also the same amount of people that are against this whole idea. They think that the man in charge of this event is steeling those money and promote drugs and alcohol. It is like this because from those money Woodstock festival is financed. But that is not the money donated but the interest from bank account from money donated from the last year and this festival is kind of award for all the volunteers because they did this for free so the festival is for free too. I can't understand all those arguments about money from this event. All the financial settlement is on the Internet and accessible for everyone. For comparison what about the most popular charity in our country of course Catholic one- The Red Cross. There are no settlements anywhere and no one has a problem with it. Is it like this because that action is held by church? I don't really know but I can't understand the difference between those two organisation. All good things done for other people are greate no matter who and why did this. We are not the people that should have been jugding. If you donate money you already did something amazing but what will happen to those money after won't be your problem but the man's in charge and if he don't do right it will return to haunt him.
Each time I have a great time spent with my friends and at the end a feeling that I did something good for other people. In my opinion such an events are very importent and everyone the was saved or cured by the WOŚP's equipment knows this. You only appreciate some things when you have a direct contact with them.

Learning Outcomes:

• Plan and initiate activities
• Work collaboratively with others
• Show perseverance and commitment
• Engage with issues of global importance
• Consider ethical implications

Feeder

On the Christmas Eve I decided to do something good for those people that are alone and the most needy today. I wanted to share this great Christmas atmosphere with homeless people. I made a borsch to five flasks, bought plastic cups and give it to those poor people. There were a lot of them near eg. train station sitting in the outside. The weather was quite good today so they didn't feel as much cold as last year when the Christmas Eve was ice-cold. Today everyone should be kind for each other. Our country is general a Catholic country and as the Bible said it is vital to treat each other in a good way. I don't think that this commandment is fulfilled. In my opinion everyone care only about themselves and can't see the suffering around them. Also it is very interesting why do people feel more pity for poor dogs or cats than for other human being? I can't answer this question.
I took my younger sister with me to help. She took the camera and we supposed to film everything. However we got some complications. We both felt like asking those people to film them is inappropriate. The were defenceless and lost sitting alone on the Christmas Eve. They could feel humiliated by this action.
But what was surprising for me is that mainly homeless people didn't want my help. When I asked them if they want some borsch firstly they would say no. I had to convince them that I did this specially for them, that it is for free and that I don't want to harm them. But when they finally see that this is something good for them they acted very polite. They were asking me if I'm from some organisation and why am I doing this. Through this few hours I spent on this action I haven't seen any act of anger from homeless people but what was surprising other people were negative to me. I wanted to make something like a controlled trial and I was disappointed. I was trying to give a cup to some people waiting for a bus or train. Those people were answering me in an impolite way and no one wanted to take a cup from me.
I think that it is very sad that those who have nothing can share more positive emotions with you than other that theoretically should be happy people. I really pitied those homeless people. I know that they are sometimes on the street because they don't want to be sober. But is it exactly like this? Alcoholism is a sickness and is very hard to go through it. Sometimes it is impossible to do this when the person is alone and has no support. We shouldn't be prejudice and judge other people by their appearance because sometimes we can mistaken very badly.
What was the biggest shock for me through this whole action is the moment when I woke up the man sleeping sitting on the branch and offered him a cup and he smiled to me an said surprised: "and you wanted to do something like this?". I had time, enough money to buy those few things and full family waiting for me for the Christmas Eve supper. I wanted to do this because I had all I need on this day and I wanted to help as much as I can to make other people feel like they are a part of this world.

This is us right before going out for this action.

Learning Outcomes:

• Work collaboratively with others

• Show perseverance and commitment

• Engage with issues of global importance

• Consider ethical implications

• Develop new skills

Amnesty International

This Saturday I took part in Amnesty International action – marathon of writing letters. I spent three hours in the restaurant where it was held on writing letters to governments over the word in case of some people whose human rights where breached. There were for example a Chinese activist that was fighting against the corruption in her country and because of this she was imprisoned for more than six years. Different case was an American woman that was also sentenced for a few years in prison because she revealed some top-secret information connected with USA government on WikiLeaks. Mainly letters that we were writing were targeted to governing that imprisoned guiltless people that only were fighting for abide of the human rights. They were doing this to change the situation in their country, they wanted to make it better then it was. Unfortunately current government in those countries don’t like changes. I understand this that no one would like to part with the power that they got, but that is why all those little heroes have us – helping them when they sacrificed everything for better future life of next generations.

Everyone that was near this restaurant this day could come to us and write even only one letter. We had ready examples of each letter and only it was needed to rewrite it. 

I hope that this international action won’t go down the drain but brings freedom to those people that we were writing on behalf and we could make happy some divided families. Also I think that it is a great idea to make other people aware of such a problems, show them how to handle with it and convince them to such an actions.

Learning Outcomes:

• Work collaboratively with others

• Show perseverance and commitment

• Engage with issues of global importance

• Consider ethical implications

• Develop new skills

Math teacher

Lately I have started teaching my schoolmate. I’m preparing him to math tests, because he has backlog with the past material. I handle with the mathematics this year very well so I decided to help him.  We are meeting every weekend and do some exercises from the course book. It is quite challenging for me but also brings me a lot of benefits. Einstein said: “If you can’t explain something simply it means that you don’t understand it”. When I’m teaching this friend I’m learning too and improving my skills. I’m doing this as a volunteer because I think that friendly help in class is necessary and makes our work easier. If one knows something and handle with some topics better one would ease others’ life and help gratuitously.  

Learning Outcomes:

• Work collaboratively with others
• Show perseverance and commitment
• Engage with issues of global importance
• Consider ethical implications
• Develop new skills

St. Andrew’s Day

Here are the fortune cookies in demo version.

Our class organised an action for St. Andrew’s Day. We were selling small calendars as a symbol of a donation for a girl that needs money for the equipment to treatment and rehabilitation. As an addition we gave each donator a fortune cookie. I was only 2zł for a calendar but students from our school weren’t very willing to but one. Maybe those cookies convinced them a bit.

I baked about a hundred cookies and they were all sold. When I was creating the prophecies that were put into the cookies I was wondering if something small like this would change people’s day or even life. Those prophecies from my cookies were simple an only good, so it could make somebodies day, but I don’t think that could have an impact on one’s life. Why do people believe in such a things? Why they want to know how their life is going to pan out. Maybe when they feel like their future is uncertain they want to make sure that everything is going to be all right. But what if not? I wouldn’t like to know my future. I think that we should live the life we live and stop looking behind our backs. We should focus on the here and now and achieving our goals and stop considering what would happened if…



Learning Outcomes:

• Plan and initiate activities
• Work collaboratively with others
• Show perseverance and commitment
• Engage with issues of global importance
• Consider ethical implications