Take Courage!

Before Christmas, one of my grade 9 classes studied a series of reflections by South African kids who had been to a special camp on a wildlife reserve. The reflections were arranged on a background of artwork by Robert Bateman.

My students took time to research the history and culture of South Africa, and learned a little bit about apartheid. This background information gave them a broader understanding of what the South African kids were reflecting upon in "An African Adventure."

After reading the reflections, each student answered a series of response questions. Would being alone on a midnight watch in the wildlife reserve take courage? Most of the kids responded in the affirmative, as the only world with which they are familiar is that of the overpopulated urban reserve. Another question asked the students to speculate on the relationship between humans and nature. The consensus seemed to be that some sort of harmony between humans and nature was necessary to sustain life on earth in the long term.

It was a response to one of the questions, "What other sorts of things might take courage [besides being in a multi-racial group of students in the middle of a wildlife reserve in South Africa and having to do a solo midnight watch over the camp]?" that sent me into peels of laughter.

All the answers to this question were well thought out, and contained ligitimate examples from a student's perspective of what would require great courage. However, one student, in a list of very serious, courageous deeds listed "2. The courage to not step in poo in the middle of the night."