ASK: Monkey Island
November 14, 2007
We had our first session of Monkey Island and it was amazing! Thank you to Janine Lim for her mentoring of us in our bringing ASK to Texas and to VBrick for funding the Don Foshee memorial grant that we purchased class sets of books.
Panelists: Kenneth Moerbe, executive director of Caritas and Teri Holtkamp, homelessness administrator for the city of Waco
Kudos to our teachers and students from Dew ISD, Rosebud-Lott ISD, Kopperl ISD, and Hillsboro ISD. The questions were well-thought out and well-presented.
Here are some of the questions:
- Our class was offended by the language in the book. Do homeless people really talk that way?
- Are homeless people mean?
- What do homeless people eat?
- Do homeless people have pets?
- Should we be afraid of the homeless?
- What can we do as kids to help the homeless people?
- Why did you want to start working with the homeless?
- Do people who are not homeless get in fights with homeless people?
- When homeless people die, do they have funerals?
- Where do you get money to run the shelters and help the homeless?
I am amazed at the ASK process. I continue to hear from teachers that this is so valuable for them. The students read carefully, develop good questions, and learn good lessons about life.
Our panelists handled the students’ questions with such care and respect for the subject. I look forward to our next sessions.
Posted in ASK Programs
content rss
I am from Dew ISD. We really enjoyed the conference. Being from a small town, the book and conference opened our eyes on the important issues concerning the homeless!
Once again, thanks for a wonderful experience!
Penny Scruggs
Dew ISD
Rosebud-Lott is a very rural district and being homeless is a distant reality for our students. This program gave them a taste of what it means to be without a home. I was amazed at the maturity of the questions the students asked. They were very quick to tie the food drive they participate in to the homeless situation. Aren’t young people amazing?
The panelists were wonderful and very, very knowledgeable. Thanks to them for their time and expertise.
And thanks to Roxanne and Shane for bringing us all together for this experience. You deserve the awards you received and more. Keep up the good work.
Jim Bartosh
Rosebud-Lott ISD
Hi, Penny and Jim, thanks for the comments. I read the book and thought it was so touching. I wasn’t sure how the students would react to it and how teachers would like it.
I am glad that it was well-received. Teri and Kenneth were wonderful panelists and I hope that we can collaborate with them in the future.