Fascinated

I decided (wisely) to let my students have some "Talk Time" on Tuesday.  I knew they'd have a bazillion stories about their Fall Breaks, so I gave each student a two-minute turn at the podium to tell about their vacations.  I even gave myself a two-minute talk time and told them a few highlights of my trip to New Orleans.  Of course, they had many questions.  And I ran over my two minutes.  :)  They were most curious about the ghost and cemetery tours.  Several of my students are reading books about ghosts, mysteries, etc. and they were fascinated by what I had to say.  I told them about my "ghostly" dream (where Madame Lalaurie was pulling on my arms).  Man, they were hooked!  I told them a little about the cemeteries and about burial in New Orleans.  I was sure I'd have some parent phone calls over that one, but I didn't.  In fact, I spoke with one parent after school and she said her daughter was thrilled with learning about the ghosts and cemeteries. 

I can honestly say that speaking about my experience in New Orleans was the first time in my teaching career that I actually felt like I was teaching them something.  I was incorporating history, world events, and geography all while keeping their interests.  I wasn't using a textbook or technology--I was using my experience and my ability to communicate that experience to my students.  Wow! This is exactly why I went into this profession!