A freshman, I couldn’t believe the horror stories I was hearing about my fellow classmates. “So and so went drinking last night,” “Did you hear about that party?” “He could have got a DUI.” What happened in the short summer between eighth grade and freshman year, where these innocent kids went off the deep end? I was amazed, and decided that I wanted absolutely no part of that transition. The night-and-day transformation that occurred terrified me, yet, no one else seemed surprised by this; they acted like it was just a rite of passage. In my mind something had to be done, and in my mind the only way to prevent teenagers from taking that path is to warn them that it is hazardous before they make that turn, and that’s why I find Project Charlie …show more content…
Then, I went through a 6 hour training to familiarize myself with the 3 lesson plans that guide our classes. During these 3 lessons, we help students explore important information that covers the definition of drugs, how they can affect your body, and most importantly, how to make good decisions and avoid peer pressure. While the parent mentors stressed knowing anything and everything about substance abuse, throughout my 3 years as a facilitator I have found that being a successful teacher goes hand-in-hand with being a good role model. The kids aren’t watching the presentations to get information about drugs, they are watching to gain incites about how high-schoolers act and present themselves. I think that’s the key to a truly successful lesson: to be a role model for the kids, to actually show them that it is possible to lead a happy life without tangling with the harmful substances that they see glorified in the media. It feels good to show them what proper behavior is, and it not only benefited the kids but also me; as having twenty five pairs of small eyes staring at me forced me to hold myself to a higher standard. I not only helped the students grow, but also the program, offering my ideas and support to update and fine tune the lesson