The Ripple Effect: 2013 Edition
I alone cannot change the world; but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples. ~Mother Theresa
If you are anything like I am, you are having a hard time believing that it is already 2014. It seems like only yesterday that we were celebrating the beginning of 2013. I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun.
I still marvel at the fact that I get to spend my days doing something I enjoy so much that it doesn’t feel like work.
Below are just a few of the things that happened in 2013 that have made my work so rewarding:
1. Multiple students told me they had planned to have sex either that evening or that weekend but changed their minds after hearing my message.
2. An 8th grade girl told me that she gained the courage while listening to my presentation, to report sexual abuse that she had endured for the past eight years.
3. A young man gave me his condoms after class and said, “I won’t be needing these anymore because I’m done with sex.”
There’s no greater feeling than watching students not only “get it,” but also hearing that they will share what they’ve learned with others so they can “get it” too!
I am going to [share] some of the information you taught our class [with] my friends that are sexually active in hopes that they will make better, healthier choices.
I will tell my friends about what you taught me because it’s something everyone should hear.
I shared what I learned with a few of my friends and as I told them I could see wheels turning in their heads.
This, my friend, is the ripple effect that I strive for.
What about you? In what ways are you casting stones? And what has been the ripple effect?
