I love my "job"!

I have the best teaching position ever! I am contracted with Central District Health Dept. to teach smoking cessation classes in the schools and also for the juvenile court system. My youngest student was about 12 and I have taught adults as well so I would say my oldest student was about 75. In the last few years, I have mostly taught kids but sometimes parents attend as well and they decide to quit smoking. It is so rewarding when I have a student quit smoking! It is funny because when I tell people what I do and it never fails... I get this little smile and they will make a comment about how that is an impossible task...convince someone to quit smoking! I know the odds are not great...statistics show that if someone starts smoking at age 16 or younger... There is a 9 out of 10 chance that they will smoke the rest of their lives... But our statistics blow that out of the water... Not bragging... Just stating the facts! I am passionate about what I do! Some of these kids just need someone to listen to them and to show them the facts! This generation of kids are smart but just confused about what it means to be strong and brave! I fall in love with each student and I am not just saying that! I pray for my students and for help to know what they need from me! I always sit in a semicircle with the kids and we talk and set goals, we watch videos that are so gross but real, we do relaxation exercises, they love my "pig lungs" as I inflate them, we breath through coffee straws to simulate emphysema. Here are some pictures of my Borah high class. I hope to add more pictures as time goes on. The one with the kids laying down shows our relaxation time. I make little eye pillows for them and they listen to a progressive relaxation cd . They love it and I am just trying to show them a more positive way to handle stress than the cigarette!