Life is Better on the Farm

TWO AMAZING STUDENTS !

Everyone once in a while, teachers are blessed with students who become their teacher's greatest teachers. My SPAN 213 students, Cassie and Levi, are two such individuals--students who have worked diligently over the past two years to learn and perfect their spoken Spanish and who have developed personal interests in Latin America, including issues related to human rights violations in Guatemala and Cuba.

Cassie has actually traveled to Guatemala with members of her church; her plans are to return later this year. Just recently, she came across an article that shed light on an issue regarding the closure of TV and radio stations that broadcast in indigenous languages to the Guatemalan people, and this issue, along with other concerns, led her to propose a project about creating a website related to human rights violations in Guatemala.

Levi has been following the stories of a couple of human rights activists in Cuba for the last two years, and the focus of his proposal is to put up a website with information on Cuban political prisoners with letters of petitions that people can sign to call for their release.

Both sites are a work in progress, but I wanted to get info out about them early on so that the few of you who read my blog can follow Levi and Cassie's progress.

Cassie's site: www.guatemala.infogami.com).

Levi's site (www.geocities.com/lm77853)

What these amazing students teach me includes practical things, like the construction of web sites, creating links, etc. --things that heretofore, I've avoided. As I watch Levi and Cassie, I learn that I, too, can acquire these skills without fear of wiping out the entire web! Much more importantly, these two students serve as fine reminders of human spirit and the goodness in young people who really are concerned about the world we live in and who believe that their efforts might just impact the lives of others in a positive and loving way. ¡¡ Felicitaciones y gracias mil, Cassie and Levi!! I am honored to learn from you!