The Beat Goes On!

     No, this won't be a post about Sonny & Cher. (For those of you who are wondering who Sonny & Cher are, just ignore my attempt at humor.) The beat I'm talking about is my heart.  We just finished studying the circulatory and respiratory systems.  Some of my students used stethoscopes and heard their heartbeats for the first time.  I loved seeing their eyes light up and the expressions of wonder on their faces when they heard and were concentrating on the beat...lub, dub...lub, dub... 
     I'm very thankful for my heartbeat, especially today.  I celebrated my "cancerversary" (A term coined by one of my students). It's the fourth anniversary to be cancer free!  I celebrated with my class today.  The school where I teach is very supportive of the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life.  I used the slogan from Relay...Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back to share a little about my journey with students and how they can lower their risk of getting cancer.
    The first thing we did was CELEBRATE.  I told students how much I appreciated their support during our fundraising efforts and how important it is to let people know you love and appreciate them.  We also had cupcakes to celebrate.
     We REMEMBERED by watching the Relay Photostory from 2010.  Then we took a look at a slideshow of this year's Relay event. Several of our school's students were featured in the pictures.  One of the students from my homeroom class, a fellow survivor, appeared in the pics and students didn't realize he was a survivor.  Students also had a chance to share about family and friends with cancer.
     Students learned how to FIGHT BACK.  Many of the students had participated in several of the fundraisers...Think Pink basket, Water Bottle Raffle, Collecting Change for a Cure, Digital Key Chain Raffle, Wednesday Dinner Theater and some brought donations.  I explained that money for research and to help those with cancer was only one way to fight back.  Another important way to fight cancer is to learn how to reduce the risk of having cancer.  We talked about nutrition, an active life style, not smoking, and sun safety.
    Each class period was emotional for me, but I count it a privilege to be able to share with students to help them understand they are not to young to choose to live a healthy life style and make a difference in the lives of others.