My Girls

In my 6th grade class, there are 15 boys and 9 girls. The boys are loud, wild, crazy, fun-loving and did I mention, LOUD. There presence alone demands that everyone pay attention to them. They always have a comment to make, a cause to fight for or an action to defend. The girls are not quiet, sweet and timid, they are just overshadowed by the boys. While they are twelve and thirteen, they are not that into all that "girly" stuff. They have discovered makeup, but not short skirts, heels and revealing shirts. I often feel unsure of how to reach them, how to connect. But recently we had a break-through. Somehow, we started talking about having a special "girls time" and next thing I knew, I was hosting a girls sleepover at my house. We had a blast. There was pizza and karaoke, games and movies, massages and snacks, sleeping bags and sleepy faces. In the morning, we topped it all off with pancakes and frisbee. To me, it seemed like this would just be a good time of bonding and connecting with my girls. Little did I know that it would lead to so much more.

All students have a course called "občianska náuka." As best as I can translate it, it is Civics or Ethics. I got roped into teaching it and have struggled with finding subjects and good material. Until the sleepover. Then came the fabulous idea to divide the class into groups by gender for a month or so. So now, each Thursday, I meet with the 9 girls from our class.

Because we are divided by gender, it gives me a chance to open up and talk about sensitive issues. We started out simply talking about things such as hair care and proper dental hygiene. We are moving into more embarrassing topics such as how our bodies develop and change. And while some have laughingly asked to go and join the boys, they are listening, asking good questions and participating, even though it is uncomfortable.

My goal is to open up some more difficult topics in the future, such as eating disorders (a huge problem here in Slovakia), sexual purity and self image. Please pray with me that the girls would have open hearts and ears and that I would have the right words to say.

My girls - Ema Z, Ema R, Martina, Justi, Tina, Dorota, Lucia, Ronja and Zuzana