Peer group connection lesson ideas?

[placebooooo]

Hi there guys. I am part of a program in school called PGC (peer group connection.) What we do is as 12 grade seniors, we give small lessons to freshmen in high school once a week. Usually our teacher gives us a plan or lesson to reach out to the freshmen with, but this time we were asked to construct our own lessons. Me and my co-leader are currently brainstorming, but any ideas/topics/icebreakers you guys think are good and that will reach out to these freshmen who barley know us would be great!

 

[FAST6191]

You likely will face a tough crowd, possibly one of the tougher ones you will ever face though more through indifference than the alternatives.

Personally I do not mind teaching small groups that want to learn, I have more troubles trying to do it for a bigger class that really does not care though. Sadly my only suggestions are likely against school policies, if not straight up illegal, and even more likely to be vetoed. If you must though I always find it works when you teach them to lie, cheat, forge things, con people and the like as well as the psychology and maths behind it all. You could twist it to be slightly more legit (card tricks and psychology things like change blindness work well) or courtesy of the duality of knowledge "legit" but you might have to work at that one.

Though the previous part was deadly serious and I do actually teach people that when given the chance I would say go hard applied into whatever you can pull off. I did not do the US school system but it is fairly similar in most English speaking parts of the world in that the dreamy ride ends at about 9 years old it goes towards a serious and pointless memory test and "what is this going to be used for in the real world?" is a common question. If you have to make it a bit more practical and like the idea of the above then I would consider something on exam theory as so many people do not know it*.

*example. I do not know the French word for cockatiel and assuming in the heat of the moment I forget the word for bird as well. I do know the word for cat though and where a lot of people will stammer about trying to remember what cockatiel is or something like that if you are asked what pets you have and then you say you have a cat (even if it is a straight up lie) then you have both answered the question and probably done so in a manner that used all the proper words (even if I somehow remember calopsitte élégante and can spell it I am somewhat less likely to remember the gender of the word). Similarly most will show working in maths/science but if you need something to go on with then not many people will do it, grab any number (though in practice go with 1 unless you have a good reason not to) and run the rest of the equation with it.

 

[Gahars]

Teach them the meaning... of vengeance.

*Backflips out of exploding building while firing two pistols simultaneously*

Spoiler

"Talk about hot for teacher."

 

[ShadowSoldier]

Hi there guys. I am part of a program in school called PGC (peer group connection.) What we do is as 12 grade seniors, we give small lessons to freshmen in high school once a week. Usually our teacher gives us a plan or lesson to reach out to the freshmen with, but this time we were asked to construct our own lessons. Me and my co-leader are currently brainstorming, but any ideas/topics/icebreakers you guys think are good and that will reach out to these freshmen who barley know us would be great!

Teach them how to do taxes, what taxes are, how to vote, anything to do with banking and how to buy a car or house, you know, all the crucial shit in life. Leave the pythagorean theorem to the teachers.

 

[FAST6191]

Teach them how to do taxes, what taxes are, how to vote, anything to do with banking and how to buy a car or house, you know, all the crucial shit in life. Leave the pythagorean theorem to the teachers.

Pay an accountant, something you pay so do it and get on with life, do you really have to vote and similarly the maths/logic behind it all is not simple and so may render it pointless, read the small print and pay your debts in the agreed upon manner (to say nothing of the BS that is the US credit system being a game unto itself), bring a mechanic with you and bring a builder with you (mortgage systems are likely to be so hugely variable both in terms of location, options and likely by the time they are considering it that you are back to needing an accountant). More amusingly some of the solutions to the former actually involve Pythagoras.

 

[placebooooo]

Love the replies everyone! I will keep them in mind! Me an my partner along with several other co-leaders decided to take matters into drugs, alcohol, intercourse etc... Freshmen their age tend to be sexually active and into drugs and all of those things they actually think are "cool" even at their age. We are gonna have them perform skits, we are gonna have debates, and maybe an icebreaker or two. But we always try to keep things interested to them rather than things that are just blah.
Thanks again everyone

 

[FAST6191]

If you are going to do an impromptu sex ed class be very careful and try to read up on what you can and can not teach people in your area as well as making sure you are not in violation of school (district) rules (it can be an odd mix of federal, state, county, district, city and schoolboard rules). I do not know the breakdown in your area but over the years I have seen some very odd regulations on what can and can not be said (I could be taught what condoms were but not shown one or have their usage demonstrated for instance). Simply espousing something along the lines of "assuming you are of the required age (and it can vary by state I believe) then do what you like as long as you wear protection" could land you or someone else in hot water at various levels up to and including if "abstinence is the only way" is the method of choice for your school. On drugs I can imagine it being even worse and a "I do not suggest it but if you were then here is how you do not completely mess yourself up" talk (even something as basic as avoiding hyperhydration when on ecstasy) could see someone get in trouble. Booze... the UK is very different to the modern USA so I will not even pretend to understand what goes there; news stories on the perils of teen drinking kind of washed over me until I realised that most places in the US ban drinking for those under 21, for reference you can buy as much (including spirits) as you have money for at 18 from any shop (and most neighbourhoods will have two booze selling shops within walking distance) and there are lots of ins for those under 18 that want to drink up to and including getting parents to buy it and being on private property to do the drinking.

 

[ShadowSoldier]

Love the replies everyone! I will keep them in mind! Me an my partner along with several other co-leaders decided to take matters into drugs, alcohol, intercourse etc... Freshmen their age tend to be sexually active and into drugs and all of those things they actually think are "cool" even at their age. We are gonna have them perform skits, we are gonna have debates, and maybe an icebreaker or two. But we always try to keep things interested to them rather than things that are just blah.
Thanks again everyone

Wouldn't it be funny if all them ended up becoming porn stars years down the road?