Before Class:
Read the letters from important historical figures. Identify a passage or letter that resonates with you the most. Be prepared to discuss the passage and why it resonates with you.
After Class:
Your task for this unit is to write a letter to a younger version of yourself. In order to do that, you will need to choose a point in time in your life when you could have used some advice, perhaps a major turning point or crossroads for you. Write what was going on with you at that time. How did you get into the predicament that you were in? What were your priorities? Worries? Goals?
You will write this in second person. Remember, this letter is to your former self. There’s a bit of a performative aspect here as well. The audience that you will read this to will be the rest of the class, so you want to clue us in on what was going on. Here’s a short example.
“You had a big job interview at 9 am in Newport. Your rear passenger-side tire blew out, and now you’re stranded on the side of RI-138. To make matters worse, your cell phone came unplugged last night, and the battery reads 3% when you check it. Etc, etc….”
Get into the details.
As part of this letter, you will be giving advice and “teaching” lessons that you have learned in life and in the PCVI thus far to this version of yourself in crisis. What are 2 major lessons that you have learned in the PCVI that could be valuable to that younger version of yourself? I’m talking about specific readings, discussions, and other materials. Write them down. We’ll begin incorporating them next lesson.
A template to get you going is available on Google Classroom. You can use that or email me a draft at prallelucas@gmail.com.