Thursday, March 22, 2012

Calling All Teachers....

There are several reasons why I started this blog. First, because my mom said I needed to practice my writing skills. No really, she says that later in life I will really appreciate having this detailed diary so to say about this incredible experience. Like most of the time with moms, she’s probably right. I also wanted to share this experience with as many people as possible. Being selected to carry the Olympic torch is truly a once in a lifetime, one in a million opportunity. I had this really awesome principal in elementary school, Mr. Chambers, and the word he would use is PHENOMENAL! I don’t want to sound like I am bragging, but I want people to feel like they too are part of this experience. 


After I started Hero Hugs, I saw another opportunity and purpose for the organization besides just thanking the men and women proudly serving our country. I got other kids involved. Hero Hugs has taught kids valuable business skills that we don’t usually learn in the classroom and best of all we are getting kids involved in community service and letting them see how great it feels to give back to others. Kids see that even though we are kids, we still can move mountains and make a difference in the world. I have learned so many really cool things since this journey started and I want to share it with other kids. 


My goal is to get a lot of kids and classrooms involved in the blog. I think this is a great classroom activity that students will be excited about and learn some pretty awesome things in the process. Prior to finding out I would be a torch bearer, I will admit that I didn’t know too much about the Olympics other than they started in Greece. But now I know the Olympics is this spectacular world event filled with history and tradition. I hope the blog will be a fun learning experience for kids from all over the country and that they will be just as excited about the Olympics this summer as I am. 


I will be spending three weeks total in Europe. For a little over two weeks, I will travel all over Europe and then wrap up my trip with events around carrying the torch. I welcome kids and classrooms to make comments and ask questions on the blog, email them to me at HeroHugs2004@aol.com, or mail them the old fashioned way to Hero Hugs – Bailey Reese, PO Box 27, Niceville, FL 32588. I will do my best to give shout outs to some of the kids and classes who write and answer as many questions as I can. As we move forward, I thought it would be cool to share some of the details of things I will do in Europe. I have found some pretty unique and interesting things to do (just wait until you get to hear the story about French fries) and thought it would be so neat to let students do research and offer suggestions of things I should add to the list. This would be a great way for kids to learn about other countries and what their cultures have to offer. Then they can keep watching the blog during the summer when school lets out and see if any of the places they found and suggested end up on the blog (and I promise I do plan to visit some of their suggestions). During my World History class I got a lot more excited about learning when I realized I would soon get to see some of these landmark locations. So maybe my experience will help get other kids excited and they will learn about them too! 


So today I am asking everyone to please share this blog with teachers and parents. I can’t wait to see where the first class to join will be from!

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