Diseases

I had no idea how interested my students would be about Ebola. It has made teaching this unit so easy because they are super interested in all things disease right now but frustrating because literally every class I have to answer Ebola related questions. We can be talking about dangers of fungi and the next question be "is that like the symptoms of Ebola?" No, an itchy rash on your foot is not like Ebola. This age/grade level/community historically has not been the most empathetic group. With Ebola starting to hit closer to home, it has made students realize that, to a certain degree we do need to concern ourselves with the well being of other countries. The once popular student opinion of "letting them die" is not only a very harsh stance to take but also not always in our nations best interest. Many are beginning to appreciate just how interconnected our world has become. It is terribly unfortunate that it is taking something as destructive as Ebola to get them to realize it.