I found three big concepts to take away from these readings. The first one came from the first reading listed, "Banners for Books: “Mighty-Hearted” Kindergartners Take Action through ArtsBased Service Learning". It quite honestly seemed nuts to me that we would try to teach kindergarteners about Article 26- of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (the right to education). It just seemed like it was too much for them, ya know what I mean? As I continued to read the article, my thoughts changed... it is possible to teach subjects like this. The could handle that there were educational inequalities around the world. It was really interesting to me that the students were able to distinguish their privileges and educational rights. They were also empathetic for other students around the world the same age as them. Then they took action. The project made was a screen printed banners. The students raised money with these banners to purchase books to send them to a newly built school in El Salvador. They made $800. It just showed me that students of all ages can handle dense subjects when taught in a thoughtful and intentional way. Ultimately improving our local and our global community. Kindergarteners making a difference and uniting us all.
The second also came from the same reading, it spends time explaining how influential the teacher in this situation was. She was the person that reached out to a professor for resources. She knew how important it was to include art based service learning within her classroom. She believed in their abilities and knew that their mighty hearts could make a difference in the world. At the end of the article it says, "She showed care for her students, and they then showed care for the world." This is the impact we can all have on our students. I want that, you should all want that too. I truly think that it's part of our job as educators. We have to be willing to go out on a limb for their opportunities and they will become better human beings. The students' drawings were a tell tale sign of how their care, innate feelings of fairness, and awareness were present. They included the ♥️ symbol often drawn with a picture of their teacher, peers, and in one instance Nelson Mandela's portrait. Many students also showed a want for further connections to their counterparts at the school in El Salvador. It seemed like a truly amazing experience to be a part of. I recently heard this quote, "Be the change you want to see in the world". Let's all take a step towards making a difference, I sure am ready to.
I also had never considered teaching children about their rights! "Kindergarteners making a difference and uniting us all," reminded me of when we discussed whether we should allow students to partake in protests or not. But in the example that we talked about then, students greatly impacted the adults in the community when they used their voices. This reminds me of Greta Thunberg and how small can mean mighty-hearted.
ReplyDeleteAfter working with all those first graders I told myself not to underestimate them, but I thought the same thing - that's a big topic for kindergartners, but it all depends on how you teach it. and to raise $800?! That's awesome!
ReplyDeleteYou're first take away was something I totally noticed and talked about, too. It seems like such a big idea topics to talk about privilege with Kindergarteners. However, it makes me think it's okay to bring in topics that seem big and make students think deep. Don't limit what you teach because of the age of your students.
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