Activism
I tell my students every single day that they have the power to change the world. We learn about important activists such as Mohandas Gandhi and Nelson Mandela and learn about their methods of protesting using nonviolent resistance. I tell my students that while we may not be able to make as direct of an impact as these two men made on their countries (yet), we still have a voice and could make a change for the better. I asked my enrichment class what they wanted to do to help change the world and many of them spoke about ending child labor. My students spent time researching the history of child labor and learned about companies that still continue to exploit children. During ECI 513, Teaching and Learning with Digital Video, one of my assignments required me to create a public service announcement about a health topic or another concern. I was telling my students about the assignment and THEY decided that I should create the PSA on the topic of child labor. I told them I would do so, but they had to help! After completing some additional research, we created the following video that we plan to share at our school.
During ECI 508, Teachers as Leaders, one of my favorite moments was when Angela Scioli, a teacher at Leesville Road HIgh School came to discuss the various levels of activism that a teacher can partipate in. One of the things that I realized during Scioli's lecture was the importance of modeling activism for our students. Therefore, I include a copy of a letter that I wrote with two colleagues, Amanda Turner and Catie Briggs, to the editor of the News and Observer. We wrote about our demand for Master's pay to be reinstated in North Carolina. I hope that my students can realize that if I am able to work towards change, they have the power to do the same.