Introduction

The majority of my current students are from well-to-do families who work in government. While many of the families routinely participate in social justice events, the severe injustices occurring just outside their world must be conveyed in order for them to challenge these systems. As studied in the previous unit, we continued to expand the notion that although they may be young, they are capable of eliciting change and their opinions should be valued. Students practiced by partnering with my former students to advocate and demand safe school environments in New Orleans. Furthermore, students created a donation box that supported families who lost their homes after Ida struck. These activities provide students with a meaningful and real opportunity to utilize both collective and individual assets and will reveal the prolific effects of activism by demonstrating that their words/actions can be powerful barriers to systemic injustice.

Research

Before introducing the project to the students, I wanted to be mindful not to elicit fear, but rather a passion to advocate, based on the tragic events we would study. I familiarized myself with how to discuss difficult topics with young children based on research and best-practices. After careful investigation, the following steps guided the introduction to our topic:

1. Create a safe space - ensure that the learning space is a familiar and comfortable environment.

2. Be honest - tell students what happened in a developmentally appropriate way.

3. Discuss feelings - invite a discussion regarding how this scary news can feel and model coping mechanisms.

4. Prepare for questions - understand that students will have questions and be prepared to answer truthfully.

5. Reassure safety - remind students that hurricanes are very rare and are likely not to hit DC.

6. Devise a plan for action - discuss action steps to ensure the students of New Orleans and surrounding areas have access to a safe education and enriching opportunities.

In addition, it was was vital to research outreach programs that are not only accepting donations, but ensure the families most in need would receive support. All monetary donations will be directly sent to the Bayou Community Foundation, as areas just outside of the city of New Orleans were hardest hit by the storm. For all other donations (toys, clothes, non-perishables, etc.), these will be mailed to the social worker at Homer Plessy, who will allocate items based on the needs of the student population.

References:

Mooneyham, G. L. C. (2018, August 7). Helping your children deal with Bad News. Duke Department of Pediatrics. Retrieved October 10, 2021, from https://pediatrics.duke.edu/news/helping-your-children-deal-bad-news.

Rocker, L. (n.d.). Breaking bad news to your children. Breaking Bad News to Your Children: Top Tips for parents. Retrieved October 8, 2021, from https://www.childpsychologist.com.au/resources/breaking-bad-news-to-your-children-quirky-kids-6-top-tips.

Planning Timeline

This project timeline provided a framework for instruction by allowing us to analyze critical aspects of the lessons and prepare to execute in a timely, organized and logical manner.

Lesson Plan

Instructional Strategies

The above lesson plan introduced the upcoming project by giving students a direct example of our objective: recognizing how our words and actions can work together to navigate and challenge systems of inequity. The main text, Marvelous Cornelius, highlights a charismatic and joyful garbage man who, alongside a "flood of humanity" works to clean up and restore New Orleans after Katrina. This text also takes place in the French Quarter, where Homer Plessy is located, and gives students valuable background knowledge to build upon. The impact and reality of these storms became more relevant for my young students after pointing out the school in the illustrations and comparing/contrasting to real-life pictures. After we read the text, we brainstormed various ways we could help and decided that it is critical to feel safe at school. With my help, we engaged in a group-writing exercise in which we demanded that the NOLA Public School System provide safe and enjoyable learning experiences for all of its students. We then discussed how we could help schools by finding objects that contribute to our own feelings of safety and collected books, toys, blankets and other materials that will aid in creating classrooms that nurture whole-child development. After gathering and packing our boxes, we summarized how our our collective actions will stand up to the injustices of inequitable school environments through our words (letter writing) and our actions (supply boxes).

For more information regarding the general set-up and rationale for letter writing/ dramatic play post-office, please click here for Assessment C: Access Action Plans..

Conversation Related: Writing to NOLA PS

Small Group Practice:

In order to gauge understanding, students participated in small groups with teachers to practice how letters and writing can help communicate with others, as well as proper letter writing etiquette. The students participated in a quick lesson review and discussed with peers what kind of letter they would like to write. They decided to write to their grown-ups denoting what they had done at school that day. Once complete, they folded their letters, placed in envelopes and addressed them to the proper party. Because this was a practice activity, they used pretend stamps and used these letters in the dramatic play post-office.

Dramatic Play: Post-Office

Throughout the week, the dramatic play center was set up to include post-office materials. The students had access to paper, writing utensils, envelopes, stamps, a mailbox and a mail bag for the carrier. Children enjoyed writing letters to each other and pretending to be mail carriers as they delivered mail to cubbies and teachers.

Group-Writing: Letter to NOLA-PS

After multiple days of letter writing practice and exploration, students engaged in a group writing experience to advocate for safe schools in New Orleans. Students expressed that every child deserves to have a school that looks like ours and voiced concerns for my previous students. After discussing as a group, we decided that safe doors/ windows, housing, educational materials, and teachers are vital for safe schools and encourage NOLA-PS to provide them.

Action Related: Gathering Supplies & Materials

Gathering & Sending Supplies For Safe Schools

This action step required students to analyze what items made them feel safe at school and how our community can advocate to ensure all students have the same access to these needed supplies. They determined that they would donate clothes they had outgrown, toys from home and school, five books from our classroom, as well as a soft blanket to comfort children in times of worry. The students practiced packing the boxes, as well as taping and addressing to ensure delivery. This step not only increases community in the classroom, but demonstrates to students that their words and actions have value by directly helping Ms. Lillie’s students.

Teaching young students about the critical importance of activism, advocacy and social justice is not only a necessity, but the above projects expose just how considerate, noble and philanthropic children are. When activities are designed using the science of cognitive development, teachers can hone in on a child's natural compassion and create lifelong neurological connections based on integrity and justice. These vital connections impact life-long decision-making and ensure children continue to develop and recognize how to use collective/individual assets to challenge systems of inequity.

While I am both proud and impressed by my class's work throughout this unit, I must continue to expand instruction through perpetual activism and consciously move past teacher-initiated ideas. To give an example, I notice students frequently point out people experiencing homelessness on our way to the park. Rather than redirecting the conversation or even worse, ignoring the comment, I will teach students more about this real-world problem and create discussions where they are able to form and act on their own opinions. As students continue to expand their knowledge of the real-world, it is vital to remain honest about injustices, answer questions truthfully and devise a plan of action that takes advantage of our assets to elicit real change.