This year I am teaching a Leadership class to grades 6-8. When I had the opportunity to sit back and really think about the blank canvas in which I was starting from, my thoughts continued to circle around the thought that I really wanted these kids to learn that even as kids, they can change the world.
With SAMSI, I was able to hear about some cases in which statistics were used to solve real court cases. The collaboration with SAMSI gave me an opportunity to think about real world application in a whole new way. I started thinking outside of the classroom, literally. My project for my Kenan Fellows project gives students the chance to come up with a solution to the world in which they live. What do they wish were different? What do they think makes no sense? Which event in their world do they not agree with? I want to give them a platform to let their voice be heard.
The hurdles that I have had to overcome during this process is trying to do this program justice. I know I could write a lesson with any given topic. However, with the basis of this program being that other teachers can view our lessons/projects in order to implement in their classroom, I wanted it to be more. I sometimes think I am over-thinking or trying to hard. I am hoping that once I have had more time to think about the project and/or teach it to my class, it will become a more realistic unit that more teachers will give out to their students. I hope that our goal in this generation is to give the next generation a voice, platform, and strength to speak out about any injustice that they witness.