ChristmasFuture has been a life changing event for the kids in my room

The subject line above was the email I received from a fellow teacher this morning, and it is not the first of its kind. Our school-wide examination of extreme poverty has been powerful and highly rewarding. I have had numerous conversations over the last ten days about how interested and motivated our students are.

My own experience has been incredibly rewarding. Being able to raise awareness about global issues, and particularly extreme poverty is one of the benefits that I get from teaching. As the week has progressed, the grade 6 students in my classes have become literate in the language of global issues, comfortably talking about “NGO’s” and “Millennium Development Goals.” They have seen the difference between Aid and Development, and many have expressed the power and voice that they believe they have to change the world.

A significant portion of the success of our week is due to the guest speakers who gave of their time to come and share their passions. Erin Wilkins from CAUSE Canada and Rick Castiglione were both highly engaging and put a human face to those who give their lives to this movement. We also had fellow students, impassioned grade 8s, come and share their understanding of HIV/AIDS. It is so great to see students teaching students. Add in a few documentaries, and the kids in my class had a very rich and meaningful experience.

I know that in many classrooms around the school, the exploration of these topics is still going on. Students are asking deeper questions, and expressing interest in the causes and political implications of poverty. Students are asking to learn more about past and present conflicts in Africa, and the economic comparisons of Canada with other countries. I know the learning will continue on for a while.

All in all, it is exciting to ponder the outcomes of this week. When a school of 600 is engaged and motivated, I think there will be incredible things accomplished. There is an energy and enthusiasm that will carry us over the next few weeks until Christmas. I am looking forward to our Peace Festival!

I will finish off with two quotes written by students this week…

“I think I’ve seen enough to say poverty has to be stopped. So many people die from things that are so preventable. If no one tries to do anything about poverty, there is a very good chance it will continue for a very long time, and we would lose millions of people that could have been easily saved. We have to end it right now!”

“After listening to the voices of poverty, I really think we could and should help this unequal world.”

BLOG by Neil Stephenson, teacher at Calgary Science School and ChristmasFuture Team Lead for the Pilot Project