Most teachers agree that skills and content are important components for a quality education. Debate erupts over which is more important. Some argue that teaching a person how to think should be the primary focus. Others argue that teaching content knowledge is more worthwhile. In the middle of this debate are the students who have very passionate ideas of what the purpose of school should be.
In the midst of the modern civil rights movement, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson is more relevant now than ever before. Diving into the injustices embedded in today’s institutions, Stevenson intertwines stories of unjust treatment and punishment of those who …
Civic Responsibility is a common theme in American history embraced by men and women such as Ida Tarbell, Dorothea Dix, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., all of whom tried to change society through protest or some other means. At the …
Before reading The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, I could use the conversation on civic-responsibility inspired by Margaret Mead to explore the idea that change begins with a single person or small group. Many young people believe their own actions don’t …
Looking at youth leaders like Greta Thunberg opens a door through which students can enter the theme of civic responsibility, and how a young individual can change how the world thinks about an issue. Using only her voice Thunberg was …
In a government unit, I would be teaching students about the role and duty of individual citizens in a democracy. In this unit, we would learn the definition and importance of voting. I would follow my instruction with the conversation …
When students hear the mantra “You can make a difference in the world,” there’s often an eye-roll. Students struggle to see how the actions of a few can have big consequences for the many. The fallout of this attitude is that many won’t decide to participate in that school-wide fundraiser, start that club or vote in the next election. The impulse to remain apathetic is strong but, as Mead reminds us, it just takes a different way of thinking to liberate us to act.
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