Developing Student Activists

It's been a while since I last blogged! The end of the year is always a busy time and exciting time at my school. We embark on a unit of study that has a social justice slant and immerse our students in the topic. This year we decided to focus on nonviolent solutions to the problems in our school, community and city. My students first learned about the violence neighborhood by neighborhood. They then studied the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King JR. and Mahatma Gahndi to find ways to share solutions to violence through nonviolent means. They also learned about nonviolent approaches used in the past and bullying from our good friends at Burley School on our shared blog space soschicago2013.blogspot.com.

After all the learning it was time for some action. Our students decided to create posters using the app, Phoster. They also created slides on keynote about the neighborhood data they studied.

They also created a music video. As you can see below each student offered their personal solution to the violence issues facing our city. In the end we all want to be a part of solving the violence that plagues our city. I am incredibly proud of their work, their message and their commitment to find solutions. This is the final work I will share from my students this year and in my opinion it is their most powerful.

SOS Chicago from Autumn Laidler on Vimeo.