ACTION-BASED ADVOCACY
Words only mean so much when it comes to impacting positive change. This is a lesson that I learned late, and one that I therefore planned on facilitating early and often for my fifth graders. That is why I consistently implement lessons in which students are able to advocate for themselves - academically, mentally, and emotionally. The project below is by far one of my favorites not because my students actively advocated for themselves. It is not my favorite because students were able to take all actionable steps into their own hands. It is not my favorite because my students utilized collective assets to increase pride in the many cultural identities within our school.
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It is my favorite because they did all of this on their own.
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Through discussions regarding a needs assessment of the school, my students immediately recognized and verbalized the need for a change of atmosphere. Through their lens, the overarching theme of the hallways was moody and sad, often with an unkind or even cruel undertone. I asked students how we could make changes to this negative environment, and the resulting discussion demonstrated not only student investment in advocating for their own academic community, but also assured me that these students are on the right track towards becoming truly impactful members of our society.
** Please see the highlighted section of the lesson plan below to see how I explicitly expose my students to the concept of advocacy.
As I explain to all of my fifth graders, advocacy is about seeking out what you need in order to meet whatever definition of success that you strive towards. For this project, my students chose to define success with one word: kindness. In a time when the societal lines of morality are blurred, in a time when those in power are spewing hateful ideas more than those not in power, my students chose to advocate for those who did not have a voice. They were able to identify a need through anecdotal data, create a structured series of actionable steps in order to fill that need, and successfully implement the aforementioned plan with grace and pride.
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Upon reflection of this fantastic feat, I am still at a loss for words. When students walk into my room every morning, six months after this initial discussion came to fruition, and say "Sunshine Squad here, reporting for duty!" I can't help but smile, with an immense sense of pride and hope for the future of our society.