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Mrs. Heinrich’s Classroom Edit display name

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This year my 9th grade ELA classes have an overarching theme of Empathy. I believe that we feel empathy when we hear each other's stories, getting a glimpse of someone else's life. That is why we will read the memoir of Ishmael Beah, who grew up in war-torn Sierra Leone, and forced to become a soldier at the tender age of 13. His is a touching story of hope prevailing and how one can learn to feel human again even after being dehumanized through pain and violence. His story is beautifully written, full of opportunities to learn about figures of speech as well in my ELA classroom, like when Beah talks about the moon as a symbol of joy and connection to family. There is also much to be said about his powerful use of imagery, which connects the reader and puts them in his shoes. But feeling empathy is not enough; I want my students to be change-makers. Reading A Long Way Gone will lead into their Social Justice Research Project. My hope as a teacher is that my students will be inspired by Beah's story and they will choose a Social Justice topic such as "child soldiers", "modern-day slavery", "child labor", etc, research about it, and answer the question: "How does one respond to issues of social justice?" This is a very important element of the project in which there must be a “call to action”, a way to effect change. Through this, at the end of the school year, my hope is that my 9th graders will be spreading awareness of social justice issues, campaigning to create change, and coming up with tangible ways to help others. And this all starts with empathy.

About my class

This year my 9th grade ELA classes have an overarching theme of Empathy. I believe that we feel empathy when we hear each other's stories, getting a glimpse of someone else's life. That is why we will read the memoir of Ishmael Beah, who grew up in war-torn Sierra Leone, and forced to become a soldier at the tender age of 13. His is a touching story of hope prevailing and how one can learn to feel human again even after being dehumanized through pain and violence. His story is beautifully written, full of opportunities to learn about figures of speech as well in my ELA classroom, like when Beah talks about the moon as a symbol of joy and connection to family. There is also much to be said about his powerful use of imagery, which connects the reader and puts them in his shoes. But feeling empathy is not enough; I want my students to be change-makers. Reading A Long Way Gone will lead into their Social Justice Research Project. My hope as a teacher is that my students will be inspired by Beah's story and they will choose a Social Justice topic such as "child soldiers", "modern-day slavery", "child labor", etc, research about it, and answer the question: "How does one respond to issues of social justice?" This is a very important element of the project in which there must be a “call to action”, a way to effect change. Through this, at the end of the school year, my hope is that my 9th graders will be spreading awareness of social justice issues, campaigning to create change, and coming up with tangible ways to help others. And this all starts with empathy.

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