Have you participated in a race in which proceeds benefited a cause, such as the annual St. Jude Marathon in Memphis, Tennessee? Do you have family afflicted with brain disorders, such as epilepsy or Alzheimer’s, and wonder what more you could do? My students want to do more.
Our eighth grade class encompasses approximately 150 middle American kids in a small town with big ideas.
My kids think outside the box regularly, and take ownership of ideas, and sometimes even my lessons, in order to make their ideas heard and even effect change. Each year, our school hosts a variety of fundraisers through clubs such as Student Council and Beta, and each year our students scrape together what they can to benefit a club-chosen cause. The only thing missing is personal investment. Many causes are chosen at random, or even by the ease in fundraising (in other words, when gently-used items or pantry goods are options), and while such causes are worthy, many of my students fail to invest passion and inspiration due to a lack of personal connections or involvement. Our kids, like all kids, want their voices heard, and wish desperately to better the lives of their friends, families, and community.
My Project
Last year, my students created with intent to submit to administration researched action plans to "Improve the Social Climate" in our school - I had entitled it the "Stop Bullying" unit, but they analyzed my title and threw it out. I was proud. In the group research unit, students dive into the problem of bullying, analyzing programs that may or may not be working and using research to support their own action plans. Action plans are written as three-step proposals supported by research, and groups submit these action plans to the administration. I want to use this unit as a springboard to individual advocacy efforts in which each student will choose an individual cause and write a research proposal, a letter to a congress-person, and a script for a public service announcement on behalf of that cause. We need a user-friendly and portable camcorder and tripod to film the public service announcements. I intend to post them to the school web site, and would like to, with parent permission, send them to the official organizations as well.
Advocacy writing, particularly in this unit's authenticity, inspires students to work on behalf of others and use the power of their words to create positive changes, whether its emotional or physical, for their friends, families, community, and even nationally or globally.
Giving my students the opportunity to plead their causes in mass media won't just make a difference in my students' lives - our videos will impact an entire population to grow, change, heal, and give back. Please give.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Adams and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.