Our students are kind and thoughtful people who think critically about the world and see both its beauty and its flaws. They look around our school and see how diverse our population is and find that to be a great strength of our school. The collaboration that occurs is incredible to watch as the students negotiate different ways of thinking about problems and situations in a way that respects the backgrounds and opinions of all participants. There is a really strong sense of community in our school with the students valuing the contributions that each brings to our classroom.
However, the students also see that we are living in a larger world that is not as inclusive as it should be. We spend a lot of our class time in language arts and social studies discussing issues of social injustice, and how it can be overcome. My students see issues of unfairness and because they truly are good people, they want to right the wrongs they see. They want to create a community where everyone has meaning and they start with that in school by being kind to each other, including everyone, and using effective communication skills.
Communication and collaboration are key skills that students need in order to be productive, successful adults. Our students are currently working on a project with members of our community to create public art installations. They have partnered with the We All Live Here project to try and spread this communal mantra that everyone has value regardless of race, gender, income, sexual orientation, etc. Being able to work on a large scale project that extends beyond our school walls to have a larger impact on our city is extremely empowering to the students. They are growing as individuals and as a group in their ability to think creatively through designing art pieces, accept feedback and persevere through challenges, and to goal set, create a plan, and monitor progress through its development. The students are also learning about what it takes to organize and execute a community project, including budgeting. This button maker will make minature versions of their larger art installation.
In Their Own Words
Our project, in collaboration with the We All Live Here project, is to show everyone in our community that they do belong through the creation of public art installations focused on inclusivity. Belonging is important because people need a place where they feel welcome and safe. Currently, there are a lot of things going on in our world that have an impact on our local community. We would like our art to be a way to start meaningful conversations. Our goal is to spread awareness for this idea of unity and that everyone is important. As 8th graders, before we leave we want to make sure that we make a lasting impact on our community for the better. We will spread our message of belonging and acceptance as far as we can in the time we are here. This includes the creation of larger, public art installations with We All Live Here and smaller versions of the art on buttons.
This project is important because being involved in it has made each one of us make a promise that we will go out of our way to include all people. We are asking others to do the same but we are starting with ourselves first. Through this class, we have expanded our circle of friends and acquaintances and have been introduced to community members with whom we are now working with. Too many things in our world create barriers to communication and have given us a reason to not get along, and we are breaking those down through the power of art. We have learned in our social studies and in language arts classes about the power of language. We believe our art does have power. Rich Alapack, the creator of We All Live Here, stated, “Art has a unique ability to reach people when language fails.” We're reaching out!
With the button-maker, we will be able to create smaller versions of our larger art installations within our community to spread the message of the We All Live Here project. The larger projects will be seen by all members of our community, young and old, but the buttons can travel even farther beyond our community. Rich Alapack talked about how important it is to grow up with the vocabulary necessary to safely correct and end hatred. Our project is a way to do so for our school and our community and to show everyone that they belong and have value.
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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 Mrs. Keleher and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
