Human Rights
In MS Chapel this week, we returned to our year-long theme of service learning. Over the course of the year, we’ll explore different arenas of service learning, including Poverty & Homelessness, Stewardship of the Environment, Care & Concern for the Elderly, Childcare & Education, and Understanding & Supporting People with Disabilities, but this week we focused on a sixth arena that touches each other category and which is really the foundation of service learning - Human Rights.
Our engagement with the topic was inspired first by the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, who, after serving as First Lady of the United States, committed herself to the establishment and support of human rights. Roosevelt's legacy includes not only representing the United States in the newly established United Nations but also the development of the Declaration of Universal Human Rights. An excerpt of her speech to the UN in 1958, shared below, sparked our reflection on the definition of Human Rights. We also watched a short video about the development of the idea over thousands of years and across cultures, from Cyrus the Great to the United Nations. Each Advisory group took one of the 30 rights declared by the UN and applied it to our community, taking seriously Roosevelt's insight that human rights begin "In small places, close to home."
For us, understanding Human Rights can play a foundational role in the continuing cultivation of our strong community. These rights relate to choices each of us makes and the ways we interact with each other the norms and culture of the Middle School; on a more intellectual or programmatic level, the concept of Human Rights resonates with all six Global Contexts defined the MYP framework (Identities & Relationships, Fairness & Development, Orientation in Space & Time, Personal & Cultural Expression, Scientific & Technical Innovation, Globalization & Sustainability). Consider reflecting on Roosevelt's words (below), watching this video, and continuing the conversation about how each of us can support and uphold human rights in our relationships, in our community, and in our region.
Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?
In small places, close to home -
so close and so small that they cannot be seen
on any maps of the world.
Yet they are the world of the individual person;
the neighborhood he lives in;
the school or college he attends;
the factory, farm or office where he works.
Such are the places where every man, woman and child
seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity
without discrimination.
Unless these rights have meaning there,
they have little meaning anywhere.
Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home,
we shall look in vain
for progress in the larger world.
from "The Great Question," delivered by Eleanor Roosevelt to the United Nations in 1958
What we are learning...
What is your favorite book? There are so many - but it is a toss up between The Missing Piece and The Giving Tree, both by Shel Silverstein. I'm a sap when it comes to simple and poetic metaphors.
If I hadn't been a teacher, I probably would've been... an FBI agent. Now I know what you're thinking...no really, I know what you're thinking - what's why I would have made such a good agent.
Who is your favorite musical artist? Picking a favorite song feels a lot like trying to pick a favorite dish. Some days the palate requires a bit of George Michael, Missy Elliott, Eros Ramazotti, or Lily Allen. Other days it is Aerosmith, Jovanotti, Green Day, Nick Cave, or Salt n’ Pepa. Years ago when my grandfather passed away, I inherited all of his old classical, jazz, and opera records. Being able to listen to the same music that my grandfather did, and to share that with my children has been a magical way to feel connected to his memory.
Where were you born? I was born in Richmond, California. Home of the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that shoot the Bay Area in 1989. I was eight years old (please don’t do the math).
Any interesting trivia about you? I’ve had a handful of quirky experiences, so perhaps one qualifies as interesting trivia. I lived in Albania for four years and learned the language [cough]. Often, I would try to show off my savvy language learning skills while walking my dog in the park. Since locals loved to ask about my big dog (qen i madh), and I wanted to assure them that he was just a big playful pup, I would make sure to tell them that he just loves to play all the time… at home, in the park, on the beach. “He plays all the time!” (“Ai luan shumë!”) I would say. I figured the weird looks I was getting was just an indicator that they didn’t believe that my dog could be gentle. It wasn’t until months later that a friend taught me that I was actually saying, “He reads all the time!” (“Ai lexon shumë!”). So, according to countless Albanian park-goers, an interesting piece of trivia might be that I had a dog that could read.
Who was your favorite or most influential teacher? My high school Theory of Knowledge teacher, Mr. Lancaster. He once stood in a garbage can (empty) just to get our attention. He was inventive, honest, and truly interested in creating independent thinkers.
This year I am excited to be part of something fresh and new in
the language acquisition classroom. In our sixth grade, we are pushing the boundaries
on what it means to speak in the target language. Using a new framework (AIM)
as a tool to increase fluency, has changed everything from classroom
organization to even the most traditional interaction. Within the AIM
framework, students listen and speak orally, read and write, communicate
non-verbally, as well as view and present visually in the target language. AIM
incorporates the IB learner profiles through the use of gestures, stories,
songs, dance, and cooperative learning. Students (and myself) are sometimes
exhausted when they leave class because their brains, voices, and often hands
have all been engaged for a full class period. Currently, we are also reading a
small chapter book, Miguelito, in
order to keep our brains stimulated at home. Miguelito is a lively ten-
year-old Venezuelan mouse who travels abroad to America to attend school and
make friends.
