Village Leadership Academy students celebrated a historic win in September after persuading the Chicago Park District Board to rename Douglas Park in honor of Frederick Douglass and Anna Murray Douglass. Read more from Block Club Chicago:https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/09/22/how-did-these-students-get-the-city-to-change-the-name-of-douglass-park-by-building-collective-power-and-not-backing-down/?fbclid=IwAR1dQvl8pIqhRsjyJU5w21_btD1Qsa8fodM1va6Gh2wQaAXc7Mq5kQVSqAw
Earlier this year, Village Leadership Academy administrators, teachers, and parents engaged in a critical discussion about remote learning, student engagement, and the importance of social justice education during the time of COVID-19.
By Nadia Sarkarat “We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, “You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful, otherwise you would threaten the man. Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage. Now, marriage can…
By Tanekia Henderson Have you ever looked at your community or around your neighborhood through the lens of someone less fortunate? Have you considered there are people around you who mask the harsh realities of being without…a home…a job…or money? This year, my second grade class and I started our grassroots project this way; we…
by K. Oppong-Wadie Water, the Hub of Life. Water is its mater and matrix, mother and medium. Water is the most extraordinary substance! Practically all its properties are anomalous, which enabled life to use it as building material for its machinery. Life is water dancing to the tune of solids. – Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (1972) Water is…
Many people choose to shield their children from the truth. At VLA, I appreciate that we take pride in doing the opposite of that. Young people are hearing about police violence constantly in the news. They are viewing footage and hearing the opinions of media outlets and adults in their lives. They are struggling to digest, understand, and determine where they stand. They need the support and guidance of adults whom they trust to tell them the truth and show confidence in the fact that young people have the capacity to understand the complexities of particular cases to formulate their own opinions.
It starts with a conversation.
Flint.
With the recent water crisis in Flint, Michigan my first grade students were anxious to learn about the state water in their homes and environments. Students began to ask a simple question: how can we make sure that the water in our homes is safe to drink and use?
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Providing students with a simplistic, hands-on view of the water process helped to contribute to the reality of a solution to their Grassroots Campaign.
Understanding the steps it takes, on a small scale, to achieve the goal of clean water helped to further student ideas around providing clean water as a simple solution.
By Nawal Alomari We all want to be happy and healthy, but as we know, life sometimes throws us curve balls. The curve balls might take the shape of a presidential election, the loss of a loved one, stress at work, economic hardship, cancer, a shooting, a car accident, or something as simple as a…
Exploring the Historical Narrative of Art with Kerry James Marshall: Mastry
“This exhibition was the perfect teaching resource to bridge the gap between visual art, critical race theory, movement building, and the tumultuous racial climate in the U.S”
By Wisdom Baty
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After learning about Chicago’s history and the Great Migration, students interviewed a family member to find out how their families arrived in Chicago. Many students’ families were a part of the Great Migration, moving North for new opportunities and a chance at equality. Students gained a deep appreciation for the sacrifices their families’ have made. Four students were selected to share their families’ stories at StoryCorp, where they were recorded for the Library of Congress.
As part of the All About Me unit, each of our middle school classes completed “I am” poem in our unit exploring power. Too often, when we learn about power and race or power and gender, it leads to us feeling disempowered. This project intended to help students move past those feelings, and toward celebrating the identities that the world too often tells us are unworthy.
By Ms. Angela McByrd Most students consider science a class that focuses solely on experiments, labs, and hands-on activities. Students rarely associate reading or social justice with science. To the average person, science appears fun and engaging because of the doing of activities that involve explosions, fire, and chemicals. However, much of science involves thinking…
By: Hilens Zelaya, 2nd Grade Teacher The day finally arrived! After months of learning about the beautiful country of Panama, VLA students, parents, and staff were ready to embark upon our journey together. Our hearts seemed to soar alongside the altitude during the flight! After arriving in Panama and going through all of the checkpoints at the airport,…
By: Ashley Dacio (Kindergarten Teacher) and K. Oppong-Wadie (Third Grade Teacher) “Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively…
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