Student Voices

About Student Voices: We have invited some of our students to contribute their ideas and thoughts about what they are learning. They are also willing to share some of their work. Continue to check out the minds of tomorrows inspiring young leaders!

May, 2011 (Kindergartener, age 6)

“I learned about Native Americans in North America. This is what I think they thought when the boats came over. If I was there, I would try to help my people.” The Kindergarteners have been encouraged to start using their perspective taking skills. In every event, they stop to think about the voices that are not usually heard in history. Many of the lessons are driven by questions like: how does each group feel? what do they want? what would you do in that situation? What should have happened differently?

January 26, 2011

(fourth grader, age 10)

December 8, 2010

“This poem is from the All About Me Unit where we learned about ourselves and other people’s identities. I learned that just because you look different on the outside does not mean that people have a right to judge you or be mean. Don’t you know that everybody has feelings? We learned that everybody has an identity, and we need to get to know each other before anything… I mean, before you decide anything about them. I think we all have skin and it’s just skin. I mean, we all might be from different cultures or come from a different place, but that doesn’t mean that we have to treat each other so wrong. My teacher assigned us to write a poem about our life, who we are, and what questions we have and what we want to be. This is my poem. It is called, I am Poem.” (This was dictated to one of the teachers)

I am a young tall man

I wonder if my science teacher put pop in our experiment

I hear my godfather calling me from above

I see God and Micheal Jackson

I want to go to Japan with my uncle and go on the SWAT team

I am a young and tall man

I am nice and proud

I love me and my family

I feel strong

I worry about my uncle’s wife, Meladie

I cry for my family and myself

I am nice and proud

I understand that I’m a big brother of 5 siblings

I say I believe in God and I do

I dream that life is easy

I try my hardest in school

I hope my uncle, my cousins, and my aunt come home safe

I am more than a young and tall man

(First grader, age 6)

December 7, 2010

“I love social studies and I am good at it. We just finished our Africa Unit, and now we are learning about Asia. In Africa, we learned about history and ways people live and do things. It is not better or worse, it’s just different. My teacher says we can learn from everyone. I liked to learn about Nelson Mandela. I think he is a good person because he says that white and black people are really the same and we should treat them fairly. I also learned that Africa has 54 countries. Ms Ebacher plays a game with us every morning so we can find countries on the map. Here is my quiz. I can write 26 countries on a blank map of Africa. Can you?” (This was dictated to one of the teachers)