Today was a tough day. I was nervous about saying the right things. I was worried about making the kids feel safe and normal but trying to figure out how to balance that with honesty.
In 11th grade, we've been talking all semester about the how the "struggle for freedom changes through history" and a concept that I've been emphasizing is that there was never a magical, bygone era of democracy where doing the right thing was popular. The now universally lauded Abe Lincoln was extremely divisive in his time; the now lovingly memed Martin Luther King Jr. was considered a radical and rabble-rouser when he marched for equality. "It was never easy" has become my daily phrase as we study the great speeches and writings of American history. To connect to the idea that the struggle goes back through time, I shared with them this article about fear during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
We used this article to talk through several ideas:
1 - Fear isn't new, although we're now afraid of different things
2 - Art can change the world! Reagan's viewing of "The Day After" influenced his decision to sign a weapons treaty with Gorbachev
3- Being honest and acknowledging our fears can be healing.
If I'm honest, I did most of the talking. The kids didn't seem eager yet to talk about how they were feeling, and that's perfectly okay.
For 9th grade, our Essential Question is "How do words inspire change?" I asked the 9th graders to create something with their words today - a poem, a song, a letter of gratitude, a letter of comfort. Students created a number of beautiful poems, letters to family and friends, and letters to friends at Saugus High.
It was a difficult day in a number of ways, but the students were wonderful, kind and respectful.
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