Our creative, deeply dedicated faculty who are experts in their fields, passionate about teaching, and enthusiastically involved in our community. Yesterday, I acknowledged BCD’s Latin teacher, Eugenie Fawcett, and all that she does to inspire students in grades Six through Nine each and every day. Fifth Grade Teacher Jilly Lederman posted this yesterday, and I think it is worth sharing as an example of what has been happening at BCD in recent weeks.
“Fifth Grade Explores Diversity”
This week, Fifth Grade explored diversity through the lens of social activism. In History, students participated in a weeklong project called “We are the Peacemakers.” In pairs, they researched a famous activist (Rosa Parks, Elie Wiesel, Martin Luther King, Jr., Susan B. Anthony and Harriet Tubman) and created an informational poster to present to the class. They also reflected in writing on their person’s contributions to a peaceful society, and the process of learning about these activists.
Our diversity studies also focused on the present, as we met an activist of their own generation, Malala Youfsafzai, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Together we shared and discussed the young readers’ edition of “I am Malala”. Next week, we plan to watch the National Geographic video, “He Named Me Malala.”
In conjunction with our study of Hinduism and ancient India, on Wednesday, Preeti Kedia visited our classroom to answer our questions about the religion. Mrs. Kedia, a Pittsfield resident and former BCD parent, came to the US in 1994. We enjoyed learning more about Hinduism, and Indian culture.
In Advisory, we looked at the role that music can play in heightening social awareness. Lenny Kravitz grew up in a bi-racial and bi-religious household in the 1970s. Through watching his video, “Black and White America”, the class learned about how his parents defied social norms in the 1960s, and were able to encourage him to pursue his talents and celebrate his heritage. This talented musician who plays all of the instruments found in his music, is also an actor and peace activist. David Bowie, who died just last year, left a legacy that spanned decades and like Kravitz, he incorporated many types of music influences into his work. We viewed the video, “Space Oddity”, as well as lots of photos of Bowie over the years. Many found his sense of style provocative which facilitated a positive conversation about stereotypes and expectations about gender and appearance. Both Lenny Kravitz and David Bowie have used their music as a platform for a message of diversity.
It is my hope that families will continue to discuss diversity week at home. Our classroom was rich in discussion of those we studied, and hopefully it can inspire our kids to make a difference in the world by continuing to be curious and have a voice.
(By Dr. Jilly Lederman – January 21st, 2017)
