Today at work, I had some old folders in the Makers Lab that I intended to discard. However, when the students saw the folders and learned of my plan, they were ALARMED! They said, "Don’t throw those away, we can make something out of them and we should REUSE them instead of throwing them away." So I postponed my lesson and went around the table to ask each student their idea for the old folders. They suggested decorating the folders like Christmas cards for parents, decorating them as their own Makers Lab folders and one girl said “ I just need a new folder for school." All of the ideas were good and most of them were doable, but more than that, the students have learned or are learning the fundamentals of a Maker or Tinkerer: REUSE, RECYCLE & REDUCE. Working with these children, I learn something new every day!
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Today I was a little perplexed about what to do with the CYC Teens in the Maker Lab. I began by showing a clip from the documentary film, The Interrupters. It tells the story of three "interrupters" who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence in which they once engaged. I attempted to talk about last week’s shooting - referred to in BOYS DON’T CRY post. However, several students expressed their discomfort in talking about that situation. So I had to pivot the conversation to how we can utilize the resources available to us in the Makers Lab to address the violence that plagues our communities. The students were engaged and began to give some suggestions, some better than others, about how we could use the Makers Lab to address violence in the North Lawndale community. So we decided that we would start a slogan/campaign like “stop the violence” or “put the guns down” to affix to buttons, posters and T-shirts. I was impressed and inspired! So we move forward! Stay Tuned! #living2learn #teensonamission Enroute from school, the elementary kids that I work with drove passed a murder scene; they saw three bodies laid out, police, helicopters, tape and many on lookers. Many of the young girls yelled and screamed in terror as the bus driver told them to duck down. The young boys seemed to be numb and not affected by this, which we know is not true. Honestly I am as concerned for those who were expressive as I am with those who were numb. At least those who were able to cry, scream and express themselves have a healthy outlet. Unfortunately young boys, even as young as elementary age, are not allowed to cry or vent in these same humane ways because boys don’t cry. However if you spend any time with these same young boys you will witness this trauma seep its way out of them in ways that are unhealthy: rage, violence, outburst, emotional instability, breakdowns and the like. Our children are involved in and being affected by trauma on a daily basis and the repercussions of this violence and traumatic will affect us all for years to come. #violveenceaffectsusall |
Living 2 LearnLiving 2 Learn provides after-school and out-of-school programs to youth and teens. Archives
November 2020
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