Empathy and Entrepreneurship in Lower School

The Third Grade Giving Garden donated the cilantro and cabbage they grew to the North Texas Food Bank.

ADVOCACY IN ACTION

Third Grader Campbell Lodes noticed that there weren’t enough recycling bins by the Lower School, where she eats lunch outside. She put her idea into the Third Grade suggestion box, and spoke to the entire grade, along with our Chief Operations Officer Joan Guzman and Director of Facilities Ed Rys to present her request, which resulted in more recycling bins for Lower School.

EMPATHY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN LOWER SCHOOL

Taylor Miller’s Third Grade Social Studies classroom is a place where the Lower School Social Impact concepts that begin in PreK start to take hold. “This work is paramount at every age, but Third Grade is a pivotal time where the girls are truly starting to understand that not only can they make a difference, they are in an environment where they also have the tools and support to make their community, and world, a better place,” said Mrs. Miller. “We empower the girls to believe they can achieve anything, and that limitless potential authentically shines through when they see the impact they are having on the community. Whether that’s supporting local food drives or raising money to provide PPE to kids all over the world, they are making a difference.”

Her goals include cultivating empathy and creating true, lifelong commitment that leads the girls to act, improving their community and world. She uses Social Studies concepts and lessons as a springboard to expose the girls to diverse ways of life, unique and changing community needs, and studying people who have, and are, doing this important work.

Third Graders focus on hunger, and Mrs. Miller has created innovative ways to tie in the Social Impact goals and outcomes to her curriculum. In addition to larger, off-campus involvement, such as volunteering at Bonton Farms or filling packs at Feed My Starving Children, Mrs. Miller has been intentional about authentically integrating Social Impact directly into lessons that correspond to general Third Grade topics. This fall, girls practiced their map skills by reading a food desert map and then writing and sharing their report with classmates, educating others about food deserts, identifying where they are in our community, and suggesting ways to help. “Not only did they practice how to read a map, they learned persuasive research writing skills, and sharpened their presentation skills, all while learning about a serious need within the community and sharing ways to help,” said Mrs. Miller.

Anything the girls can physically help with sparks joy in the classroom. “They love anything hands-on where they see their efforts helping others. They also love interacting with the older Hockaday students, and anytime they can visit or Zoom with an Upper School class or student about a Social Impact initiative is exciting,” said Mrs. Miller.

Mrs. Miller has loved partnering with Ms. Day and Ms. Laywell, who have been integral in growing Social Impact within her curriculum. “Their insight and knowledge about what specific organizations currently need our help and attention is how we are able to create authentic activities and lessons,” she said. “Sometimes it’s them coming to us with opportunities and ideas that we integrate into the curriculum. Other times, it’s us going to them with academic concepts we’re currently working on, and they cultivate material and Social Impact programming. They are quick to connect us with Middle and Upper School students who are also engaging in similar work; collaborating with older Hockaday students and seeing how they are making a difference in the community is so inspiring for the girls.”

During the month of October, Third Grade students participated in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, helping to raise awareness and money to provide COVID vaccines and PPE to families. After the girls finished collecting donations, they had fun counting them in Math class and collected more $900 to help UNICEF. This spring, Olivia Park (Class of 2023) visited with the Third Grade to explain how she started a food bank at Marcus Elementary, and the girls organized a food drive and created snack bags to stock the food bank. “The girls have blown us away by how invested they have become in Social Impact issues presented in the classroom,” said Mrs. Miller. “They have taken such initiative in putting action behind the lessons, both inside and outside of the classroom. The amount of empathy these girls possess is astounding, and even more so to see them acting on it to further enrich and help the lives of others is wonderful.”

The end of the year Third Grade Entrepreneurship unit, in which the girls create a business centered around a need they see within the community, is one of the most meaningful projects the girls work on in Social Studies. Not only is the business itself driven from Social Impact, they are also required to identify ways their company will give back to the community, all while learning business skills as young entrepreneurs. This year, Mrs. Miller’s students are excited to partner with Upper School students in Mrs. Finazzo’s Biology and the Zoo class, who are also engaging in a similar project and culminating Shark Tank experience. The Upper School girls will work as mentors throughout their brainstorming and designing phases, and as audience members when they have their pitch day. “Lessons like this, where all disciplines come together with Social Impact at the core, is what we continue to strive for as we grow Social Impact in Third Grade,” said Mrs. Miller.

“The depth of what Mrs. Miller has integrated into the curriculum has made her students take their learning to real world application and innovation,” said Laura Day, Executive Director of the Institute for Social Impact. “She has equipped her students to own their learning and inspired the girls to pursue their passions outside of the classroom using the skills they learn in her classroom.” “Her personal passion for this work is contagious and important for teachers to see and follow the feeling they have,” said Ms. Day. “When a teacher models living a life of purpose and impact, it’s a wonderful thing to show other teachers. She uses Social Impact to increase the rigor and application of concepts in the classroom, which deepens the impact and joy in her classroom.”

PENGUIN POWER

After hearing about the threats facing endangered African penguins — and Dallas Zoo's efforts to save them in the wild through the artificial nesting project — First and Fourth Graders got to work on their own projects to inspire and educate others about these topics. The First Grade students crafted educational posters to illustrate the challenges that penguins face in the wild due to loss of nesting habitats; the Fourth Graders designed and built their very own artificial nest prototypes that they presented at an exhibition.

Both classes had the opportunity to meet via Zoom with people at the Dallas Zoo who work with South African penguins in Dallas, but also work with a group of penguin experts in South Africa. They were able to hear from and ask questions of experts about the problem and about some of the unique challenges faced by the South African penguin. Several of the penguin experts from the Dallas Zoo attended the Penguin Nest Collaboration Exhibition in February in Lower School.