Grade 5

Sharing The Planet

by Ibu Ida Sriguntari

Do you know that you, children, have rights that are set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child? The grade 5 students have been exploring child’s rights and how to share opportunities and resources equally under the Sharing the Planet transdisciplinary theme.

Rumah Faye was our first exploration spot. Rumah Faye is one of Indonesia’s leading independent organizations for children that aims to save Indonesian children from human trafficking, violence and exploitation. The grade 5 students had the privilege to meet virtually with Faye Simanjuntak, the founder of Rumah Faye. She shared that since learning this unit, in grade 5, she kept thinking about child trafficking and wondering how she could help them. She took action by creating Rumah Faye when she was 13. Watching “Beyond the Blackboard” movie was our next exploration activity. This movie was about how a teacher made a difference in the lives of homeless children who lived in a shelter. It has opened our eyes to know that they are many children out there that do not get their rights to education, play, safety, etc.

Going further, we invited Mrs. Nancy Long who has been supporting some refugees who live temporarily in Indonesia. She introduced us to Rahmat, one of the refugees. He has been living in Indonesia for about 6 years and still waiting to be transferred to another state or country that has agreed to admit him. The refugees who live in Indonesia are not only adults but also children. We learned that many of these refugee children do not get their rights, especially the rights to education as they cannot go to formal schools.

Last but not least, we explored how bullying is also against one of the child’s rights. We watched a movie called “Chrissa Stands Strong” and listened to Ibu Mira’s presentation related to bullying. A bully intends to cause pain, either through physical harm or hurtful words or behavior, and does so repeatedly. We learned that we must stop bullying as each child has the right to be safe.

What’s next? After exploring and going through these learning experiences, the grade 5 students will write an action plan to help children around them to get their rights. We’ll see what amazing actions the grade 5 will take to make a difference to children around them!