BUILDING FUTURE GLOBAL LEADERS

JULIE KNUDSEN, HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

Each August, Mr. Ryan Churchward sets the stage in his sixth-grade Global Studies class by presenting the following message – Do what you can to change the world, and when necessary use words. A spinoff from the words of St. Francis of Assisi, this single yet complex idea is Mr. Churchward’s call to action for the future leaders of our world.

The sixth-grade Global Studies course is a contemporary, in-depth look at the people, places, and environments of the world from a physical and cultural perspective. It is a course that opens the eyes and broadens the viewpoints of our students through the study of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, otherwise known as the Global Goals. These 17 goals are a call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030, just one year after our current sixth graders will graduate from high school. The study of the Global Goals develops our Trinity Valley students as intelligent citizens, fostering empathy while encouraging them to explore how they can impact the lives of others both now and in the future.

Modeling the same approach the United Nations took to build the Global Goals, our sixth graders begin the year considering what makes an issue a global issue. Is it persistent? International? Interconnected? They then brainstorm a list of global issues and begin to discuss how these issues can become opportunities for change. Their eyes are opened to the challenges faced by people whose lives are very different from their own.

From there, students learn more about the United Nations, including why it was created, what purpose it serves, and who is involved. They learn how the United Nations assessed our global issues and adopted the Global Goals. As students learn about the 17 goals, considering how those issues can become global opportunities, they look for connections among them and examine how making a positive impact on one can make a positive impact on another. Students become more inspired and empowered to make an impact on our world.

Research is an important next step as students learn which countries have low life expectancies, which ones are sources of clean and renewable energy, and which have low literacy rates. As they discover commonalities in their research, connections are made, and their interests are piqued. The depth of their understanding of other cultures, beliefs, experiences, and viewpoints really begins to grow.

Learning is assessed through the Global Goals Choice Project, in which students choose from nine options, including writing a song or podcast, creating a game, and engaging in community service, to demonstrate their understanding. Though the project is intended to assess mastery, it also results in students realizing the impact of their actions on the world.

For his Choice Project, sixth grader Will Lewis chose community service. He sought to tackle poverty, hunger, and homelessness in Fort Worth by creating togo bags filled with water, snacks, and cards informing the recipient of local shelters where they could go to find a place to eat, to sleep, or to receive other services. Will delivered these bags to two men whom he regularly saw at an intersection. Will notes, “I always wanted to help them, and today I got the chance. [Their] reaction was so wholesome – they thanked me a lot, and I hope that it provided a little bit of hope for them. It made me feel really good inside, and I would do that again anytime.”

Janie Roberts and Paige Zavaleta reached far beyond their community to provide aid to children from Africa. After raising over $1,800 by selling lemonade, cookies, and other snacks, these two students were able to fully sponsor seven children from Sierra Leone, through Develop Africa with the money meeting the nutritional, educational, and general welfare needs of the children. “I’m so glad I did this project and got to help educate children in Africa,” writes Paige.

Janie adds, “We are helping them stay in school and get the education they deserve.”

Many students looked around their local communities and identified areas of need, especially as it relates to litter and pollution. From neighborhood parks to the Trinity River to the dugouts and stands of a Little League baseball park, students pulled on plastic gloves and filled bag after bag with litter and debris. “I enjoyed it because knowing I was helping the environment made me feel excited,” wrote Desmond Creel.

As the course focus flows from action to awareness, students tackle another project: Mapping One Refugee’s Journey. After learning about the global refugee crisis, students study first-hand refugee accounts provided by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR. These accounts include stories of refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, and other countries. After understanding their travel from country of origin to host country, students map the refugee’s journey on a world map. They then collaborate to create a multimedia presentation which incorporates Global Studies, mathematics, and coding skills to tell the story of the refugee from a first-person perspective. Through telling the story, the project elicits and develops empathy as students experience the hardships people endure and the sacrifices they make to seek a better life.

Storytelling provides an avenue to understanding diverse perspectives and is a key component in studying the history between Israel and Palestine. Students engage in a project to analyze and interpret the different perspectives of Israelis and Palestinians. They build an appreciation for and understanding of other cultures.

As Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Our sixth-grade Global Studies course educates and empowers our future world leaders to do just that. Awareness breeds action, and TVS is helping to build an empowered generation that is ready to take action.