Free to stand for what I believe right

I am a Canadian
A free Canadian
Free to speak without fear
Free to worship in my own way
Free to stand for what I believe right
Free to oppose what I believe wrong
Free to choose those who shall govern my country
This heritage of freedom
I pledge to uphold
For myself and all people.

This past week, my students found a voice to stand for what they believe is right and they got excited.  It was such a small thing, but to feel like you have been heard is so important.

We were hosting "buddy time" with our Grade 8 friends and I thought things were going as well as could be expected.  I dealt with the disrespect during instruction time by asking some to move and repeatedly stopping to wait for the student to student conversation to end.  My own students kept watching, knowing when the boundaries were being tested, seeing the "attitude" of the older ones as unacceptable.

After they left, I asked, "What went well today?" I had been pleased with most things (you do modify your expectations sometimes) and had seen lots of cooperation among most of the students. What surprised me most was the response when I asked, "What didn't go well?"

"We don't like the swearing."

"They do it so much, I don't think they even know it."

"I don't like the way they talk to their friends and fool around instead of helping us."

So we wrote them a letter.  We told them how we like them and want to look up to them as leaders in the school.  We told them how we were disappointed.  We asked their teacher to talk to them about changing.  (One girl said, "Their teacher can talk to them, but that doesn't mean they'll change!"  How true.)

Most importantly, we spoke up for what we believe is right.  As eight year olds, we spoke up for what we wanted to see in our role models. They may be little, but I saw my students feeling big and more empowered when voicing their dreams.  Maybe they can begin to speak up for themselves more on the playground and oppose what they believe wrong.

I made a connection to the pledge that we recite daily, realizing that little is much when I can stand up and act on what I believe is right. I wonder what other areas I need to speak up about when I feel little and powerless?

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