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Letter from Amnesty International: 'The School for Human Rights'

I have received this inspiring, uplifting letter from Amnesty International USA about the new School for Human Rights. Starting such a school was the concept of a human rights educator, who approached the letter's writer about it. After embarking on a long journey of hard work, interminably long days and problems, their efforts became reality. This innovative educational approach would uphold and celebrate the rights and dignity of all members of the school community by bringing human rights to teachers, and parents as well as to students. New generations would be educated in the knowledge of, engaged with, and inspired by human rights, which is infused in the curriculum and culture of the school. Hopefully, this educational approach will be an inspiration to activities in classrooms everywhere. A focus on human rights through education is the way to a more just society and a better future.

In order to provide the full information about this school including links, pictures and interviews with teachers and students, I am reposting the letter in its entirety. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did. --- Annamarie


October 2005

Dear Annamarie,

From when I began to write this letter to today, I cannot believe what has happened in the Gulf Coast. There are too many points of anger, frustration, helplessness, and utter sadness. I am sure that many of you have already engaged in some kind of response. But as schools across the country open their doors to a new year – some to new and unexpected students, many students certainly to new schools – I hope that we continue to reach out and provide whatever support we can. The rights and dignity of those that have lost so much is at stake…

The School for Human Rights
In the summer of 2003, a fellow human rights educator contacted me about the possibility of starting a school for human rights. Without a moment’s hesitation, we started on a journey that would occupy many nights and weekends, phone calls and e-mails, broken water pipes and deadlines, meetings and meetings and meetings. In the end, a group of individuals became a team and the dream of a school of and for human rights became a reality.

In navigating this process, we worked with New Visions for Public Schools. The support and guidance offered by New Visions was amazing. For any new small schools, turning an idea, a philosophy, an educational approach into a school - with teachers and schedules and the many things that go into running a school is a big undertaking to say the least.

We started with this; a school that would bring all that we knew about human rights education and human rights more generally to one place. This school would bring human rights to life for the teachers, the parents, the community, the administrators and most importantly, the students. The school would be academically rigorous, have team teaching, and would welcome students from 6 – 12 grades. Parents would have a place too. We would welcome the community to become a part of the school – community viewed as global and local.

Our students would succeed, our parents would feel welcomed and the human rights community would have many things to celebrate – the rights and dignity of all members of our school community would be utmost as we educated a new generation; knowledgeable of, informed and inspired by and engaged with human rights

We imagined all of this…and year one…

The School for Human Rights is a place where human rights education is infused in the curriculum and the culture of the school. There are many ways in which this happens on a daily basis. Through the series of articles and reflections included in this issue of Article 26, we hope to give you a glimpse of this. We also hope to inspire activities in your classroom and hear about human rights programs that are working in your school.

In the first article, Felisa Tibbitts, Executive Director of HREA, the Lead Partner at the School for Human Rights, discusses the school-based approach to human rights education. In the second section, the Principal, teachers and students reflect on their first year at the School for Human Rights and what human rights education means to them. In the third section, you will read about some of the classroom lessons and extra-curricular activities that we did during year one at the school. The last link is to an article about what you can do to support the School and how to contact us.

I hope you enjoy reading about our school . . .

Peace,
Karen



What it Means to Have a “School-Based Approach to Human Rights Education” and a “Human Rights-based Approach to Schooling”
There are two articles in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child that mention education directly. Article 28 defines education as a right and Article 29 comments that education should assist the child in developing her or his “personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential.” Another purpose of schools, according to the convention, is to develop respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. We know one thing: to truly understand and promote human rights, one has to live them out in relation to others.
» Read more

Kevin Dotson, Principal
Kevin Dotson, Principal of the School for Human Rights, wrote this letter to the SHR student's parents. This letter was mailed to parents at end of June to celebrate success, recognize challenges, and inspire continued learning through the summer.
» Read more



TEACHER REFLECTIONS

Interview with Social Studies Teacher
This is an excerpt of an interview with Latoya Massey, 9th Grade Social Studies that Felisa Tibbitts, Executive Director of Human Rights Education Associates, conducted on June 20, 2005. Latoya reflects on what it means to be teaching in a human rights school and some of the challenges she and her student’s face.
» Read more

Reflection from English Teacher
Paula Lettiere, 4th year English Language Arts (ELA) teacher, reflects on year one at the School for Human Rights.
» Read more

Interview with Math Teacher
This is an excerpt of an interview that Felisa Tibbitts, Executive Director of Human Rights Education Associates (HREA), conducted with Gretel Uicker, high school mathematics teacher, on June 23, 2005.
» Read more



STUDENT REFLECTIONS

What Made your First Year at the School for Human Rights Special?
Well, when I came to this school I learned new things about New York because I am from a different country. I met new teachers and heard new accents and met new people from different countries.
» Read more

What Did You Learn about Human Rights?
I learned that you should treat all people equally. It doesn’t matter their color or stuff like that.
» Read more



SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

A Reflection on the Election Day/ Dia de los Muertos Celebration
On November 1, All Saints Day, and the eve of the 2004 presidential elections, twenty-seven sixth graders form the School for Human Rights (SHR) took to the streets outside of Brooklyn’s Borough Hall to remind their fellow citizens to take a stand and vote. The following video captures some of the highlights of the day’s performance, which combined traditional elements celebrating El Dia del los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) with traditions of political street theatre and activism.
» Read more

Report on School for Human Rights’ School-Wide Event- May 6, 2005 Yom Hashoah and Celebration of the Emergence of the Human Rights Movement
The staff of the School for Human Rights chose Yom Hashoah for a school-wide event. It was decided that the morning would be a commemoration of the Holocaust and that the afternoon would be a celebration of the human rights movement that emerged from shadow of the Second World War.
» Read more

Report on School For Human Rights Short Film Festival
The short film festival was conceived of as a way to infuse human right learning into the school day.
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Report on Student Participation in the Human Rights Monitoring Workshop
In March 2005, students from the School for Human Rights participated in a Human Rights Education Associates workshop on human rights monitoring. The student’s participation was successful on all accounts. This report summarizes what the objectives of having students participate in the adult workshop were and provides a short summary of what went on in the preparatory meetings, the day’s event and what follow-up will be.
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The School for Human Rights Skateboard Club
The School for Human Rights Skateboard Club was formed to encourage students to arrive to school on time and to engage less academically inclined students in an organized school-based activity. Skateboarding is also great exercise.
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Reflection on the Creative Writing Camping Trip
To help motivate students to achieve in their classes, improve their attendance, and dedicate time to community service, teachers organized a competition that ran over the course of the year. The prize was a scholarship to attend a 3-day camping trip at the Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC).
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Photomontage in the Spirit of Romare Bearden
Romare Bearden (1911-1988) is considered one of the most accomplished Black American artists of the 20th Century. From the 1930’s- 1960’s Bearden worked as a social worker in with the NYC Department of Social Services. He pursued his artwork in the evenings, and much of his work contained within it, the humanity and spirit of the people he encountered on a daily basis.
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Project-Based Learning in Math Class: Budget Project Teacher and Write-up
The budget project was originally intended to give the children a sense of what their parents were going through in managing their households. Many of the students didn’t have a concrete understanding of money and the daily expenditures that occur in daily life.
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Spanish Classes
The School for Human Rights will offer Spanish Language courses from 6th through 12th grade, to expose students to different cultures through foreign language study, to improve their understanding of grammar, and to meet the foreign language requirement.
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Interdisciplinary 6th Grade Unit on Japanese Culture and Japanese-American History
On June 27, 2004, sixth grade students from the School for Human Rights completed a unit of study about Japan and Japanese culture by hosting a tea ceremony for their teachers and peers.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION

How You Can Support SHR
As this issue of Article 26 makes clear, the year-one accomplishments of the School for Human Rights have been wonderful: human rights lessons infused in all subject areas, extra-curricular activities that support human rights learning, above city average attendance rates, high levels of student engagement, and kids who are intensely proud of their school.
» Read more

posted by Annamarie at 2:00 AM