Students Share: What’s Unfair?
At the end of last school year, after testing had finished and the final projects had been turned in, I knew we had a few moments for some free writes. Nothing makes my students happier than having a chance to write their opinion on varying topics; after all, your opinion can’t be “wrong” and that motivated them to participate.
Throughout the year, I had heard students speak of events occurring to them and around them as being “unfair”- lunch times, length of recess, not getting invited to a birthday party, missing specials for testing, etc. So I asked students to get two sheets of paper: one to brainstorm and one to write.
“Boys and girls, today you get to write about something you’re passionate about.” I began. Boy, did that get their interest. “You are to write about any topic that you view as unfair.” Lots of “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” followed.
I had students brainstorm a list of topics that resonated with them as being unfair. I used the example of people who park in a handicapped space at the grocery store that do not have the appropriate tag to do so. We also discussed a few of the events that occurred at school that year that they had made mention of as being unfair. This got students thinking. They began to jot ideas on their paper for things that they found unfair, from home to school to the world around them.
I could tell the energy in the room began to rise as their pencils furiously wrote down their thoughts. Some students realized they struggled to come up with multiple points to support their idea of something being unfair and quickly began to write on another topic. (Hmm…maybe I should have allowed them to express their view points earlier? Then maybe they would run out of support and realize the decisions that adults had been making were not as unfair as they originally thought! Well, I can dream, can’t I? That’ll have to wait for another year!)
Students spread out on the floor to finish their writing assignments and included an illustration with a caption. As some of the final draft papers filled my desk, I glanced at their titles to get a sense for what events they viewed as being unfair. There were the traditional kid-like responses about stealing, cheating, and littering. Then there were some on topics we discussed often during the school year such as bullying and dog fighting. However, I was so surprised to come across some rather serious and mature topics such as cancer, woman’s suffrage, racism, and homelessness. Man, I couldn’t WAIT to read these papers!
Here are a few student samples:
What really stood out to me was not the topic, not the viewpoint, but the student. To know the child behind the writing is what moved me. One of my students had overcome cancer two years earlier. Wow, a cancer survivor writing with first-hand knowledge about how cancer is unfair. That’s moving. Or how about the African American student that felt the pain of how her ethnic group was treated and with woman’s suffrage on top of that. She felt she was facing an uphill battle that had little to do with her as a person. Wow, hit me in the stomach. These kids GET IT. Then there’s the kiddos that fell in love with a dog abuse survivor Gunny (see previous posts here: “Gunny and the Magical Pack- Teacher’s Edition” and “Surviving Animal Abuse: Go Gunny!“) and wrote about abused dogs and the underground world of dog fighting.
I am very pleased that students see the wrongs of the world, have an opinion, and provided solutions to overcome these problems. These children are going to grow up to be game-changers and I am proud to know each and every one of them.
What topics do your students/children think of as unfair?
About the author, Gretchen
I am a teacher trainer and coach. Working elbow to elbow with teachers and teacher leaders to ensure instructional proficiency and student achievement soar lights me up. We have a real need in our nation for strong educators to remain in the field. My blog, book, podcast, courses and instructional materials are geared towards empowering teachers (and those that lead them) to receive the support needed to grow and thrive today, tomorrow and always.