i totally understand if this post title freaks you out a bit. i mean, who really wants to know what goes on in the mind of an 8th grader anyway? ...it's dangerous territory indeed. however, if you are hesitant to read on, i think you should take the risk and devote a few minutes to read about what 13 year olds have to say. this post might pleasantly surprise you and perhaps change the way you view your average teen. and if anything, it will give you a laugh for the day.
last week my 8th grade communication arts classes read “the treasure of lemon brown” by walter dean meyers. while reading this short story, issues and questions regarding homelessness began to surface. {f.y.i. the character lemon brown is a homeless man who teaches the protagonist, boy named greg, important life lessons} i decided to take our class in a new direction by doing a socratic seminar with these inquisitive teens. together, my students developed open-ended questions after reading local new articles about homelessness in kansas city. my 8th graders brought their critical thinking questions and analysis to our socratic seminar in class today, where they were enabled to think for themselves and defend their opinions, as opposed to me merely filling their head with the “right” answers {sadly something i think far too many teachers today try to accomplish}.
through our discourse, we critically examined the real-world connections “the treasure of lemon brown” has in our society today, specifically relating to the topic of homelessness. my students respectfully looked each other in the eyes, addressed each other by their name, and gladly shared their opinions, viewpoints, and reactions with their peers.
throughout the day there were a lot of “real” moments where these 13 year olds asked each other difficult and honest questions about how to solve homelessness and help those in our community. there were uplifting moments when the usually quiet and soft spoken students had the opportunity to form an opinion out loud and state their beliefs without ridicule or frustration. i don’t think we give these youngsters enough opportunities to really speak out. this seminar gave them that chance, and in turn, opened all of our eyes, gave us a few laughs, and helped us work together as a team while discussing issues going in the real world today.
here is a peek at some of the unique perspectives summed up in statements and questions made by my 8th graders today:
-“if you’ve never earned money you don’t know how to spend it. we need to educate the homeless and all people how to use money and save.”
-“homeless shelters need to be like a bird’s nest. the mama bird is the workers and helps the little birdies (the homeless people) fly”
-“put yourself in their shoes…how would you feel?”
-“…they homeless…they don’t have shoes…but i get your point”
- “i think sports people should give 20% of their salary to help the homeless. shame on the nba man!”
-“my grandpa is homeless. he is a person too. how would you feel if one of your family members was without a home?”
-“they be spendin’ they money on crack so I be keepin’ my money and gonna use it to get new jordans.”
-“spending money is like a sport. if you have never ‘practiced’ then you won’t be good at it. that’s why my step-dad gets his paycheck and goes to get a new t.v or car when we need food and new clothes.”
-“why do we tease the homeless with canned food drives when they don’t own a can opener?”
-“my uncle stoops down on grand ave. and pretends to be blind and homeless with a sign and all. he gets money at stop signs then goes to cvs and blows it on booze. he knows it's wrong but has an addiction.”
-“…i think i’ve seen your uncle…”
-“i think we should all take part in a government funded program called ‘adopt a homeless person’ where we take in a hobo and get payed for it by congress and obama and stuff and help them get on their feet with a roof over their head.”
-“…our government needs to stop spending money on a war that means nothin’.”
-“those people you call ‘they’ are people who have families and a soul and feelings…and probably names too”
-“what does this conversation say about us…as a society?”
and my favorite…
-“wow…this conversation is really opening my eyes.”yes, my 8th graders are usually too loud, tend to smell like b.o., often make too many excuses, find it hard to remember their pencil, "forget" to write their names on their paper, and conveniently leave their homework on their kitchen counter more times than not...but i do have to say that these young minds are brilliant ones. these minds belong to people who are unique, diverse, and have been through an awful lot. i became a teacher for days like this, and i do not think this is one I will ever forget.
