STLinSTL 2018

Inspired by the work of Brandon Stanton’s “Humans of New York” blog, which features street portraits and interviews collected on the streets of New York City, the Humans of FWCD project was created to help students gain an understanding of diversity within the school community.

This collaborative project which integrated English Language Arts, Visual Arts, Media Studies, & Social Studies was completed during the first few weeks of school. The goal of the project was multifaceted. By the end of the project students were able to:

• Learn what it means to be a member of a culturally diverse community.
• Better be able to find the commonalities within a diverse group of people.
• Become better listeners so that they may understand the importance of individual experiences and stories.
• Grow their sense of inherent kindness, and instill empathy and compassion for all members of our community.

This session will lead participants through the project as they get to experience the power of storytelling first hand while bringing back concrete examples and step by step procedures to recreate this project with their own school community.

Buddy Circles allow students to recognize themselves as leaders, to feel empowered in purpose, and to establish a sense of belonging.

Buddy Circles are a formalized approach to self-advocacy and peer mentorship, and an avenue for collaborative strategizing for problem-solving. Born out of a naturally occurring conversation between peers who were able to express themselves without judgment, we were moved to keep the dialogue going in a meaningful, proactive way, and find opportunities for all students to participate.

Explore how one fifth grade classroom engaged elementary-aged students in conversations about privilege to foster anti-racist understanding. This workshop will have hands on exercises and concrete tools to support upper elementary/middle school-aged students’ understanding of privilege. Learn ways to begin a conversation about whiteness and white privilege using the BBC’s documentary The Delmar Divide, along with experiential activities, role play scenarios, and other approaches. In this workshop, we will explore how to engage students and teach them how to respond to situations and be an “upstander,” standing up against microaggressions and interrupting racism.

This will be an interactive session modeling various culturally responsive teaching protocols that can be used in the Elementary classroom. With a focus on literature we will enjoy a variety of activities that can be used to reach culturally diverse learners.