"Don't let anyone tell you that you are too young."

I listened this morning to the BYU devotional speech that Elaine Dalton gave on January 15, 2013.  Even though she was speaking in religious terms and her examples were from the scriptures, I feel the following quote has important implications for our Esperanza scholars: 
"Don't let anyone tell you that you are too young."

We can start helping our young Esperanza learners understand how they can make a difference in the world, even when they are young--through their character and their service learning. 

This is an example of a young person making a difference in our day:
Malala Yousufzai Gives First Interview Since Taliban Attack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=5XNWL6msqgo

Standing for Right

Whether you are LDS or not, this is a profound example of standing up for what's right which we want to teach our Esperanza scholars to do.  This is why Service Learning (Social Action)/Character Education/Civics is a part of Esperanza. 

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”  Edmund Burke

Painting from the Art Studio of Rose Datoc Dall's photo


One night the men had been kept awake by the guards, who were vulgarly boasting about their cruel acts of violence against the Saints. It was midnight, and the imprisoned men had been listening to the guards’ filthy language for hours. Unwilling to tolerate the abusive language any longer, the Prophet Joseph rose to his feet and with a voice of thunder rebuked the guards and commanded them to be silent. Parley P. Pratt later wrote, “Dignity and majesty have I seen but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight, in a dungeon in an obscure village of Missouri.”

Speaking out

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
... and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
- Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)

 

We want our Esperanza scholars to learn how to be actively involved in the community and to speak out.  That's why service learning/social action is part of Esperanza's foundation. 

The Power of One

I have been reading the book The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay.  Last night we watched the DVD.  This book has a great message as Marilyn Green Faulkner states in Back to the Best Books--"...help us believe in the value of each individual and in the power of each individual to triumph over adversity and make a positive contribution to the world." 

Although this particular book and movie are probably not appropriate to share with elementary students they are reminder to us as educators that we need to remember this message and find ways to help our students understand it.  Involving our Esperanza scholars in quality service learning and social action is a pathway to do just that. 

School Factors #4

#19  School environment is safe and orderly and students are always (or almost always) on task
Jane Bluestein's book Creating Emotionally Safe Schools is an excellent resource.

#20  Diversity in student and staff
Each Esperanza educator is a Haberman STAR educator.

#21  Service Learning/Social Action
Barbara Lewis's workshop and book are a great resource.  Sherri Sohm is another great resource. 

#22  Principals are visible and available.

With Rights Comes Duties

As we as Esperanza educators do all we can to respond to the rights our scholars have to be educated it is important that we also teach them that with rights come duties. Much of the 20th Century was devoted to the rights of others. Maybe this 21st Century could become the century of duties--civic duties, human duties, fiduciary duties, environmental duties, duties to future generations, etc.

Duty means to put other people ahead of one's own self-interests. Our minds stretch the farthest when they are pure and actively concerned about the welfare of others. To help our Esperanza scholars learn about duties, we will involve them in service learning and social action activities that are connected with what they are learning, including civics. Involvement in these type of activities will develop character and thus complement our Esperanza character education program.



NOTE: Some of the ideas in this posting come from the thoughts of Dr. John W. Welch in his acceptance speech for the 2011 BYU Maeser Award that he received in May 2011.