Entry 8

In my opinion, there is no better to teach social studies than through activism. We learn best through hands-on experiences. By having students become young activists, we not only allow children to apply their learnings but also provide opportunities for them to make small changes in the world. We establish that foundation for them at a young age so that they can extend on it later on in the future. In the article, Black Ants and Buddhist: Learning through Activism, the author talks about numerous ways she incorporated activism in social studies lessons. This includes something as simple as asking adults about voting to visiting the mayor and writing letters to the assistant superintendent. She also encouraged parent involvement during this process. I was so amazed by how much the students did and learned. They were already making so many changes more than me, who is an adult. For this article, I decide to represent it with a photograph of the children protesting in Birmingham. We often think children are too young to make a difference, and we don’t realize that they can be the ones to have most impact. Pictures and videos of these young protests being hosed down and chased by police dogs turned the tide of public opinion on the civil rights movement. We don’t have to worry about how affective children activism is because it has already happened in the past, and it was definitely successful.

Picture link: https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-the-children-of-birmingham-changed-the-civil-rights-movement