“Is it too much to ask for at least one new book during my four years of high school?”“ asked a student from Fremont High School.
One of her classmates added, “I have a teacher who always tells us that he gets paid whether we learn or not.” A third recalled that there have been four different administrators during his years at Fremont, “Each new principal makes new rules for us to learn and follow, just when we start getting used to the old ones. Things are always changing.”
These student reflections were part of a recent youTHink lesson at Fremont High School called “Knowledge and Education.” Students asked sharp and pointed questions about educational equity and access. Interspersed with their questions were their concerns about safety and security, limited bathroom facilities, overcrowded classrooms, and teachers that don’t care about students and teaching.
Sarah Usmani, a Fremont English teacher, sees youTHink as a way to give her students the chance to think critically, form their own ideas and express them in creative ways. Usmani jumped at the chance to integrate the youTHink Knowledge and Education lesson into a unit where students create written and visual models of a perfect society.
Working with contemporary art as the basis for a facilitated discussion, students explored issues ranging from student accountability, school violence, different learning styles, school conditions, and standardized tests. youTHink begins each lesson by showing students a few pieces of social commentary art as a springboard for discussion, and then students have an opportunity to create their own art projects and accompanying written statements to share their views about the issues discussed. Using a styrofoam head as a base for the "Knowledge and Education" lesson (see pictures above), students created a visual representation of their rights as learners in their school community. In this four-part lesson, students presented their projects to their peers, and as a conclusion to their experience, explored strategies for transforming their concerns into action.
Through their art, students found a new way to express their anger and frustrations, and through youTHink they found people eager to listen and learn about their educational experience.
youTHink, an education program of the Zimmer Children’s Museum and the Center for American Studies and Culture, uses art as a tool for students to question the world around them, and to imagine the possibilities for social change. youTHink lessons are offered to California public schools, from upper elementary through high school. In addition to “Knowledge and Education”, youTHink offers lessons on “Social and Civic Responsibility,” “Environment: Balances and Decisions,” “Who We Are As a Country,” and “How We See Ourselves and Others See Us”. Now in it’s fourth year, youTHink recently opened a Northern California regional office, has a thriving teacher continuation education program, and a student organization that empowers LA area youth to make a difference through civic action and social service. For more information, visit the youTHink web site at www.youthinkusa.org.
Shifra Teitelbaum and Rochelle Votaw serve as Director and Program Specialist of youTHink.
