Fifth annual teach-in honoring Dr. King

In second to eighth grade, the usual schedule was set aside today in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

It was the fifth annual Beloved Community Teach-In. Students started the day in mixed-age groups for eleven (!) simultaneous workshops.

They were:

doing the numbers to assess a living wage...

 

reviewing alternatives to the Columbus Day holiday...

 

critiquing Gordon's sustainability efforts...

 

teaching innovative communication skills...

 

finding the leaders and helpers in Gordon's picture book collection...

 

creating art with messages they can stand behind...

 

role-playing conversations to have with their family members

...and that was just the first hour.

 

In Middle School, all eight workshops were being led by students, paced so that every student would have a turn serving as the teacher.

 

Second, third and fourth graders got their turn in the spotlight during the morning assembly.

 

The day also included a presentation from Gordon parent Rev. Jabulani McCalister, author of the recent Providence Journal op-ed "Why the MLK holiday matters".

Many more photos are now online

 

 

The next teach-in will be later this spring in the Middle School, in recognition of the national Day of SIlence honoring victims of anti-LGBTQ harassment and violence.

Gordon's teach-ins have these goals:

Students will break from business as usual to delve into content and ideas that are central to our mission

As much as possible, students put their learning into practice by creating and taking action steps

Students will connect across grades and with teachers they don’t usually see in class

Students will explore content using a variety of approaches that will engage a range of learning styles

When possible, students will lead the conversations