Using PBL to Create a Space for the Arts in the School Library (Part 1)

During the summer, I had a chance to share information regarding the project based learning (PBL) activities I worked on with students last year.  One of the PBLs I worked on involved an artist and an organization called Young Audiences of Maryland.

Young Audiences of Maryland (YAMD) is an organization that offers schools the chance to request various artists and performers for school assemblies, workshops, and residencies, the organization reached out to me to share an opportunity.  Each year, they offer schools in Maryland a chance to apply for a residency program.  Last year, I applied and our school was selected.  

First, were a series of meetings which allowed me a chance to meet the artist with whom I was paired. My partner was McKinley Wallace, a painter.  During the meetings, we shared our visions, meshed our ideas, and planned a series of lessons. YAMD did a wonderful job of preparing the artist with the expectations of sound lesson planning, as well as preparing me with knowledge of my role during the residency process. 

Next, Mr. Wallace met with the students before the lessons officially began.  He introduced himself and shared the proposed outcome of the lesson.  During the visit, the students had a chance to share information they had learned in previous lessons related to bullying.  This information was used a foundation for the four-panel mural that was created.   During a series of five lessons held in the library, the students were introduced to the basics of art and were able to apply their knowledge to the mural design.

The result was a beautiful four-panel mural which depicts four types of bullying: cyber bullying, verbal bullying, physical bullying, and isolation.  During the process, the students showed growth and it was a wonderful way to work with a classroom teacher that I had not had a chance to collaborate with in the past.  

The PBL also enhanced the perception the students and the classroom teacher had of the library program in our school.  Instead of seeing the library as just a place to store books, 

the students and classroom teacher found the space inviting and realized that the library was not just a place to store books but a place where they could be creative and express themselves using art.

What can we do?: The Power of Educators

The past week has been a sea of emotions.  Last Thursday, I was reveling in my role as a school librarian.  As an first-time attendee of the National Conference of African American Librarians (NCAAL) in Atlanta, Georgia, I had the chance to meet authors that my students and I had talked about on numerous occasions.  Not only did I have a chance to meet Sharon Draper, Nikki Grimes, Susan G. Flake, Carole Boston-Weatherford, and Jason Reynolds, I was able to talk to them and ask questions.  

The conference was also a chance for me to meet with librarians in college libraries and public libraries. I was in heaven as we discussed ways to build communities within our library programs. I was entranced whenever someone shared new initiatives in their library spaces, and I was ecstatic when we could just sit down and talk about the various challenges we faced as librarians. In each encounter, there was honest conversation and a desire to make a positive difference in the lives of others. I felt empowered.

Cut to last Friday. I saw a few images on Twitter and I decided to skip the updates related to Charlottesville. I wanted to continue to bask in the glow of positivity at the conference. On Saturday, the glow of positivity changed.  By 2:30 pm, there was news of an incident. Without knowing the details, I prayed that there were no life threatening injuries.  By that evening, there were reports of three deaths. The talk at the conference turned to Charlottesville. We worried about those who were harmed. I prayed for those who had lost their lives.

On Sunday, as I listened to news reports. I grew even more concerned about the state of the world we live in (more specifically the state of the world my students live in).  Just two days prior, I had asked a group of strangers to pray for the children growing up today. Now on a bright, Sunday, I was faced with the realization that we needed to pray for our nation and the world in which we lived. Young and old, we all had some work to do.

The past few days, we have been inundated with images, press conferences, tweets, and news reels.  Each image a carrier of emotions for the speaker.  Each word a carrier of emotions for the viewer.  The question then becomes, what do we do with those emotions? How do we filter through the chaos and come through singed but not burned to a nothingness? How do we ensure that we don't fall into a state of decay?

Yesterday, a hashtag appeared on my Twitter feed that gave me a bit of hope.  #CharlottesvilleCurriculum appeared and I could have a moment of clarity. Educators can make a difference (if they choose) in their classrooms by trying to provide students with the necessary tools for empathy.  A variety of resources from the International Literacy Association (ILA) to EdWeek seem to be stepping stones for those who wish to discuss the incidents in Charlottesville with their students. 

The idea of empathy in the classroom is not a new one.  Last year, several teachers in my school building suggested that building a culture of empathy would be valuable for our students.  Last year, I had numerous conversations with my students to encourage them to put themselves in the shoes of others.  This morning, I read an article which quoted a former colleague and his desire to instill empathy in his students.  Empathy in the classroom is not a new idea; however, today, after the recent events in Charlottesville, is obvious that it is a topic that should be discussed.

Below this post is a Twitter Moment which highlights resources that educators may find helpful as they look for resources related to the #CharlottesvilleCurriculum. Here are a few preliminary resources I gathered using Destiny Collections (I also created a Part 2).  If anyone has any other ideas of resources, please let me know and we can share them with others.

“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.”

Chinese proverb

Let's involve our students in a solution. Let's involve ourselves.

Reading for Empathy: #CharlottesvilleCurriculum

Check out @tlovesbooks's Tweet: https://twitter.com/tlovesbooks/status/898260143099588608?s=09