Children are being mistreated and abused in this country and throughout the world. We are disturbed that children's rights are being abused nationally and internationally in a variety of ways. For example, many children suffer from starvation forced prostitution, child labor, and slavery. This article describes ways that educators can address these issues in their curriculum. One of the major approaches that we suggest is to involve students in a decision-making process leading towards activism outside of the classroom.
We are the world's children.
We are the victims of exploitation and abuse.
We are street children.
We are the children of war.
We are the victims and orphans of HIV/AIDS.
We are denied good-quality education and health care.
We are victims of political, economic, cultural, religious and environmental discrimination.
We are children whose voices are not being heard: it is time we are taken into account.
We want a world fit for children, because a world fit for us is a world fit for everyone.
Statement made by the child delegates representing the Children's Forum at the opening of the United Nations General Assembly's Special Session on Children in May, 2002. (Rendon, 2004).
A UNICEF report, " Childhood Under Threat," The State of the World's Children 2005, described that the majority of the world's children are suffering greatly due to poverty, war and HIV/AIDS. Its opening sentences paint a grim portrait of the miserable conditions that so many young people find themselves in:
“ Pictures of childhood: boys and girls scavenging in the rubbish piles of Manila, coerced into carrying an AK-47 in the jungles of Democratic Republic of the Congo, forced into prostitution on the streets of Moscow, begging for food in Rio de Janeiro, orphaned by AIDS in Botswana. Pictures that are replicated again and again – different lives, different countries, but hauntingly similar images – as millions of children grow up in poverty, are caught up in armed conflict or are orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS in these beginning years of the 21st century.
Contrast the experiences of these children with the ideal of childhood as a time when children are allowed to grow and develop to their full potential: healthy children in school and at play, growing strong and confident with the love and encouragement of their family and an extended community of caring adults, gradually taking on the responsibilities of adulthood, free from fear, safe from violence, protected from abuse and exploitation.” (UNICEF, 2005: 1)
According to this report, more than 1 billion children are denied the basic rights promised by 1989's Convention on the Rights of the Child, the world's most widely adopted human rights treaty. The report concludes that more than half the children in the developing world are severely deprived of basic necessities:
Children are among the foremost victims of armed conflict and comprise nearly half of the 3.6 million people killed in war since 1990. Hundreds of thousands of children in conflict situations around the world are still recruited or abducted as soldiers, victims of landmines, forced to witness violence and killing, orphaned by violence, and/or targets of sexual violence (particularly females).
HIV/AIDS has also taken a great toll on children, and there are now 15 million AIDS orphans worldwide. Clearly, the death of a parent affects every aspect of a child's life and has a negative impact on their physical and psychological wellbeing. Furthermore, many children, especially girls, are forced to drop out of school in order to work or care for their families. They then face an increased risk of assuming hazardous jobs or being otherwise exploited.
The State of the World's Children argues that the appalling conditions in which half the world's children find themselves is a matter of societal and governmental choices. According to UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy, "The quality of a child's life depends on decisions made every day in households, communities and in the halls of government. We must make those choices wisely, and with children's best interests in mind. If we fail to secure childhood, we will fail to reach our larger, global goals for human rights and economic development. As children go, so go nations. It's that simple." (Bellamy, 2004).
The United States is often seen as one of the most advanced nations in the world, a nation that advocates on an international level for the protection of human beings and their civil rights in other countries. Yet in the U.S. many children are unprotected from abuse and are denied basic human and civil rights. For example, according to the Children's Defense Fund:
• An American child is confirmed as abused or neglected every 35 seconds
• An American child is born into poverty every 36 seconds
• An American child is born without health insurance every 42 seconds
• A baby is born at low birth weight every 2 minutes
• A baby is born to a mother who received late or no prenatal care every 4 minutes
• A baby dies before her/his first birthday every 19 minutes
• A child is killed by abuse or neglect every 6 hours
(Children’s Defense Fund, 2004a)
Given the foregoing, it is interesting to examine our nation’s priorities as evidenced by the following statistics which relate to how America ranks among industrialized countries in investing in and protecting children:
-1 st in military technology
-1 st in military exports
-1 st in Gross Domestic Product
-1 st in the number of millionaires and billionaires
-1 st in health technology
-1 st in defense spending
-12 th in living standards among our poorest one-fifth of children
-13 th in the gap between rich and poor
-14 th in efforts to lift children out of poverty
-16 th in low-birth weight rates
-18 th in the percent of children in poverty
-23 rd in infant mortality
-Last in protecting our children against gun violence
(Children’s Defense Fund, 2004b)
Some educators have acknowledged that children's rights are integral to the mission of education. Fernekes has written numerous pieces on children’s rights (1994, 2000, 2001) including an article called “Why study children’s rights?” (2000). Garcia (1994) calls for human rights in the pluralistic classroom and Cohen states that: "We have stifled our children - and thus our society - for too long. Educators need to reaffirm their commitment to the child and to the vision of the child as the rejuvenating force of the future." (Cohen, 1993: 795). The needs of homeless students are addressed by Gracenin (1994) and by Vissing, Schroepfer and Bloise (1994). Des Dixon goes into some detail regarding children's rights and abuses of those rights, stating that "Children are the most exploited, overworked, and underpaid class in society . . . Children - not old people or women or any racial group - are the poorest members of society. . . (and) are the last visible minority without human rights." (Des Dixon, 1994: 362). He then describes children's involvement with prostitution, drug dealing, and war as examples of ways in which they are abused. In fact, the gross abuse of children is widespread at national and international levels and includes malnutrition, starvation, child labor, slavery, forced prostitution, and infanticide. A closer examination of these phenomena reveal disturbing patterns: the majority of abused children are female, dark-skinned, and/or poor. Such abuse is particularly horrifying when we consider that children need to be cared for, nurtured and loved. We believe that, like ourselves, most parents regard their children as precious gifts, and that all of us from individual citizens to national governments should be concerned about all children. Educators can play a role in publicizing and reducing such abuses if they are adequately informed about them.
A number of educators have focused upon the need to make education more relevant to students and to have it promote justice, equity, citizenship and social responsibility (Cohen, 1993). The 25th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools reported that 91% of respondents rated as "Very High" or "High" an item which calls for the knowledge and skills " . . . to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship." (Elam, Rose & Gallup, 1993).
How should educators respond to the shocking and overwhelming abuses of children's rights which occur in our nation and throughout the globe? First of all, it is important that we understand that abused children from other nations immigrate to the United States and attend American schools. Many children from Central America and Southeast Asia with harrowing stories of survival have found their way to this nation and have very different experiences and values than many of their U.S.-born classmates. Regardless of where our students were born, we have the ethical obligation to educate all of them to the best of our ability (Children’s Defense Fund, 2002; Fernekes, 1999).
Clearly, abuses of any kind are a major impediment to children learning in school and must be eliminated before education can take place. Jonathan Kozol has written eloquently about how poverty, pollution and other economic factors damage children's lives in his 1991 book Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. Kozol documented the conditions which make it difficult or impossible to receive a quality education, including toxic wastes in playgrounds, malnutrition, lack of school resources, and dangerous neighborhoods (Kozol, 1991). He believes that things are worse today for poor children, especially African Americans, than thirty years ago.
One educator who has addressed the needs of homeless youth is Sandy McBrayer of San Diego. She created a school for homeless teenagers in San Diego in 1986 and received national recognition for her work when she was selected as 1994 United States Teacher of the Year. In lectures to education classes, she describes the conditions that her students live and die in, including teens that are thrown out of their family home because of pregnancy, sexual orientation or other reasons; children who have been physically and sexually abused by family members; and 10-year-olds who are sold into child pornography or prostitution by their parents. According to McBrayer, San Diego has one 15-bed shelter for homeless teens while the city has an estimated 1,500 teenagers living on the streets (McBrayer, 1999). Most of McBrayer's students engage in "survival sex" just to stay alive, and many are "system kids" without parents who are shuffled from juvenile hall to a group home and wind up in the streets (Card, 1991). Despite tremendous obstacles, many students are capable of far more than many teachers give them credit for. One homeless youth scored a perfect score on the SAT and aced three achievement tests in math, writing and physics as well. He is one of only 71 California candidates for the 2001 Presidential Scholarship, one of the most prestigious academic awards the nation has to offer (Bailey, 2001).
It is crucial to note that despite the disheartening circumstances of many children in this nation, there are many educational programs that are making a positive difference. Among them are 6-to-6 programs which help care for kids before and after school, times of peak danger since many parents are not available to supervise their children because of job obligations. Another example is the San Diego-based Barrio Logan College Institute, an after-school program for low-income youth. This specialized program offers academic enrichment, tutoring, homework assistance, and provides mentoring in planning for college. Such programs are critical given the fact that fewer than 4% of Latino high school graduates in California meet eligibility requirements for the University of California or California State University systems (Speivogel, 2001b).
Given the current push in U.S. education for standards and accountability, resulting in repressive educational expectations, it is a particularly challenging time for educators to pursue the promotion of anyone’s rights. Consider the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act (PL 107-110) where the curriculum is primarily aimed at preparing students to pass standardized tests. Teachers who educate students from low-income communities of color are finding themselves labeled by state and federal systems as D, E, F, or FF schools. These labels stereotype schools, their students, the faculty, and the communities they reside in. Because of the “teacher proof” curriculum that some districts have instituted, teachers are prevented from addressing the individual needs of students and “teachable moments” go unheeded while emphasis is placed on high test scores in the basic skills. The move toward governmental control of schools has led to teachers having less control over their schools and instruction in their own classrooms. The more prescriptive federal mandates become, the more curriculum is narrowed and teacher creativity diminished.
Numerous individuals and organizations have opposed the NCLB act in a variety of ways. McKenzie (2003), a former teacher, principal and superintendent, perceives its major problems to be
McKenzie urges that opponents of NCLB speak to school board members, administrators and teachers in their community to learn how NCLB will change their schools; communicate with senators and representatives to change the law; and write letters to the editor of their local newspaper expressing their concerns.
The National Education Association (NEA) similarly criticizes the NCLB act as being punitive, rigid, underfunded, espousing unproven techniques and emphasizing bureaucracy and standardized testing rather than teacher-led, classroom-focused solutions. The NEA, several of its chapters, and school districts in three states filed a lawsuit in April 2005 against the NCLB act. The case centers on a paragraph in the 2002 law that prohibits the government from forcing a state or district to pay costs not covered by provisions of the law. Since the federal government has not provided sufficient funds for the implementation of NCLB, the fiscal burden it entails falls on the shoulders of state or local government or school districts. Partially because of the NEA’s opposition to NCLB since that law’s inception, then-Secretary of Education Rod Paige called the NEA a “terrorist organization” in February 2004. He has likened opponents of NCLB to “segregationist southerners who stood in schoolhouse doors to prevent black students from attending desegregated schools.” (Toppo, 2004).
Many parents and educators are unaware that Section 9528 of the NCLB law dictates that schools which receive federal funding must provide military recruiters with students’ names and home contact information. Teachers for Social Justice, a group of Chicago area educators, has organized school-based community forums regarding NCLB, which they are very critical of. On their website, they have an “opt-out” form which parents can use to request that their children’s names not be given to military recruiters by their children’s school. (See resources for this website). Such direct response to repressive measures becomes ever more important at a time when critical thinking and activism among teachers and students alike are discouraged by federal policy. It is interesting to note that government secrecy has reached a historic high (Shane, 2005) during this draconian era.
There are numerous ways of upholding children's rights through our teaching. First, we can teach students at all levels about the rights of children and about abuses of those rights. Naturally, we need to gear such lessons to the grade level being taught and to present the information in age-appropriate ways. But it's important that we not "water down" the message so much that its power is lost. Abuses of children's rights can be horrifying and that central fact must not be obscured. Many subjects lend themselves to discussions of children's rights, from history and geography to art and music. Reports from organizations such as Amnesty International, Britain's Anti-Slavery Society, Oxfam America, and the International Labor Organization in Geneva are excellent sources of information on abuses of children's rights and can form the basis for interdisciplinary curricula on that topic. The UNICEF office in New York distributes free curriculum guides for both the elementary and secondary levels which address children's rights, as well as extensive lists of resources and other educational materials. We can use appropriate news reports or videos to stimulate discussion, and have children write stories about children's rights. These stories can be shared and discussed in other classrooms of students.
Secondly, we can engage the students in letter-writing campaigns to support children's rights and to oppose abuses. Teaching our students to act on their beliefs is a priceless lesson. And it's crucial that we not shy away from talking with children about the politics of exploitation (e.g., who benefits from present conditions? How do governments and corporations create and maintain exploitative conditions in various nations? How can we exert our rights as citizens to influence policy?) Students from poor neighborhoods should be encouraged to look at the conditions under which they live and the reasons for these conditions being perpetuated. Just as Paulo Freire taught people literacy skills in Brazil by having them write and read about their own lives, living conditions and possibilities for social action, teachers can have students dialogue about what they can do to improve their own living conditions. Field trips to cultural centers, homeless shelters and other locations might also stimulate discussion and activism around the topic of children's rights in our own neighborhoods and elsewhere.
In addressing an issue which can seem so overwhelming, it can be of great value to provide inspiration by citing children who have themselves been champions of children's rights. A shining example is Iqbal Masih, a Pakistani boy who was sold into slavery at age 4 and spent six years shackled to a carpet-weaving loom where he tied tiny knots hour after hour. Freed at age 10 by an anti-child slavery organization, Iqbal went on to become an international spokesperson against child slavery. He described the life of a child slave in Pakistan's carpet weaving industry: "We had to get up at 4 and work 12 hours. . . we were chained to the loom. . ." (Gannon, 1995). Although Iqbal was murdered at age 12 while riding a bicycle with two friends, presumably by carpet industry figures, his crusade against child slavery was taken up by American youth.
Amanda Loos was a student in a Massachusetts junior high class that Iqbal visited shortly before he was murdered. Upon hearing of his death, Amanda helped organize a campaign to build a school in Iqbal’s village in Pakistan. She and her classmates raised $150,000 and a five-room schoolhouse, which doubles as a community health center, was built in Kasur, Pakistan in 1996 near Iqbal’s hometown. A program to provide loans to Pakistani women to buy back their enslaved children was also started. Amanda has been honored by both Marie Claire and Ms. Magazines as a child heroine. The “Girl Power” iVillage website featuring Amanda Loos also has profiles on numerous other young females who have made a great difference and is a strong teaching tool in terms of inspiration and motivation (see Resources). The My Hero project website is equally valuable and offers many heroes and heroines of all ages as well as relevant lesson plans for teachers.
Craig Keilburger, son of two Toronto teachers, read about Iqbal's life and death and decided to follow in his footsteps. Struck by the incredible difference in the quality of his life and that of child slaves, Craig researched the topic and learned from an International Labor Organization report that more than 250 million 5- to 14-year-olds are working in developing countries around the world. He learned from United Nations reports that child trafficking, prostitution, slave labor and debt bondage are on the rise and noted that one in four children in the United States live in poverty. Craig and some friends created an organization named "Free the children" after a popular slogan used by protesting indentured children in India and launched a website (www.freethechildren.org) which seeks to raise awareness about child labor. Craig states "I simply do not believe that the adults of the world can put a man on the moon or invent the atom bomb and cannot free the children of the world." (Mehren, 1996). Today Craig, now 22, and his brother Marc run 3 leadership projects and 3 charitable projects, including “Free the Children.” The latter program alone has directly impacted over a million children in 35 countries. Craig and Marc have authored four books and an excellent video titled “It takes a child” tells the amazing story of Craig Keilburger and Free the Children. It can be purchased via the Free the Children website (see Resources).
Teachers can also utilize the words of their own students to motivate other youth. Consuelo Preciado, when a 10th grade student at Fremont High School in the Los Angeles area, wrote an essay titled "The pride of a Mexican" in which she states:
"Our educational system, from the elementary through high school levels. . . almost totally ignore our Mexican culture. Therefore, we as students, in our ignorance and unawareness, succumb to the false belief that the Mexican race . . . is inferior. I am a Mexican student and I am proud. I have been fortunate enough to begin to search for my roots at an 'early age.' I have stumbled through the pages of precious writings that reveal some truths about my people. . . Through these pages I have acquired. . .an intense love and pride--an awareness of who I am. Of course, these books were not furnished by the … School District. . .they were written by us, about us, and for us. The reality of knowing that my people are still suffering through injustice, low educational systems, low paying jobs, poor housing, hunger--saddens me. But it also inspires me to go on in my efforts to help my people achieve social justice. . .I feel strong because I'm making. . . (my education) useful to me." (Preciado, no date)
Given the repressive and prescriptive milieu in which school is currently taking place, it is essential that educators tread carefully in promoting children’s rights and empowering students. Teaching strategies must be designed to promote broad-based support and minimize opposition. We would suggest the following approaches:
1t’s important to use terminology which avoids polarization. Minimize use of such terms as “conservative,” “liberal,” “oppressor,” “evil,” etc. Present information to students and give them freedom to espouse any view or opinion . For example, one might show a video on homelessness (see resource list) without commenting on it and then let each student briefly state their reaction to it. Social topics are thus examined and explored in an open way, with students feeling free to disagree with each other or with the teacher. This type of open, accepting, nonthreatening classroom ambience is much more likely to result in fruitful examination of controversial issues than is a more directive, authoritarian approach.
Devise quizzes on social justice issues such as the number of children who are homeless, hungry, without healthcare, forced into being child soldiers, trafficked, engaged in prostitution, orphaned by AIDS, etc., at the local, national and/or international level. After providing the answers, form a circle and allow each student to give their reaction as described above.
Build academic rigor into justice-related lessons by having students develop their research skills, verbal and written communication via oral and written reports. One of the authors (First author) has been using an approach to incorporating research into social justice issues which has been very effective as well as popular with students, the majority of whom are future teachers. The author has written the name of a person, organization or topic (e.g., Dan Mitrione, sexism, Lost boys of Sudan, Kumeyaay, etc.) on a playing card and handed one to each student. The students are then instructed to write down the term and then research it on the internet. They then present a 4-5 minute oral report to the class and/or prepare a 1-page report on their topic and give a copy to each of their classmates. After all reports have been heard, usually in two class sessions, a circle is formed and each student gives their reaction to the entire activity.
Present students with two contrasting perspectives via quotes, articles, books, etc., and have them give their reactions to each. While using very critical perspectives (e.g., “A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn) in the classroom can be very threatening to many parents and/or colleagues, presenting one mainstream text and one alternative text and having students discuss the similarities and differences between them is much less risky than using a non-mainstream text by itself. This approach is less likely to be attacked by students, parents, and/or administrators.
Students can share relevant personal experiences with the class so that their lives become an essential part of the curriculum. While lecture is certainly a valuable approach in teaching, so is discussion which allows students to learn from one another. When students share anecdotes regarding times they’ve been discriminated against for any reason it helps the class to gain a fuller understanding of the diverse experiences which take place all around them. This is a very effective way to incorporate a variety of social issues such as sexism, racism, classism and ablism into classroom discussion. After every student has shared a circle is formed and each person, including the instructor, gives a reaction to the entire exercise. This activity helps to deepen a sense of community in the classroom because it is so personal and often emotional.
Students can be asked to complete the sentence “Because I am a child. . .” or “Because I am young. . . “ while sitting in a circle so that each student is allowed to speak and to hear everyone else’s comments. Students might be asked to agree or disagree with statements such as “Children have the same rights that adults do,” “Children should have the same rights as adults,” etc. This type of activity is simple, direct and leads to discussion of important social issues in a personal, clear manner.
If we are truly committed to the welfare of all children, we must take action in accordance with our stated values. That is, we must find ways to act in support of children's rights everywhere. By modeling activism for our students, we will allow our actions to speak far more loudly than our lectures or lesson plans.
First, we can inform ourselves about abuses of children's rights. Only when we are adequately informed can we make reasonable decisions about which actions to take. Newspapers, magazines, emails and internet searches are all effective means of acquiring relevant information on the status of children’s rights.
Second, we can share information with others. Co-workers, friends, members of organizations we belong to, and other constituencies can be recipients of what we learn about children's rights and their abuses. Newsletters, email and websites can all reach large numbers of people effectively and inexpensively.
Third, we can directly support those who expose and oppose abuses of children's rights. While the needs are great, resources for this kind of activity are typically few. Those organizations which have dedicated themselves to working in this arena need our financial and moral support. Interaction with colleagues must go beyond information-sharing and include direct action and support.
Fourth, we can encourage organizations of which we are members to become involved in promoting children's rights. Whether crafting mission statements, organizing conferences or setting meeting topics we can infuse this pressing issue into organizational agendas at every level.
And last, we can form new organizations of our own. The university students of one of the authors of this article decided to form an activist student organization to do something about the various issues that were discussed in their multicultural education classes. The group, called "Heartprints," has been in existence since Summer of 2000 and has staged numerous "feed-ins" during which they have distributed thousands of lunches to homeless people in their city. Since one of the course requirements of that class is to interact with homeless people, this activity attracts dozens of students and at the last feed-in about 70 students and family members prepared about 600 lunches which were taken downtown and passed out. The organization has also supported a girls' home in a Mexican border town by periodically taking food and other supplies. In 2000 it staged a Christmas party with entertainment including a pinata, and gifts were provided to each of the 55 girls who were living there at the time. Similar parties were staged in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Such activities can include students from other grade levels and students from a local high school were involved in seeking donated gifts for the 2004 party. Heartprints has also donated hundreds of dollars to that girls' home as well as to the David Lynch school, which was built on a Mexican border city garbage dump and which serves dozens of children who live there. These funds were raised from students, College of Education faculty and community members. These activities teach future teachers to become informed of children's acute needs and to take direct action in addressing them. As these young activist/educators step into the world of teaching, they will carry with them concerns and strategies which can be passed on to their students.
Such activism can be very successfully implemented at the middle school level. Linda L. Todd, a 6 th grade middle school teacher in San Diego, showed a film in the Spring of 2003 to her students about exploitation of child labor which had a great impact on them and motivated them to take action. They decided to form a student organization that they named “Kids Helping Kids” dedicated to helping impoverished children around the world. It began with weekly meetings before school to plan the group’s goals and activities, with an emphasis on fundraising. A logo was developed and bake sales were held after school to gather funds to be donated to a variety of causes related to assisting poor children. KHK purchased a stereo which was donated to a girls’ home in Tijuana and donated hundreds of dollars to a school in a village in Ghana. KHK also raised hundreds of dollars to purchase animals that provide food and income to Zambian children who have been orphaned due to the AIDS epidemic. Ms. Todd has been greatly impressed by the very high level of enthusiasm and commitment which her students have displayed since the formation of the group. Members of KHK are developing communication and leadership skills while reaching out to children who desperately need assistance. Given the opportunity, all students regardless of age can far exceed what is generally expected of them. As Ms. Todd states, “’Kids Helping Kids’ demonstrates the power of children and their ability to make positive changes in the world around them.” (Todd, 2004).
There are a great number of websites related to children’s rights and a search engine such as Google can be an excellent way of locating a broad variety of organizations which address relevant issues. Given the great diversity of children’s rights abuses, such resources are invaluable aids in finding information on issues as well as on what one can do to support children’s rights. Among the most inspiring and instructive efforts to promote children’s rights are the following:
Canadian high school English teacher Darren Lund (2005) describes a program he created called “Students and Teachers Opposing Prejudice” (STOP) Program on the University of Calgary website (see Resources). This popular extracurricular school program has been widely recognized by numerous organizations including the Canadian government. An impressive list of its accomplishments can be found on its website (see Resources).
Boston high school teacher Jorge Ortega initiated a program called “Don’t just dream – Act – Higher Education for all” which provides high school students an avenue to affect community change while advocating higher education opportunities for all. His project combines classroom, community and career activities and has a strong emphasis on academic rigor.
Kids Can Make A Difference ® (KIDS), an educational program for middle- and high school students, focuses on the root causes of hunger and poverty, the people most affected, solutions, and how students can help. The major goal is to stimulate the students to take action and a broad list of specific and very doable activities is provided on this program’s website (see Resources list). This excellent resource includes a kids’ newsletter, teacher guide, hunger quiz, hunger facts, and many examples of what kids have done in various states throughout the nation.
Three San Diego youth have initiated a project to help Ugandan children that were forced to become child soldiers but escaped. They have created a DVD that is technically superb, heart-wrenching and very inspiring. Plans are to release a longer version of this film at movie theaters across the nation in early 2006. A concomitant fundraising campaign is aimed at improving the lives of the Ugandan ex-child soldiers. The DVD is available on the project’s website (see Resources) and is a must-see.
These suggestions for teacher involvement in supporting children’s rights are in accordance with various calls to make education a means of preparing students for global citizenship (Tlou, 1993) and a force for social justice and the creation of a better future (Conard, 1994; Gay, 1993; Swartz, 1993). Our work is grounded in a philosophy that is founded on a belief in our shared humanity (Palmer, 1998; Pang, 2005). We believe that the struggle for civil rights is based on a love of others. As Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in the Letter From A Birmingham Jail, “Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?” We can think of no equity issue more pressing or appropriate for educators to be involved in than advocacy for and protection of children's rights, particularly in economically depressed times.
Teachers for Justice, the aforementioned Chicago group of educators, has an excellent list of working principles which seek to empower students to be decision-makers in their own lives and activists in the broader society. They call for a curriculum which is:
Each of these principles is explained on their website (see Resources) and this list provides an exemplary framework for addressing children’s rights in education.
Given the current emphasis on standardized testing and narrow curriculum, it is essential that educators take a very deliberate, thoughtful approach to promoting social justice. One of the most important elements of such efforts can be a collaborative approach in which students help decide on the specific issues to be researched and acted upon. This helps greatly in the “buying in” process. It is also essential to provide inspiration in order to stimulate interest and to maintain faith in one’s ability to make a difference. Highlighting role models, and particularly youthful activists such as Amanda Loos and Craig Keilburger, goes a long ways towards fueling motivation and confidence.
Addressing children’s rights is a politically sensitive enterprise, but one of significant importance for those committed to forging a brighter future for coming generations. We hope that this article will heighten interest in the notion of addressing children’s rights in and out of the classroom. Such efforts can have a great impact on the overall status of children as well as on the motivation of our students. As Amanda Loos said, “Once you meet kids who’ve been through this [child labor], you can’t just talk about it. You have to go out and do something about it.” (iVillage website, no date)
Why Study Children’s Rights?
http://gc2000.rutgers.edu/GC2000/MODULES/CHILD_RIGHTS/default.htm
Children’s Rights as Human Rights: A Bibliography
http://www.aaanet.org/committees/cfhr/bib_hitchcock_child.htm
Don’t just dream – Act – Higher Education for all (Jorge Ortega)
http://bostonteachnet.org/ortega/sigproj.htm
A brief history of the “Students and Teachers Opposing Prejudices (STOP)
Program
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dtoolkit/stopprogramhistory.htm
Kids can make a difference
http://www.kidscanmakeadifference.org/prog.htm
Free the Children
http://www.freethechildren.org
Teachers for Social Justice
http://www.teachersforjustice.org/basics.html
Invisible Children
http://www.invisiblechildren.com
Girl Power - Marie Claire magazine
http://magazines.ivillage.com/marieclaire/mind/issues/articles/0,,434739_437855,00
My Hero Project
http://myhero.com/myhero/
Bailey, E. (2001). Homelessness no barrier for honor student and teacher - his mother. San Diego Union-Tribune, April 8, 2001, p. A32.
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