Dancing Bears

In January, my year 6 English class did some persuasive writing.  Thanks to the wonderful planning of a fellow teacher, we researched a bit about dancing bears in India to then do some persuasive writing against the practice.  I really had never heard of this practice, but was truly horrified to hear the torture that these bears go through for the entertainment of others.  The kids too became enraged and, as most kids do, wanted to do something to make a difference.  So a group of five of the girls came to me and said they wanted to do something.  I was thrilled to help them and excited to see their passion.

For weeks, they came to see me on their own free time during lunch and we bounced ideas around.  With a few ideas in mind, the girls wrote a very persuasive speech that they delivered to the head teacher, and he was so moved by their powerful words that he couldn't say no.  So, he has allowed the school to have a mufti day on Friday where kids can wear their normal clothes (as opposed to school uniforms) for a small donation.  To let the pupils know about the mufti day and the reason behind it, the girls made a presentation.  They did a beautiful job of putting powerful descriptions and convincing language into the speech; they showed their passion for this cause.  These ten and eleven year old girls, nervous as they were, spoke this afternoon in front of an audience of about 400.  I was so very proud of them and I'm very eager to see how much money is raised on Friday!



I'm also secretly hoping some people misunderstood and that some people will come dressed as a bear in a tutu...

Comments

  1. Tuisku's Teaching and Travel TidbitsFebruary 28, 2013 at 1:05 AM

    Silly me, I thought this post was going to be about the Grateful Dead. Guess that dates me!!!

    ReplyDelete

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