Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Hearing the feet at the pavement #sol18

At 10 am, students began trickling into the space. A steady flow of silent, somber teenagers streamed from the hallways. If you've spent any time with high school kids, you know that quiet isn't a state that comes naturally to them. Yet, here they were, walking without words, without laughter, without any of the typical teenager posturing.

For 17 minutes students stood in clusters, silently. Some raised their fists. Some sat at laptops, registering to vote. Instead of marching in the cold, the students gathered in the common area, crowded together.  Student leaders had created spaces for students to share their reflections. Along with the voter registration table, there were spaces where students could share their thoughts about gun laws, about the purpose of the walkout and write letters to members of congress. There was a memorial wall with the faces of the Parkland victims and a table where more students wrote letters to the survivors. All of these tables showed evidence of student thinking as post-it notes filled the pages and stacks of letters sat on the table waiting to be mailed.

For 17 minutes the students were silent. In their silence, they made their voices heard.


12 comments:

  1. What an amazing post. Love all the ways these students made those 17 minutes count. It brings chills and tears at its power.
    And I love that you began with Jason Reynolds' tweet - powerful.

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  2. I'm so proud of these kids... and of all of the kids who walked out today. The children of today are going to pave the road for change.

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  3. I love this post. The fact that some used that time to register to vote give me hope that change is coming.

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  4. This post speaks to how amazing our students are. Thank you.

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  5. The action of the students is moving. How you capture it and observe with such care and detail touched me. I feel as if I were there witnessing their quiet, thoughtful protest. Thanks to them and thanks to you, I feel heartened.

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  6. Your last sentence captures what was powerful about this day.

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  7. Yes - in their silence they made their voices heard. Powerful and courageous!

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  8. Your writing captures the power of that silence so effectively. Wonderful tweet from Jason Reynolds as well. I also feel inspired by these students' actions and your post!

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  9. Your writing captures the power of that silence so effectively. Wonderful tweet from Jason Reynolds as well. I also feel inspired by these students' actions and your post!

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  10. This gave me chills. I am so happy to read this account. and that last sentence. Wow. You captured the whole 17 minutes in these words "For 17 minutes the students were silent. In their silence, they made their voices heard."

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  11. #Stuvoice is powerful if it is allowed to rise. In silence the students' voices were heard around the states. Thanks for sharing a single episode.

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  12. What amazing ways to elevate those 7minutes into powerful action. Thanks for sharing.

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