Activity exchange to explore global differences through pen pals.
One of park day school's central values places knowledge -- people's ideas, histories, religions and cultures -- at the center of human relationships. In the aftermath of 9.11, concern for the Arab community (who were immediate targets of discrimination and hatred) led to a collaboration between Park Day in Oakland, Calif., and Friends Quaker School in Ramallah, Palestine.
Using the Internet to establish communication between the two schools, we created a magazine project so children could write and illustrate stories about themselves. Our objectives were that children living in relative peace could understand the differences children living in a conflict zone faced; that, through dialogue, the children could use empathy to develop both perspectives; and that these dual perspectives could foster student understanding of tolerance and pluralism.
Students from both schools put their feelings about conflict and cultural difference into words. The practice of writing builds self-respect and a sense of connection to others that results in the experience of contributing to something larger ý taking action in the world in a time of violence and fear. Thus the collaborative project of creating a magazine helped the students develop a sense of empowerment and social engagement.
There are four parts to the magazine production:
- Introduce children to the region of the world with which you will collaborate
- Generate themes and types of articles with the children (these might include interviewing a child from the partner school, first-person descriptions of everyday life, and topics such as sports, school and family)
- Help the children write and revise articles
- Celebrate the publication of the magazine
Find out more about Park Day School and the Ramallah Friends School.
Mona Halaby, Suzie McLean and Cathy Shields
Park Day School
Oakland, Calif.
