Last week Casey asked the Latin Percussion youth to think of ways that students don't have a voice and do have a voice at school. Today we went over some of their thoughts. Please note, none of them provide a deep narrative, but rather set up an opportunity for us all to reflect and delve deeper in our individual classes should some stand out.
Situations when students feel they do not have a voice:
- A fight breaks out amongst a student's peers, the student tries to stop it, but can't due to the anger within the youth directly involved and the crowd that's encouraging it.
- There is a lack of nutrient-rich/healthy lunches and a student does not have an opportunity to request them as its an administrative decision; therefore the student doesn't eat lunch. If a student doesn't eat lunch they are unable to concentrate in class which affects their ability to learn.
- A inappropriate behavioral situation occurs during class with student's peers, the teacher supervising is fired because of their lack of ability to control the class. The student feels the teacher doesn't have a fair chance to defend him/herself and the student would like to speak up, but the teacher has already been fired. The teacher in question was one of the student's favorite and encouraged them to learn more than the student's other teachers.
- Many students are robbed at school because their peers have knives. Knives get into the school, because the school doesn't have metal detectors. A student cannot defend themselves against those with weapons, and that defense is their voice during the robbery.
- A native Spanish-speaking immigrant student who's new second language is English. The student is put into an international school to help slowly acclimate the student to the English-speaking USA. At this school the student is put into a class where the teacher speaks a completely different language than English or Spanish and is unable to learn or participate in school. After the student raised his/her concerns to the school, he/she is told there are no other options.
- Ability to participate on the school's council. Here the student can voice his/her own and peer's concerns to the principal who will take them seriously. The student then can make a change in their school.
- Ability for a student to choose their own classes during their Junior and Senior year of High School. This helps the student prepare for a career and college.
- A student is able to stop a fight before it gets too serious.
- A student can start a club a school bringing together other students of similar interests and allowing them to engage in activities they care about during school and on school grounds. This in turn creates and unites a student community behind a shared interest or cause.
