Williams Crew, 

I wanted to inform you of what we have been doing over the past three days.  As part of the “Who am I?” expedition we are studying several Nobel Laureates and what their impact is on our world.   On Tuesday, we read about the struggles Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan Maquire encountered in Northern Ireland, and how they led people to end the violence and hatred that plagued their country.  The crew discussed how the Catholic/Protestant conflict in Ireland has many connections to our community and country.  Some of the topics we discussed which evolved out of this were:  religious conflict, race relations at ACMS, economic prejudice in schools, gender discrimination, and gay rights.  These topics were also framed around our design principals for January, “Diversity and Inclusion”, and for February, “Empathy and Caring”.


I am writing you this update as these conversations can often bring up controversial opinions from varying sides of the issues.  My goal as an educator is to remain completely neutral during these conversations and rather allow the kids to express their viewpoints in a safe and respectful arena.  One of our goals in the “Who am I?” expedition is to develop the students’ values on a wide variety of subjects, including social justice and human rights.  Through these conversations, I hope to provide our students with a better understanding of themselves,  the communities we inhabit and its values, and how they fit into and become outstanding members of these communities.  If your child has come home talking about some of these subjects, that is fantastic!  I encourage you to ask them questions about what has been discussed, what the different arguments were on the issues, and how they feel about it.  These conversations in different settings help them learn more about themselves, gain their voices, and better understand the communities they live in. Should you have any concerns, as always please feel free to contact me.


I appreciate your openness as we progress throughout this lesson and the Who Am I? expedition.

Zach