• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

March 25, 2018 Ask a Teacher

Support Student Voices: March for Our Lives

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Haylee Massaro

Haylee Massaro has been an education professional in the field of English Language Arts for 7 years, and she has gained experience teaching in both brick-and-mortar schools and online. She currently works as an educator both for secondary and for higher education. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pittsburgh as well as an M.S.Ed. from Duquesne University.
  • The Burnout Phenomenon: Getting Comfortable with "No" - June 29, 2018
  • Teachers: Partners in Suicide Prevention - June 9, 2018
  • The Dangers of For-Profit Education - May 20, 2018
  • Support Student Voices: March for Our Lives - March 25, 2018
  • Teacher Preparedness and Prohibitive Costs - March 23, 2018
  • Writing in Action: When Students Step Up - March 4, 2018
  • Is the "Life-Long" Teacher Becoming Extinct? - February 11, 2018
  • Understanding the Proposed Education Budget for 2018 - January 21, 2018
  • Staying Engaged and Motivated Around the Holidays - November 29, 2017
  • Teachers who Practice Self-Care: Selfish or Sustainable? - November 19, 2017

Since the tragic Parkland, FL school shooting on February 14th, a movement has been brewing. The United States has seen gun violence in schools, in movie theaters, in airports, in churches, at concerts, and in many more places. Since Columbine, gun violence, specifically in schools has been a topic of concern. Typically, though, there is an initial burst of action and activism that quickly fizzles all too quickly. But, this time it feels different, largely because of the united teen voices that are leading the movement.

But, this time it feels different, largely because of the united teen voices Click To Tweet

Yesterday, in Washing D.C., teens, teachers, parents, friends, and grandparents gathered together to march in solidarity against gun violence. CBS reported that the peak crowd size in D.C. was around 200,000; however, organizers tracking involvement list participants in the event as being closer to 800,000.

At the forefront of the large-scale protest, were the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, who have been speaking out loudly and publicly against gun violence since the horrific attack on their school left 17 people dead and many others injured.

What has been refreshing about the #NeverAgain movement, led by the Parkland students, is its inclusivity.  While in D.C., Marjory Stoneman Douglas students shared the stage with 19-year-old Trevon Bosley, 17-year-old Edna Chavez, 11-year-old Naomi Wadler and many more individuals who strive to give a voice to black and brown communities across the country. Eleven-year-old Wadler, in particular, spoke with a strength and wisdom far beyond her years, when she said that “For far too long, these black girls and women have been just numbers...I am here to say never again for those girls, too" (as quoted in The New Yorker).

The fact that this movement has worked to unite many voices from all different backgrounds and communities, I believe, has lent to its impact, its success and its scale. As I pointed out in my TER article, Writing in Action: When Students Step Up, these teens and young people give me hope for the future. And, feeling inspired, as an educator, I began to think about what I can do to help support their voice and their movement.

4 Steps toward Supporting your Students

  1. Talk with your students about how to better support them. Ask them their thoughts and feelings about #NeverAgain and other issues that they care about. Give them a voice in your classroom, and allow for them to freely express their thoughts and ideas openly.
  2. Discuss a plan of action for your school district on a small scale as well as what they'd like to see on a larger scale nation-wide. Ask your students: What can we, as a district, do now, to make you feel safer in school? How can we take steps to address issues of gun violence?
  3. Inform them of their rights and protections. As I pointed out the TER article "When Students Step Up", several schools have taken disciplinary action against students for protesting or for simply voicing their concerns. Get together with your students, or create a lesson where you explore free speech so that they are able to understand how it applies to them in school. The ACLU has a great printable resource to help facilitate this discussion.
  4. Hear them! Some may blow off student comments and concerns, citing that they are "just kids" and that their opinions are not important or valued. Let your students know that you value their opinion and allow for them to be heard.

The voices and the lives of our students must be valued and must be taken seriously. I, for one, am proud to see so many young people coming together to collectively stand up for a cause that they believe in. These students are our future. As adults and as educators, we need to be there to support them and to stand by them.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Educators React to the March for Our Lives And We Will Rise: Day 3 of the Oklahoma Walkout The Importance of the 2018 Mid-Term Elections: A Teacher’s Perspective Teachers In Action: From the Classroom to the Convention
« I Wish Everyone Knew How Long It Takes to Plan Great Lessons
An Act Declaring April the Worst Month to Teach »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • "Let's Make This Happen": Following Student Interests to Interest-Based Mentorships
  • Want to Keep Special Education Teachers? Try Mentorship
  • An Idaho teen who won his school board election has a message for educators
  • Moving Beyond Diversity to Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: Lessons from a Sunday Sermon

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.