Juli
Kendall's
2004-05
READING/WRITING
WORKSHOP JOURNAL
Entry #07
The Power of Words to Heal
The Aquarium of the Pacific is one of our city's most visited attractions. Nestled in along the Southern California coast, it offers a wealth of educational, environmental, and scientific opportunities. Visitors of all ages are amazed by the beautiful jellyfish, wonderful seahorses, and intimidating sharks. It seems like a peaceful refuge from the outside world.
Early in November, we awakened to these headlines:"Vandals torture and kill shark at Aquarium; ray also dead, 2nd shark might die from overnight attack." (Long Beach Press-Telegram, November 9, 2004)
Next came an email response from the Aquarium of the Pacific. "These animals lived in our interactive touch pools and personally touched the lives of millions of people who visited the Aquarium. They were gentle animals that served as ambassadors inspiring wonder and respect for the ocean and its inhabitants." The next day there was more news. "Boys held in sharks' killings; youths caught when they returned for second night, police say." (Press-Telegram, November 10, 2004) And then some words of reconciliation. "Aquarium urges healing; essay forum – 'A Healing Word from Local Kids' – encourages LBUSD 7th grade youths to share feelings on shark killings." (Press-Telegram, November 12, 2004) Right now, in response to the Aquarium's call for healing, seventh graders all across our city are writing essays. These essays respond to the acts of vandalism at the Aquarium of the Pacific perpetrated by four middle school age boys. Everyone is in shock. The televised description of the horrible acts was almost too much to bear for many students. The essays have provided a way for kids to express their feelings and look for ways for the community to heal. But the contest only includes seventh graders. So a teacher at another grade level at our school looked for other ways for her students to participate. She had her students develop a list of activities that they could do to raise money for the Aquarium. Each idea was developed by a committee of students who brainstormed what they thought would work. There were some amazing suggestions:— a dog wash (like a car wash but you wash people's dogs instead)
— a playground sale (like a garage sale but donated items would be sold on the playground)
— a car wash (the class has already scheduled a Saturday date with the principal.)
— cookie sales (since homemade items are prohibited, district cookies will be sold for a small amount above their actual cost.)
— Shark Night (a date was calendared for families to come to school and see a play performed by students and written in response to the vandalism.)
Next step? Students will gear up to turn these ideas into reality. And while they are doing these things, I'm thinking, they will be learning one of life's lessons—what happens to each one of us touches us all. As much as we wish to protect our children from such pain and tragedy, it is by working through these situations that they come to understand the interconnectedness of our world. Each and every one of us, all creatures great and small, is interdependent. This may be the most important lesson of all.
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