Shaking
Things Up
College of Education alumni
reject the status quo and take steps to change the world through
activism and community involvment.
Raising
Issues, Unlocking Potential
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Alisa
Meggitt (BA ‘02) teaches her students to change
the world.
For the past four years she has introduced her sixth graders
to issues such as child labor, world hunger, ageism, and factory
farming. Through talking about issues in class, learning from
guest speakers, and participating in long-term projects outside
of school, the students learn about problems in their world
and how they can help.
Four years ago, Meggitt’s students raised $3,500, which
she took to her former Peace Corps village in Senegal, Africa,
to coordinate draught rescue and relief efforts. They also
contributed 210 pounds of school and medical supplies for
the village of 400 people.
“They literally rescued this village,” Meggitt
said. “The students bought them seeds, medicine, everything
they needed to get back on their feet.”
They also sent school supplies to children in Thailand after
the devastating tsunami in 2004.
The students have hosted four public access television shows
about causes that matter to them. They’ve made frequent
visits to the local homeless shelter and retirement homes.
They even persuaded the Iowa City City Council to pass a proclamation
on child labor.
The sixth-grade teacher at Lucas Elementary School in Iowa
City likes to walk the walk outside her classroom, too. She
was a Peace Corps volunteer, participated in United Nations
conferences on the environment and development in Rio de Janeiro,
worked for the White House Federal Environmental Executive,
has traveled to Vietnam and Honduras to volunteer with kids,
and has been active in Sierra Club, which honored her with
the Environmental Educator Award.
“I live in the world’s most powerful country and
my government and my own personal actions have a profound
impact upon people all over the world,” Meggitt said.
“Because of this, I feel a permeating obligation to
give a voice to those who don’t have one. As an American
citizen, I am blessed with the opportunity to advocate for
justice on a wide spectrum of issues.”
A child labor group that formed through an after-school project
in Meggitt’s class two years ago continues to be active.
Spencer Lundquist is one of some 30 eighth graders who are
still part of the group called Children Helping Innocent Laborers
Democratically, or CHILD. He said Meggitt’s enthusiasm
for activism helped him become an activist as well.
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“We picked up many things from all of Ms. Meggitt’s
experiences,” Lundquist said. “She is such a great
teacher, it’s almost like you can’t describe her
in words. You just have to meet her.”
He said Meggitt connects with her students by taking them
seriously.
“I think kids are tired of being treated like kids,”
he said. “Kids are looking for an outlet to express
themselves and do something and I think she provides an amazing
outlet for that. She has such a positive impact on kids, making
them want to look beyond themselves.”
This year, Meggitt’s students compiled a list of some
87 issues they were concerned with, everything from acid rain
to campaign finance reform.
Meggitt stood at the front of the classroom, a poster reading,
“10 two-letter words to live by: If it is to be it is
up to me” behind her, and announced the eight top issues
from that list: factory farming, child labor, teachers’
salaries, animal testing, animal abuse, gas prices, racism,
and the rising cost of college tuition.
“I know that these are big issues, that they all mean
a lot to you,”
Meggitt said. “Focus on the one where you see yourself
making a change.”
The class voted again and came up with its top choice: factory
farming.
Once the issue was decided, Meggitt organized after school
meetings, brought in experts, and divided the students into
committees. Some children focused on fundraising, some researched,
others tackled education and outreach, and still others focused
on political strategies to address the issue.
The students spoke out against factory farming at monthly
legislative forums in Iowa City where all of Johnson County’s
state legislators meet with citizens to talk about activities
at the capitol and listen to residents’ concerns.
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“That is such a neat way for kids to get their voices
heard,” Meggitt said.
They wrote letters to newspapers, magazines, and politicians.
They even had Iowa Senator Joe Bolkcom’s ear one afternoon
in January. Bolkcom visited the class to hear what they were
learning and offer advice.
Bolkcom, who has encountered Meggitt’s students in previous
years, said it’s a joy to see the way she inspires them
to be active citizens.
“She does an absolutely terrific job of engaging students
in the political process and getting them up to speed on issues
they care about,” he said. “She provides her students
a great service by helping them understand the process and
how problems are solved.”
Meggitt says it’s easy because kids care about what’s
fair. “They love to learn about issues affecting humanity,
and then use their citizen power to effect change,”
she said. “When they learn in the context of something
meaningful to them, they are more inspired to apply themselves
and make academic stretches.” –by Heather
Spangler
“No one has
yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness
and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The
effort of every true educator should be to unlock
that treasure.”
Emma Goldman
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