Walking in others' shoes

What would bring Louis Braille, Amelia Earhart, Chief Sitting Bull, Barack and Michelle Obama, Emmeline Pankhurst, St Martin de Porres, and Alex Consani all together at the same time? The answer is SIS 8th graders. These figures, historical and contemporary, were among the subjects selected to be part of their Living Museum.

The Living Museum project is designed to encourage students to not only research facts, but to interpret what they discover with empathy and emotional understanding. Their brief is to select an individual or a group of people subject to discrimination and explore how that impacted them, and perhaps reveal a different aspect of what we know about them. For example, we all know of Louis Braille's tactile reading and writing system, but how many of us stop to consider what his own experience was as a child blinded in an accident at three years of age? We know of the acclaim now accorded Amelia Earhart, but what of the gender discrimination she had to endure to develop her proficiency as a pilot in the first place?

The students presented what they have discovered about their subject, representing them to their peers and parents who visited the exhibition. Many students role-play the figure they have selected, and have fun doing so. But that fun element does not detract from the fact that creating the Living Museum invites our students to 'Walk in others' shoes', to examine the experience behind the fame and reputation and really consider the courage, dedication, persistence, and creativity that led to their achievements. 

If you weren't able to visit the exhibition you missed a great learning opportunity, so you will have to do the same as our eager 8th graders and get researching!