So, a few years ago, I had this great idea to get kids together in a sort of collaboration at the Field Museum. I wanted kids from many different socio-economic backgrounds and neighborhoods to gather at the Marae at the museum and discuss issues that bother them in society, and what they can do to change things.
The Marae is the entrance to a traditional Maori meeting house (from New Zealand). This meeting house is curated by an amazingly passionate scientist who is fierce in his love for the meaning behind the house and its people, both in New Zealand and here. His name is John Terrell, and he is one of the friendliest and most inspiring people I've had the pleasure to meet. If you get the chance to visit the museum and see Ruatepupuke II (the meeting house's name), please keep an eye out for John and his associates.
So in 2009 I wrote a grant to try and support this idea. It didn't get selected... but no matter... I still think it'd be a tremendous idea, and a great way to get kids talking about themselves, and appreciating what they have around them. The idea came to me that I should share this writing and this idea on this blog- so that maybe someday another Chicago educator (or myself many moons from now), can use this concept to inform their students. So- at the bottom of this post, I've included my grant writing and sources. I'd change a few things, but it's a good idea overall.
I'd like to have the students help me create a similar opening for our classroom. I would have them reflect on things that matter to them and to our culture in the school and community. We would create "carvings," that would be posted on painted cardboard (so it'd look like carvings). I believe this could be an exercise, in the spirit of the Marae- that could bring together our students and help them, "buy in" to the classroom spirit. If we build our own Marae at the entrance to the room, and the students understand that this is a place were we share ideas, are safe, welcome, and become one people - - I think it will help them to feel that our classroom is a, "sacred" space.
I found the perfect molded cardboard tubing in the alley today- someone's packing trash has become my inspiration. I plan to prime the cardboard and paint it, and the students can add cardboard details to make it complete. We can either decoupage or paper mache it together, and then, when we hold our class meetings, we can use some of the key words and ideas from the Maori people. I hope that this tribute will serve to connect my students, and to envelope them in the excitement I feel for the Marae.
If possible, I'll be bringing the Maori to Madison!
“This I believe . . .
ReplyDeleteTe Marae is not just a place where people meet
It is also a place where the past and the present meet
It is a turangawaewae—the place where people may stand, speak and be heard, knowing that they will be received with respect and open-mindedness even by those who may disagree with what they hear.
It is a place where we may encounter one another, explore our differences, and discover our commonalities
It is a place of belonging.”
-Vision Statement of the Chicago Marae - Ruatepupuke II –
- Chicago Field Museum Pacific Anthropology Department, April 2007
Section I: Identify the Problem or Need
ReplyDeleteLike on the Marae of the Maori tribe from New Zealand, our classroom meeting ground is a sacred place- a place of value, where all children can have their ideas and opinions heard.
As a second grade teacher at Passages Charter School, I focus my attention on the needs of a mostly immigrant and refugee population from around the world. Last year my students hailed from Peru, Nigeria, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Bosnia, Vietnam, and across the United States. My students this year will be much the same in their diverse backgrounds, traditions and cultures. Our students must feel welcome, appreciated, and valid both in their past experiences and present knowledge.
Like my students, the Maori people are immigrants who have begun traditions in their new homeland, New Zealand- one of which is the Marae meeting ground, a place where two communities meet and become one- “the people of the land.” Ownership over our classroom community and culture are important parts of our civic education at Passages Charter School.
Although the classroom is a welcoming place, students come each year with pre-conceived notions about their classmates and their shared history together. I have found that it is necessary to establish a bond within our classroom by sharing ideas and stories without judgment. Sometimes morning meeting is not enough to get these students through the difficult questions and situations that arise from the great diversity of cultures and ability levels present in one room. We need a neutral meeting ground- a place where all are heard and appreciated.
Section II: Explanation of the Project and Desired Outcomes
ReplyDeleteThe Marae is traditionally a place where strangers meet. These strangers are considered to be “different but equal.” The Marae at the Field Museum offers an amazing opportunity to Chicago public school students to meet with other students from both urban and suburban schools to discuss similarities and differences in their schooling, their lives, and their immigrant pasts.
This summer I have had the pleasure of working with anthropologists from the Field Museum who have intimate knowledge of the Marae and its intended uses. After working closely with these scientists and fellow Chicago school teachers, I have been offered the opportunity to bring my class to the Chicago Marae - Ruatepupuke II, which is located at the Field Museum. Our goal is to use the Marae to bring people together. We have developed a plan to meet and allow students to interact to take on the roles that were previously held by Maori warriors, chieftains, and citizens.
There is the potential for our second grade team to collaborate with teachers and students from Willard School in Evanston, as well as from the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools in Hyde Park. Prior to the trip, students will share their personal immigration stories in the separate classrooms, communicate through letters and pictures, and share ideas for discussions. Students will also learn Maori words of welcome and proper etiquette and use of the Marae. The Marae experiences will take place in two separate quarters, allowing time for reflection and additional learning between visits.
Along with tying this study into our Core Knowledge immigration curriculum, students will work on character education through key Maori concepts such as Aroha: compassion, tenderness, sustaining love, Ihi: power, authority, essential force and Mana: authority, power; secondary meaning: reputation, influence (cited from New Zealand History Online- appendix A).
It is my hope that through learning about the Maori people, their traditions, values, and ideals, students will be able to relate to their own culture and diverse classroom in a more personal way. Through study of the Maori, our students would experience gatherings and discussions as a “family” with a shared language and traditions. For many of our students who are recent transplants to the United States, this may be their first real opportunity to be a part of a safe community.
I believe that our classroom will become one through this experience. We will return to Passages after inquiry experiences that will set the tone for our learning discoveries throughout the year.
I leave you now with a traditional Maori proverb from New Zealand:
“Hutia te rito o te harakeke Kei hea te komako e ko Ki mai ki
ahau He aha te mea nui o te ao Maku e ki atu
He tangata He tangata He tangata.
If the center shoot of the flax is pulled out, where will the bellbird sing? If you were to ask me what is the most important thing in the world, I would reply: It is people, it is people, it is people.”
- Chicago Field Museum Pacific Anthropology Department, April 2007
Section III: Learning Outcomes and Assessment
ReplyDeleteStudents will be able to relate the Maori use of the Marae to gatherings in their own experiences and heritage. The class will construct a double bubble map to show differences and similarities in our experiences and that of the Maori tribes.
Students will work in teams of four to create short oral presentations that include posters and a video component. These presentations must show evidence that the group can:
* Describe how a Marae reflects Maori culture and heritage.
* Explain what happens on a Maori Marae.
* Reflect on the ideas shared on the Marae.
* Describe both verbal and visual features of the Marae.
* Collect and record information by taking both physical and video notes during the Marae visit.
* Complete a group oral presentation for their classmates.
(for similar examples, see “Marae and Meeting House” in citations)
Students will then write personal narratives describing their experiences at the Marae and how it relates to their own lives both in the classroom and at home.
Students will be graded using a rubric created by the class, using the learning outcomes listed above. Students will receive two grades, one for group participation and another for individual work. The percentage breakdown will be as follows: group presentation 60%, personal narrative 30%, participation and behavior 10%.
It wouldn't let me include this stuff. If you want references and whatnot- email me!
ReplyDelete