Katie McClymont, a grade 1 teacher at Greendale Public School in the Niagara District School Board describes how Who Is NOBODY? impacted her classroom.
Read below to see how NOBODY got on at Greendale Public School, which was detailed in a Niagara District School Board press release.
In January, the class received a very mysterious package. Students were intrigued, and eager to discover what was inside. When they opened the box, they were surprised to find a blue ‘Nobody’ doll. The doll had no gender, no age, no ethnicity, no values, it was truly a nobody.
With each positive experience it was engaged in, it slowly, throughout the course of the school year, gained a personality and transformed into a somebody that is special, just like each student— Katie McClymont, teacher
“The challenge given to this group of students was to turn Nobody into a somebody by giving it positive life experiences,” says Greendale teacher Katie McClymont. “With each positive experience it was engaged in, it slowly, throughout the course of the school year, gained a personality and transformed into a somebody that is special, just like each student.”
Each student in the class had a chance to take Nobody home for a week. During that week, students thought about a type of living thing (a person, animal or the environment) that they wanted to assist. Students then planned a type of social justice project that they could do with Nobody. “Students documented their projects and wrote about what they did, why they did it, and what they learned,” says McClymont.
Working with Nobody helped build self-esteem by having students use their interests and abilities to help other living things— Katie McClymont, teacher
Some volunteered their time by visiting seniors in long term care homes, others collected food for Community Care, or pet food for the local Humane Society. Some students assisted their neighbours with yard work, while others vowed to be silent for 24 hours and raised money through sponsorship to help build schools in third world countries.
Students learn the value of diversity and that we all have something important to contribute— Katie McClymont, teacher
“Character education is an important part of DSBN curriculum,” says McClymont. “Working with Nobody helped build self-esteem by having students use their interests and abilities to help other living things. Also, by adding items to Nobody’s physical appearance, students learn the value of diversity and that we all have something important to contribute.”
For more information about Nobody, please visit www.whoisnobody.com.
Event Details:
Date: Wednesday, June 10
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Greendale Public School, 5504 Montrose Road, Niagara Falls
This article was published in the DSBN News Release on May 28th 2009
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