"Every Voice Counts" TEACH OUT Summary: Christine Sleeter Ethnic Studies

 My first summary was inspired by Christine Sleeter's, The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies. I will be presenting a mindfulness experience to 5th graders to address topics of injustice, along with the importance of ethnic/cultural awareness and appreciation. I decided to create a short poem to both engage my students, but teach them in an effective, fun, and memorable manner. I created the poem to share with my students and colleagues in the form of a bookmark that they can use as a reminder that their stories and voices matter in society today. It is their keepsake of justice and equality to use whenever they read or write.                                                                                                                                                                       

"Every Voice Counts"  by Nurse Schae                                                           

In every room, in every class,                                                
Some voices echo while some get passed.
But what if learning told it all
The rise, the fall, the pain, the call?

 Ethnic Studies lights the way,
To hear the truths we hide each day.
It shows the hurt, the strength, the pride,
Of those who’ve long been pushed aside.

“Ethnic studies helps us understand,
Why justice slips through many hands.”
It teaches us to see what’s fair
To open hearts and deeply care.

 Mirrors show us who we are
Our roots, our names, our every scar.
Do you see you in books you read?
Do your lessons plant your seed?

 Windows open up our eyes
To stories new, to truth that flies.
Name a time you looked right through,
And learned a world outside of you?

Have you had a time or two,
Where no one saw the true, real you?
Where silence wrapped you up so tight,
You questioned if your truth was right?

That’s why this truth it is so grand
To help each voice take up its stand.
No more hiding. No more shame.
Everyone should know YOUR name.

So speak your story, loud and clear.
Tell us what you wish was here:
A face like yours in every book?
A teacher who gave your thoughts a look?
A flag, a food, a dance, a song,
That says: “You’ve mattered all along.”

Now take a breath, and say this proud
Say it strong, say it loud:

“My voice, it matters.

My story  is strong.

I deserve to be seen and to belong.”

School should be a place of light,
Where every wrong turns into right.
Where what you live and feel and see,
Becomes part of our history.
So take a step, be brave, be true
The world is brighter because of YOU.