There are good teachers and then there are GOOD teachers. In a two-part series, GOOD Morning Wilton takes a look at a program started by a GOOD teacher, Cindy Beck-Moore, who teaches social studies at Middlebrook, on the 7-Green team. The program, called “Power of One” is a year-long unit tailored to help students see outside themselves and learn that they can actually make a difference in the world, even at the young age of 12 years old.
Today we feature Beck-Moore and the program itself. Tomorrow, we’ll focus on Patrick Cummins, a 7th grader who has come up with a way to implement the “Stop Hunger Now” campaign within the school in order to help feed hundreds of hungry people, not only in words but by getting his classmates and the wider community to be a part of his inspirational effort.
As a 7th grade social studies teacher, Cindy Beck-Moore knows that the students she works with are experiencing the typical trials and tribulations of middle school. But she’s a firm believer about the impact the “Power of One” program can have on the confidence of those middleschoolers she teaches. Beck-Moore began implementing the lesson close to eight years ago as a social studies unit on citizenship, but it has grown to be a team wide program spanning all the subject matters for the 7-Green team.
The Power of One program is based on the belief that kids–even just one kid–has the power to change the world.
“Sometimes we don’t give them enough credit that they have great ideas, and that they feel passionate about something but don’t know what to do. We want to harness that power and train our future volunteers of the world. The ‘Power of One’ came out of that,” Beck-Moore says.
Initially, it was a unit she taught to get students to examine world issues and come up with solutions. But as a team, the teachers figured out how to expand it into the other subjects like English and RWW (Reading/Writing Workshop). It eventually morphed into becoming the annual project for the students in 7-Green.
Starting at the beginning of the year, the students learn about individuals in history who have made a difference–Beck-Moore mentions Gandhi as an example.
“We use them as role models, looking at how they identify problems, then we ask them to look for role models in their own communities and lives–their parents, coaches, aunts and uncles, siblings.”
From that, the students are encouraged to choose a topic to research and then share with their classmates. The final phase is helping the students figure out how to do an action. “To do something, even if it’s making posters or writing an editorial–or in Pat’s case, creating a whole Stop Hunger Now campaign here at Middlebrook,” says Beck-Moore.
In putting together their ideas for programs, the kids fill out a real ‘grant’ application, articulating what their ideas are and asking for permission from the teachers and administrators to complete an action.
“They’re doing the same thing their parents do when helping a non-profit look for money. [Here] they’re not asking for money, but if they need to ask for an appointment to meet with [principal] Mrs. [Maria] Coleman, or reserve a room in the school for an afternoon, we’ll make sure that happens.”
The exercise includes a writing component, a research component, a planning component, they have to work as a team–the students are learning real life skills at the same time as finding ways to help others.
The program has had past success at Middlebrook. Last year, a group of students took on an environmental issue, and through their research and action, got Middlebrook to install water-bottle filling stations in the school. “They went to Mrs. Coleman, they found a grant, and now we have two of the stations because of the students–it was all their idea,” Beck-Moore says.
The Impact on Many Levels
As an educator, Beck Moore says it’s immensely gratifying to see the transformation and realization that the kids have.
“The most important thing to me is that any student who walks in my room finds the power of who they are. I know that sound corny, but I want them to know that they matter. Sometimes they have to find something outside themselves to see that,” she says.
Beck Moore adds that it’s also amazing to see the kids come together as a team, even those who haven’t been friends before. In fact, one of the best parts about the program is how the students are able to inspire one another–especially in middle school, when social pressures and the awkwardness of adolescence can be at the height. That’s because the program emphasizes ‘respect’ as a guiding principle–respect for the community, both global and local.
“We start the first day of school with this idea, and the first charge we give them is, ‘Please say hello to people you don’t know.’ They all look at us like we’re crazy. If you are not recognized as a person, you feel like you don’t exist,” Beck-Moore explains.
Along those same lines, another lesson the team teaches is that when one student drops books, everyone within reach helps to pick them up.
“I saw someone drop books yesterday, and there were four different kids who helped pick them up. The kid who dropped them was not necessarily a ‘popular kid,’ but we encourage them and model for them that behavior. Because that’s where it starts. That’s when they can start looking outside themselves,” Beck Moore says.
It’s an example of teachers who go the extra mile–beyond teaching to the Common Core Standards–and aim to teach kids how to be a responsible human being.
Beck Moore recognizes a concrete impact the program has on her students.
“I see a different level of respect than before I did this. Trust me, there’s still regular 7th grade stuff that goes on. They still get mad at each other, they still talk behind each other’s back, they still have other drama. But I still think there’s a different level of respect they have for each other. They’re finding other people to work with based on skills who aren’t necessarily their friends. They’re getting out of their comfort zone.”
