Take A Seat, Make a Friend
Posted by Lisa SylvestroAs part of the introduction to their Service Learning program, eighth graders watched a video called, Take a Seat, Make a Friend about the interactions and unexpected friendships made by strangers in San Francisco who were intrigued by a ball pit on the sidewalk. Following the video, the students were strategically paired with another student who they may believe they have less in common with. The task was to find a commonality that we may not know. Amazing and honest things came out in our follow up discussions. Kids shared things like, “We both dream of being on Broadway!” “We are both adopted!” “We both have a relative with cancer.” “We are both afraid of the dark.” Then, to lighten things up a bit, the pairs made up a handshake that they shared with the group. The activity was fun and the takeaway was simple, yet powerful: No matter how different two people may seem, we all have things in common and can be a friend.
This lesson is especially important because the eighth grade will be paired with students at both Giant Steps in Fairfield and Feroleto in Trumbull for Service Learning this year. The Unquowa students will assist in learning, games and projects and serve as typical peers, modeling behavior for their buddies. Each year the Unquowa students have a blast and learn a lot at both Giant Steps and Feroleto. Last year, a student exclaimed, “Wow! They really are just like us in so many ways!” We are confident that this year’s eighth grade will have just as meaningful of an experience as previous years.
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