Information about the Atlanta Speech School is online at www.atlantaspeechschool.org; 404-233-5332.
The unusual morning begins with third graders at the Atlanta Speech School hiking to a water line to fill gallon jugs. They tote them back to their classrooms, where the whiteboards and electronic gadgets are covered or put away, where books are scarce, and paper and pencils have to be shared.
It’s all very adventurous - until students start carrying those water jugs on a one-mile route back to the school.
“That’s when it sinks in that it’s really hard to carry a gallon of water,” said Jane Wilkinson, a third-grade teacher at the school for seven years. “They may start off thinking it’s going to be a fun day, but as it goes on, they think about little things they take for granted.”
By lunch time, students have a keener insight into what life is like for children in less privileged parts of the world. The “In Their Shoes Day” event teaches lessons in a way that textbooks, photos and videos cannot.
The annual program is the brainchild of Wilkinson and fellow teacher Shelly Corgel, who has taught third grade at the school for 25 years. The two were inspired by their own church mission and teacher trips to countries where going to school requires determination.
“We want them to appreciate how life is different for others around the world,” said Wilkinson. “This helps them see how all these chores - like carrying water - make lives harder.”
Along with chores, students are challenged to handle problems of severely-limited paper supplies and how to repair a broken pencil without a sharpener. At the same time, they’re uncomfortable, having been asked to wear clothes that don’t quite fit to recreate the concept of only having access to donated goods, and sitting on hard benches instead of desks in rooms without electricity. Students also face food issues: Instead of a snack, the mid-morning treat is porridge, dished up in a bowl that needs to be cleaned with water hauled into the room that morning. It gets messy.
“We make them strain the water through cheesecloth like it’s being purified,” explained Corgel. “If it spills, there’s nothing to clean it up with. If they use their clothes, then they’re wet. By noon, not only are they starving, they’re exhausted.”
The challenge ends at lunch, when the four third-grade classes convene to discuss what they’ve learned.
“Even though the day’s hard, it definitely has an impact on them,” said Wilkinson. “Even reading a book or seeing a video, they have no idea how hard other children’s lives are. It is challenging, but experiencing it themselves gives them a perspective on a different level.”
The teachers were inspired to create the Walk In Their Shoes challenge five years ago as a way to expand what their classes were already doing: donating money to buy animals for needy communities through the Heifer Project International. They tied the day into the school’s Heifer’s Read to Feed program that has youngsters raising pledge money for reading, a significant challenge for students dealing with dyslexia and learning disabilities.
“Our school-wide program requires that children read at least 80 minutes a week outside of school,” said Corgel. “For this, they get pledges for extra reading from family and friends. We’ve raised from $800 to $3,000, depending on how strongly they go after it. We’ve bought a heifer, water buffalo, sheep, pigs and geese.”
Despite the challenges, the day is now eagerly awaited by the students, said Wilkinson.
“They may know about it from older students who look on it fondly,” she said. “They really anticipate it. Even though the day is hard, it definitely has an impact on them.”
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