A Class with the 'Drive' to Make a Difference

by Lori Taylor, AIS West 6th Grade Math & Science Teacher

Since the first week of class I could tell that I had a class full of leaders, project-minded individuals, and task-oriented kids. Early on, I started to develop jobs within the classroom and special projects around Avon Intermediate School West so they could feel as if they were making a difference.

Little did I know, but they had the skillset to organize it all and only needed minimal adult supervision. 

I first asked if the class would lead the Fall Break Food Drive for the Mary Lee Maier Community Pantry. They set a goal to donate 20 boxes of food. They designed flyers using Canva and labeled boxes with teachers' names. They went from classroom to classroom giving their best presentation and asking each teacher if they'd like to participate. Not one teacher turned them down. They made morning announcements reminding students to bring in food, and before we knew it, we had 39 boxes. Because the students didn’t like the variation in the variety of food in each box, they took everything out and started from scratch, arranging them to all be equal. There was a duct taping crew and a loading crew. Specific "overseers" explained the process. Left up to me, we would've had a mess, but the kids have never been more on-task! Delivering the boxes of food to the pantry was amazing! We were so proud.

I knew the students were up to another challenge. Lori Taylor

I knew the students were up to another challenge. Looking ahead to the holiday season, I knew our guidance counselors usually collect names of families in need of help with Christmas presents. I sent a few of our student leaders to one of the guidance counselors and asked if she would be willing to find the families, determine their needs, and ask teachers if their individual classrooms or teams would like to "adopt" families. (We kept all names private, of course.) She agreed, and 13 teacher teams signed up. We were very happy. 

The kids came up with a second layer of giving that required approval from school administration. They decided they wanted to sell candy canes, mochis, and bracelets at lunch so they could donate the proceeds to the pantry. Before the presentation to school administrators, students practiced persuasion techniques. They researched prices for the items they wanted to sell, and they even developed charts to illustrate their net profit estimations. They got permission to proceed. 

The students figured out who would sell at which lunch and how much change they would need. They also figured out how to conduct their business without disrupting lunch. To complicate things, the sale was scheduled when I was in New York City watching my son march in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with the Avon Marching Black & Gold. It was all on them. Two of my students, Ailith Belcher and Macy Wolf, took the lead. They were essential to solving problems and making the right decisions while I was gone. They knew what I would and would not allow and when and how to get help if they needed it. While they were the project's leaders, everyone played an important role, and everyone was engaged.

I'm not quite sure I've ever seen a class with this much drive in my 32 years of teaching. Lori Taylor

When I came into my classroom the following Sunday to prepare for the week, I noticed the supply bins were empty. I thought, Surely, they didn't sell everything. When students came back to school the next morning, they told me they had sold out. I'm not kidding. They raised $500.00 in two days. Unbelievable!

They were so excited that they made a big check and presented it to Kristi Kerr, the Executive Director of the Mary Lee Maier Community Pantry. 

I am so proud of them. 

The students were inspired by the story of a student who was in my class a few years ago. He told me his mother had gone to the pantry the evening before fall break. He was so happy and relieved when she came home with two boxes of food to help them get through the break. He said that it was like Christmas. He told me he and his mom sorted all the food on the kitchen table and placed it carefully into the pantry. I think about that boy and the joy the pantry gave him and his family. It inspired me, and it has obviously inspired my students. 

I'm not quite sure I've ever seen a class with this much drive in my 32 years of teaching. They appreciate the power of being able to own what they do — especially when it's being done to help others.