Effective Practices for Infusing Human Rights and Peace Education Middle School and High School Level

An education provides people not only with the academic skills required, but also the social skills such as having the self confidence and belief in ones self to achieve a fulfilling and happy life. It is every child’s human right to receive such an education from early years to higher, and therefore several stages in which they must travel for this to happen.

“Is Everyone really Equal” by Ozlem Sensoy and Robin DiAngelo is an introduction to building frameworks that will help students comprehend Social Justice courses more completely. This highlights the patterns and tensions that is caused by inequality within Society. It is important to view these courses through a critical lens and not necessarily through a personal one.

The introduction to the article is set up with examples of extreme examples of social justice in education, calling them the “by products of […] an elementary school education rooted in social-justice principles” (Reynolds, 2012, p. 1). Reynolds argues that schools are increasing the “weave [of] social justice throughout the primary school curriculum” (Reynolds, 2012, p.1). The ideas of social justice in the education system to inspire children to become critical thinkers of current events.

Throughout the semester, we have discussed many different social justice issues. One issue that has stuck with me is gender and racial inequality. Gender inequality is very important to me because I was raised by a single mother and surrounded by women all the time. I do not believe that anyone should be payed or treated differently due to their gender. While growing up, I saw that women are capable for doing anything and often times have to work harder than men to prove themselves. Racial inequality is an issues that is important to me because I feel that all individuals should be equal. I think Dr. King’s idea of color blindness, not today’s definition, should be something that we as a society strive for. We need to move past the idea that

The first step to achieving my position in this discourse community included familiarizing myself with the intellect and style of writing that was required for journalists. In my freshman year of high school, I took Journalism as one of my electives. This course taught the basic knowledge that comes with journalism that includes journalistic ethics, writing, and skills. I was able to logistically prove myself to the members of the newspaper discourse community by abiding by the ethical values of journalism. I was able to know the difference between slander, a spoken defamatory statement, and libel, a written defamatory statement I was successfully able avoid it in my assignments. Similarly, I studied the Associated Press Stylebook (AP) that is a required resource to know for journalistic writing. Through this, I was able to effectively write my assignments knowing that instead of a thesis, I will have a lead that is thirty five words or less. I knew that my writing would vary depending on the type of story I was assigned. For example, a news story follows a certain quote-transition format to emphasize the sources while an editorial piece would follow a different format catering to its persuasive nature.

A student reaching the end of their public funded education thinks about the possibilities. Should they go to university, stay at home and work at a local job, learn a trade, or possibly join the Peace Corp? They contemplate the matter. They consider the advantages and disadvantages. They listen to the council of others. Then they decide and make their plan. It is now the time for action. The applications, interviews and the rest of the work must be done. When a war is waged, a law passed or anything else of importance is done, there are two steps: thought and action. Without these nothing would be done.

Human Rights are basic living rights that are inherited equally. They apply to everyone no matter what race, gender, religion or nationality you are and are entitled to these rights without being discriminated against. (www.ohchr.org ) However in Care/ education it is essential to have a human rights based approach.

Human rights - they are an ongoing issue in the world today, with the constant struggle against violation. The United Nations has accepted 30 articles on human rights, which help protect millions from political, social, and legal abuses (UDHR). Even with the insistence from the world’s leaders to follow and honor these rights, violation is common and provides a serious threat to people all over the world. One example of a violation of human rights such as equality and safety in possessions is shown through the issue of Japanese American internment camps (UDHR).

Multicultural education is a philosophical concept built on the ideals of freedom, justice, equality, equity, and human dignity as acknowledged in various documents, such as the U.S. Declaration of Independence, constitutions of South Africa and the United States, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations. It affirms our need to prepare student for their responsibilities in an interdependent world. It recognizes the role schools can play in developing the attitudes and values

Over these past few weeks, I have learned many valuable writing skills that I will be able to take with me as I enter my sophomore year of high school. I’ve learned how to be an active reader using annotating. I’ve become a critical and analytical writer that can assert a position in a controlled and presentable manner. Finally, I am able to incorporate media sources and current events into my writing using credible sources. One of the biggest personal changes I’ve experienced in this class is a broader perspective. By watching TED talks and reading ATDPI, I’ve learned about topics I would have never thought about on my own. I learned about what life is like outside the United States in the TED talks by Kim Yong Jim and Malala’s father. I also

I am trying to come up with a panel for our graduate student conference, which is on April 7th. I would like to do a panel called “Alternative Prevention Strategies for Human Rights Issues.” I would like you to sit on the panel to discuss any ideas you have for new prevention strategies. Also, I would like to reach out to Dr. Roach, and one more scholar. What do you think?

Every single human being on this planet has rights. These rights are given to us through birth, and the day I was asked, what my human rights were, I found myself speechless. I did not know how to answer the question, which at the time sounded so easy. I forgot about the question that had me so puzzled, and just brushed it off, ironically six month later I get an assignment on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. After reading this historic document, I realized how important human rights are. I believe most people take human rights for granted, we know they exist, but we don’t even know what they are

Before proceeding, I should mention that I use the phrase ‘reused of the same rhetoric’ to connote the way in which international organizations have tended to polish, build upon, and extend already existent priorities in international education programs. Therefore, when introducing new initiatives, essentially, international organizations intertwine ‘old ' and ‘new’ education programs and creating this overlap in priorities. Having this in mind, recall that under the UDHR, HRE was meant to make students aware of their international rights, and how to claim them. Thus, initially, in the 1950s HRE was a way to dissipate knowledge about human rights, however, over time, this view evolved. During the 1990s there was an increase of intra-state war due to inter-ethnic and sectarian conflicts, hence the U.N. expanded the goals of HRE to include the “promotion and achievement of stable and harmonious relations among communities and fostering mutual understanding, tolerance, and peace” (“From HR to GCE”, Monaghan and Spreen, 8). By 2010 the increase of “sectarian and religious extremism [along with the]… fear of ‘Islam’ in the ‘West’ and secularism in the Middle East” led to the emergence of the term global citizenship education in order to “facilitate and strengthen a supposedly nascent ‘global consciousness’” (Monaghan and Spreen, 13). Since the U.N. frame HRE as inherent to GCE, both of these types of education initiatives

Human rights form the crux of human civilization. Without their paramount guidelines, humanity would collapse upon itself in a corrupted heap of carnage. Despite the importance of these right that were formatted by the United Nations, not every man or woman abides by them around the world. There are terrorist organizations that treat humans less than dirt, sex-traffickers that exploit young, defenseless children, and slavery that still occurs in the twenty-first century. Fighting the threat of inhumanity is a tough battle because countless individuals are brought up believing that it 's their way or the highway. Understanding how to cope with others by treating them like your fellow citizen is the most quintessential task everyone on earth should abide by.

Education should promote friendship, understanding and tolerance among all nations, religious or racial groups, and the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. It should be intended for the improvement of the human personality. It should be directed to the strengthening of respect for human rights and freedoms.