World lessons
Manchester Middle students fight human rights abuse in Darfur
By Joan Tupponce CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Benita Mountain and her fellow classmates write letters to Congress in support of aid for Darfur.

Until recently, the Darfur region of Sudan was just a mark on the world map for eighth grader Jordan Jones.

"None of us knew about Darfur until Ms. Tyler told us about it," explained the Manchester Middle School student. "Now we have learned a lot about it."

Tyler, an eighth grade English teacher at Manchester, started combining Standards of Learning (SOL) requirements - reading nonfiction, writing letters and constructing persuasive arguments - with world causes when she began teaching in 2005. Last year, her students made bracelets in class and sold them to raise funds to benefit the fight against AIDS in Africa as part of a "how-to" project. They also wrote letters to members of Congress about the AIDS epidemic, requesting their support for aid to Africa.

"The project helped increase awareness," observed Tyler. "It gave them the chance to look beyond their own boundaries. It got them engaged and took them to a higher level of thinking."

Tyler hopes to repeat those same lessons this year as students learn about the conflict in Darfur. According to the Save Darfur Coalition, the conflict - or genocide as it has been labeled - began in February 2003. Since then, at least 400,000 people have lost their lives. Around 2.5 million people have been displaced, and more than 3.5 million men, women and children are struggling to survive amid violence and starvation.

"After doing research on Sudan this past summer, I decided to do something different with my class this year," Tyler said. "I talked to people at Save Darfur and found out about a documentary the kids could go see and about a booksigning [they could attend]. They went with their families and saw how writing could impact or change the way people think."

Students have written letters to Congress and are sending videos about Darfur to television talk shows such as "Oprah" and "Ellen."

"The kids are writing poems, skits and songs that will be put together as a newscast," Tyler explained. "We are in the process of making the videos now."

Each of Tyler's three classes is making its own video. Jones has been tapped as one of the producers of the skits.

"I would like for one of the tapes to be shown on television and have a lot of people watch so we could get the message out," Jones explained.

Tyler also hopes to have her students write letters to the United Nations, she explained. "It gets them talking about world events and human rights. It has started to change some of their opinions, and it helps them gain perspective. They can see and think past America."

Jones finds the project exciting as well as educational.

"I've really enjoyed it," he said. "It's not your average class."