Inspirational Human Rights Lessons for Students in Grades 5-10
Girls Rights/Workers Rights Lessons Available at TeachHumanRights.com
One year ago last week, Malala Yousafza was riding to school when members of the Taliban boarded her school bus and shot her in the head. Since the horrific shooting, Malala has recovered, and the world has been touched by her determination and courage to fight for the rights of girls everywhere. Malala is a true hero for our students and a symbol of why education is a basic human right.
On April 24, 2013, we were horrified to hear about the tragic factory collapse in Bangladesh where 1,129 workers were killed and 2,525 injured at Rana Plaza in Savar. Many of the dead and injured were young women. Reports indicate that days before the tragic collapse, many of these workers had complained to management that they felt unsafe. Their calls for action were ignored and they were threatened with immediate termination if they did not report to work. Since then, pressure has mounted on companies like Walmart, The Gap, Target and Macy’s, who have refused to sign the new Bangladesh Fire and Safety Building Accord. This accord is legally binding, and would hold factory owners to a much higher standard of safety for workers.
NYSUT is pleased to announce that two of our own members, Andrew Beiter from the Springville Teachers Association and Donna Bryan from the Coxsackie-Athens Teachers Association worked with the AFT this past summer to create two engaging lessons that address these current issues.
NYSUT Secretary-Treasurer Lee Cutler recommends that teachers take a serious look at both lessons as each is full of resources, links, and interactive video to make this learning a powerful and important experience. The following link will take teachers directly to both lessons.
Learn more about NYSUT's social justice initiatives and resources at www.nysut.org/socialjustice.