St. Aloysius Infant School

We visited St. Aloysius Infant School to learn more about a diverse community and how students of different religions and backgrounds come together and learn. The school is a state-funded, Catholic school that teaches the Christian religion as well as several other religious traditions (such as Islam). We interviewed students and teachers to understand how a student’s life in Camden might be similar to or different than the lives of our students in rural North Carolina.

http://www.staloysiusinf.camden.sch.uk/

Questions

1. Watch the video on the school home page. What stands out or seems unique to you about this school?
2. St. Aloysius is a Catholic school, but the school has a significant number of students who represent faiths other than Catholicism. The school aims, according to its website, “To encourage respect for others, together with an understanding and tolerance of other faiths and cultures.” As a teacher, what advantages or disadvantages would you find in teaching children about a faith that is not their own?

Watford Grammar School for Girls

We visited Watford Grammar School for Girls in order to attend Show Racism the Red Card teaching. This teaching focused on tolerance, sensitivity to other students with diverse backgrounds, and helping students become productive and informed members of their community. The school is an all-girls school and the curriculum focus is on music as well as the core areas of study.

http://www.watfordgrammarschoolforgirls.org.uk/

Questions

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of attending an all girls or all boys school?
2. We visited Watford because an organization called Show Racism the Red Card was providing educational seminars for students regarding race and tolerance. Do you think schools should help students learn to combat racism and intolerance? Why or why not?
3. The topic of racism often comes up in relationship to sports. This email from Bruce Levenson has been labeled racist. Read the email, and discuss whether or not you believe Levenson’s words reflect racism or intolerance.

The Museum of Diversity and Tolerance

The image was taken near the museum location at the Spitalfields Market.

19 Princelet St. is a museum of the history of the different people who have inhabited London at different times.

http://www.19princeletstreet.org.uk/

Questions

1. The original house at 19 Princelet St. was built by French refugees, Huguenots, in 1719. Protestant French fled persecution from French Catholics to places like England and America. How bad would persecution have to be in order to force you and your family to move to another country?
2. Irish moved into the house next. They moved to London to escape the potato famine. In Ireland, Protestant landholders took advantage of poor Irish Catholic farmers through a practice called rack-renting. Why do we humans tend to categorize people in classes?
3. Finally, Jewish settlers from Russia arrived in the house in the late 1800s. They were escaping conditions not unlike the previous Irish inhabitants of the house. They erected a synagogue, a place of worship, at the house. In what ways does faith help marginalized people deal with their situation?

The Petersfield School

The Petersfield School is a secondary school with a focus on drama and the arts. It is situated in a rural area, not unlike rural North Carolina in many ways.

http://www.petersfieldschool.com/

Questions

1. Explore the school website. Compare and contrast your school with the Petersfield School. In what ways do you feel that living in rural England would be similar or different than living in rural North Carolina?
2. Students at Petersfield School wear uniforms. Girls’ uniforms consist of a blazer with tie and either trousers or a skirt. Boys’ uniforms are very similar. What are the advantages and disadvantages of wearing uniforms?
3. Petersfield is location in an area called Hampshire South Downs. Read about the South Downs using this website, and then compare and contrast it with Davie County. What similarities or differences do you notice?

The London Eye

The London Eye is a local attraction, a giant wheel that rotates passengers every 30 minutes to a vantage point at which they can see the city of London in every direction for about 40 kilometers.

http://www.londoneye.com/AboutUs/History/

Questions

1. The London Eye was originally called the Millennium Wheel. It’s shape is a metaphor for the change that happens over time. What are some of the reasons our views or opinions of others change as time passes?
2. Each capsule carries passengers to a height at which they can see the city of London from a point of view that is very different from the busy streets of the city. Why do you think a better vantage point or a different perspective can help give us clarity in decision-making or understanding?