Photo: Scene from 'Knowing' the Nicolas Cage disaster movie, where you know when and where the disaster is going to be. Unlike real life which is why we are thinking about how we would cope.
I have been working with S1's and several staff at Dunbar Grammar School on a 'rich task' about the hurricane disaster in Honduras. A 'rich task' is the new kid on the block for the Curriculum for Excellence the package of education being delivered in Scotland. It is a multi disciplinary project that focuses on one issue. The idea is each department will develop work around it, enabling it all to be pieced together as one substantial curriculum activity. 'Hang on a minute, we do that all the time' I hear you primary teachers yell. Of course you do, but the difference here is that in secondary school there is a different teacher for each subject, and as I discovered, they might normally have nothing to do with each other. This joined up thinking brought a fresh and I sensed welcome challenge for those involved. Here are some of the different things they covered as part of a project focusing on the Honduras disaster.
- Learning Spanish
- Learning about vortexes
- How to build a shelter
- How to make an emergency stove
- a charity project
- faith and disaster
Photo: The aftermath of the hurricane in Honduras divided many people's faith. Some turned against God, whereas many found faith through this devastation. Why? That is what the S1's have been thinking about.
My bit was to explore how people's faith is effected by disasters. Each week I would be given a different class and teacher. I knew many of the S1's from their primary school days so it was good to be part of their progress. It was also good to work with different staff and go beyond the RME classrooms. Here is the outline of the lesson:
- What are disasters? (Write up as many different types of disasters they can think of)
- Wouldn't it be good to know when a disaster is going to strike? (3xclips of 'Knowing' with Nicholas Cage. This film is all about a man who thinks he knows when disasters are going to strike. It raises the point that even if we did know, we probably wouldn't be able to prevent them. It also reminds us that most victims of disasters had not planned to encounter a disaster when they got out of bed that day)
- How do people cope?
- Some people turn to God. Ask why? (Answers might include hope, fear, belief he can help)
- Some people think they are being punished (Steven Dawkins interview explaining animal behaviour)
- Some people blame God...but is that fair? Discussion about why people blame God and explore other explanations about the causes of many disasters. This bit encourages them to recognise man has failed to look after himself by developing dwelling in high risks areas in pursuit of greed. They draw their own conclusions about global warming etc and its impact on the earth.
- Personal disasters (PPT). Whilst most of us won't face natural disasters, our methods of coping might be the same. Personal disasters include grief, relationship breakdowns, losing control of your own life, unemployment, etc.
- What do Christians say? A personal reflection on how faith helps people. It does not exclude them from difficult things in life, but it can be a help.
- Personal reflection. Write down a personal disaster that has or could happen to them, and describe how their faith was affected, e.g. did they pray, were they angry with God.
That was the lesson part and it led to some very meaningful discussions. There was a genuine sense of discovery for some pupils as they explored the subject. Clearly many of them were angry and bitter with God. It is important to allow them space for that anger and to reassure them they are allowed to be. Others were surprisingly more open and dependent on God, despite not openly practising any religion/faith, they had a good grasp of what it meant to have faith in a difficult time. Either way, we had some really good discussions and it was great to see S1's becoming a bit more vocal about what they believe.
