In 2016, Learning to Give joined the international Giving Tuesday movement with our TeachOne initiative. TeachOne is an initiative to get all of our teachers across the country to teach one lesson focused on service-learning, civic engagement, and philanthropy education in honor of Giving Tuesday. Money is not our focus, learning and educating the next generation of givers is our goal.
One of the schools that picked up the challenge to TeachOne on Giving Tuesday was in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Harrison Park School made the pledge and invited our team to attend their TeachOne activities. The main lessons included “Our Neighborhood as a Community”, where 1st graders learned about community and their role as community members; “Winter Weaving”, where 5th graders used fine art talents to create placemats for seniors or veterans; and “Time, Talent, Treasure” for middle school students to learn to focus their talents on learning to do the right thing for the right reason and “paying it forward”.
The students were engaged, participatory, and interested in each lesson. The Learning to Give team even got to help weave the placemats in the 5th grade room and work alongside the middle schools students in their Time, Talent, or Treasure activity.
"It's good to help others," said a Harrison Park Middle School student. "When we can give, we should give because it helps everyone."
Harrison Park School is unique in that many of the students are Challenge Scholars. Designed by Grand Rapids Community Foundation and Grand Rapids Public Schools in 2011, Challenge Scholars bridges the education gap by guaranteeing students with free college tuition and surrounding them with extra academic and college readiness supports beginning in 6th grade.
Students at Harrison Park School and Westwood Middle School in Grand Rapids are Challenge Scholars starting in the sixth grade and through graduation from Union High School. Students who start and graduate from Union High School receive tuition to Grand Rapids Community College through the program and are considered Challenge Scholars, too.
This philanthropic cause is one of the leading reasons behind why the teachers and administration at Harrison Park School are working to teach their students about giving. By helping others, we provide opportunities for others, and build stronger communities!
After sending out our information to thousands of teachers across the country, Learning to Give received only 126 official classroom pledges on our pledge to participate in TeachOne for Giving Tuesday. Although this number was far from our goal of 10,000, Learning to Give was thrilled to see the range of classrooms across the country taking up the initiative.
The numbers reminded us that we need not focus on magnitude or quantity, instead we are focused on quality, commitment, and community mindedness. As our purpose and mission grows, so will the number of classrooms that choose to participate in one or more of these special TeachOne days. Learning to Give also hosts TeachOne for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Earth Day, and Back to School.
Here at Learning to Give, we equip K-12 teachers with the tools they need to educate students about how to give of their time, talent, or treasure for the common good. We define this process as philanthropy education and recognize that we all have something to give to help others.
Why philanthropy education? It's simple really. Learning to Give believes in the power of giving on our minds, bodies, and souls. People who give are more connected to community, happier, and more aware of social issues in need of support.
As an organization, we want to help as many teachers as possible do just that. Our goal is to provide top-notch resources and support for teachers like those at Harrison Park School who are looking to inspire and empower students to build a culture of care and kindness in their classrooms, schools, and communities.