A SPARK can transform teacher, student and community

Lowell High School students and staff visit MIT for the SPARK Youth event and His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit in late October 2014.

By Matthew Brennan

Chade Meng-Tan, GoogleEdu’s Head of Personal Growth, explained how kindness can be spread through a community by one’s simple actions and positive thoughts.

Cambridge, MA- Secular values can be a powerful force for change in a community.  That’s what I learned by attending The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values Transformative Teachers program and the SPARK Youth event at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2014.  I teach Digital Journalism and English as a Second Language at one of the largest and most diverse schools, Lowell High School in Lowell, MA.   So, it’s a daunting thought to attempt change in such a large atmosphere.  I learned from the teacher training to begin with myself and the classroom.

I decided to begin this discussion in my Digital Journalism course, which is ripe with opportunity for talk about values and ethics.  My students and I began by looking at the values which influenced our lives and in turn our community.  By brainstorming character values at the micro-level as a class and visualizing how we are shaped by a number of common values, we gained a better perspective of the community’s shared values.  Rather than focusing on the differences portrayed through media, which can shape apathetic attitudes and at times overwhelm common sense, the character value exercises provided a more accurate picture of the shared common values which bring hope to the world.  These values don’t always sell well in the 24-hour news cycle and are often ignored by global media.

Thai-Chinese violinist, Adrian Anantawan, entertains students and faculty at the SPARK Youth event.

My students and I completed the character value group activity together compiling and comparing the values most influential in their young lives.  Students discoursed about the values which they have experienced such as honesty, compassion and responsibility among others.  I shared my values of persistence and graciousness bestowed on me by my wife, mother and father.  They also reflected upon people in their lives who had demonstrated these values.  Students exchanged stories about parents, grandparents, coaches and teachers who exemplified the values.  My students were also invited to put their values in action at the SPARK Youth event at MIT where they displayed character value flags, volunteered and listened to his Holiness the Dalai Lama speak about stewardship in the world.

Top row of flags display character values from Lowell students who volunteered at the SPARK Youth event.

With great enthusiasm the students assisted students from other schools in preparing their own character value flags and in so doing exemplified service to others.  These small banners, now displayed at MIT,  together represent a great visual reminder of globally shared character values.  As a teacher these exercises forced me to think about how to embed character values into journalism curricula and the necessity to exemplify the values myself.  Such character value exercises provide substantive opportunities for deeper understanding and application across curricula and more importantly in our daily interactions.  I needed to exemplify them too in my personal and professional life.

Comedian George Lopez entertained the students at the SPARK Youth event and discussed how one person’s values like good humor can make an impact on their community.

In class as students practice digital journalism skills there are ample moments to discuss how their common values influence the choices of journalism stakeholders.  Editors, journalists and producers face decisions of fairness every day, so why not have students contemplate these decisions at the school level.  As my students found out, the concept of fairness in media is infused with values such as responsibility, empathy, honesty and accuracy.  I shared my experience professionally and personally with these values for better or worse.

Lowell High School students prepare to help SPARK participants make their flags representing their character values at the event.

Ample moments exist to analyze such character values as represented across media.  Ample moments present themselves for reflection upon the appropriate or inappropriate use of social media and how the presence or absence of character values shape choices. And ample moments occur to consider why these values are important to the human rights of a community locally and then globally.  It can begin in the classroom as I learned from my training at The Dalai Lama Center.

By framing character values as an important focal point, a classroom community is obliged to consider how the actions or inaction of a literary character may sway a community, how the reaction or apathy toward a historical event alters the world, or how scientific decision or indecision may change life outcomes of a community.  The SPARK Youth event and the Transformative Teachers program reminds a community of learners about how the discussion begins at the micro level in our communities-family, school or neighborhood- and may move locally, nationally and globally.

Above Photos by Robert De Lossa

Why read the Communist Manifesto?

By Steven Ducheneau

With many different views in the world, people tend to be hostile towards those that don’t go with their view, even without really knowing what those views entail. In America there is a long history of this, including the cold war, the wars in South-East Asia, and the rise of Joseph McCarthy being against communism. In more modern times there is also a hatred and distrust of Islam, with many condemning it and all its followers for the actions of some, as shown in Texas when a peaceful rally to promote religious tolerance was disrupted by a group of Christian protesters claiming Texas would stand against Islam.

In both cases, ignorance of the actual ideas of the ideologies causes much of the fear. It is important to see the merit of different ideas, and the merits of your own ideas, for various reasons, such as better understanding within a society towards different groups, personal betterment, and justice for those who are of a minority ideology.

If someone in this country was asked about what they thought of communism, they would likely have a fairly negative response. But if the same person was asked about what they knew about it, they would usually be able to say ‘it’s bad and Russia was communist.’ but not much else. The idea I’m getting at is that in most of this country people are trained to hate communism and discouraged from looking into the ideology. This way of thinking about ‘foreign’ ideologies causes many to be close minded and and hostile towards those who identify with the idea.

Now how does one get out of the mindset of their ideas being the only right and all others being hostile? The best way would to be to look into works relating to a different idea, such as if you’re a capitalist look into The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx, or if you’re a communist look into the writings like Andrew Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth. The same goes for religion, Christians would read the Quran, the works of Confucius, and followers of other religions do similar.

Another important thing to note is to look into your own ideology. Many think that their beliefs are proper and true yet have a superficial understanding or not looked into them.  They adopt their ideology by following their family or the crowd, many indoctrinated when they are young or in moments of weakness.  One should be able to defend their beliefs.
Now, not all people hate things for no reason or even when they have reason. Many are more versed in the merits of differing ideologies and know what they are about and why they have traction. One such person, Megan Lopes, feels that when it’s done right it can be beneficial. She is one of many who knows more than just the fact that it exists and knows some of its parts. Although the ‘many’ are unfortunately small in number, they are growing due to things like the internet and more social acceptance of varied ideas.

So, I encourage everyone to explore ideas different from his or her own.  And people should be certain to understand their own beliefs.

Real winners kill them with kindness

By Kaitlyn Chao

I’ve been trying to figure out why some high school tennis players from an affluent community were so impolite on the court this year.  Even though they were winning, they sure didn’t act like winners.

As a member of the Lowell High School girl’s tennis team, I was surprised when we played against North Andover in May. Numerous times, North Andover lost a point and would throw their rackets on the ground even when they were already in the lead. In addition, they would be extremely rude when Lowell called the shots out, arguing otherwise. Even though North Andover had won the match, they lacked tennis etiquette and humbleness. Is this proper sportsman like behavior?

A study from the University of California at Berkeley shows that rich kids have a higher level of narcissism and are more self-absorbed than poor kids. Paul Piff, a psychologist at Berkeley says, “There’s this idea that the more you have, the less entitled and the more grateful you feel; and the less you have, the more you feel you deserve… This seems to be the opposite of noblesse oblige.” Piff’s research contradicts the common belief that the more people have, the more they appreciate the need to give back to the needy.

So maybe this is the reason for my recent experience with the unsportsmanlike conduct of the well-to-do North Andover tennis team during a Spring match. While the players clearly come from educated backgrounds, they did not demonstrate civility on the court.

Alize Cornet of France argues with the referee during the women’s singles match against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine at the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, May 31, 2015. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

To me, sportsmanship is an aspiration that one plays a sport or does an activity for the simple enjoyment of it. Sportsmanship is treating your teammates as well as your opponents with fairness and respect just as you hope to be treated yourself. Not only this, sportsmanship is the act of following the rules of a game while playing fair and being polite despite how uncivilized a game itself can be. It is respecting the judgements and calls of referees and officials. Sportsmanship is a tradition in sports that involves playing clean and handling both victory and defeat with pride and dignity. Since North Andover lacked these qualities, they lacked sportsmanship.

For some people, playing games can be easy because if they have the right skills they’ll be able to succeed. However, engaging in the right character is the hardest skill to master. With all sports and anything you do, character is always important. In life, we don’t receive our title merely through medals and accomplishments, but rather our character. It is about the quality of the person we are becoming not just the end result. Playing a sport teaches you teamwork, leadership, honesty, patience, respect, persistence–the qualities which enable you to live a complete life, be a complete person and gain the respect of your community.

Of all sports, sportsmanship is most evident in tennis. Tennis is a sport that consists of numerous rules and regulations that are critical in the sport but there are also a few that require common sense that every tennis player should know. Like a lot of sports, before and after a match, you shake your opponent’s hand as a sign of good sportsmanship. It conveys respect and equality with your opponent as a person. Before a tennis match, you shake your opponent’s hand to wish them good luck and a second time after your match to let them know that you appreciate the person’s play. Tennis is a polite and civilized sport.

On the contrary our experience with teams from affluent communities have been absent of civility.  This year one of my teammates, Paige Carey, complimented her opponent on how great  she played at the end of their match, her opponent completely ignored her without even a polite thanks in return. Peti Pheap, a junior who also plays tennis for Lowell High said, “it was my serve and one girl didn’t even hand me the ball, she dropped it and expected me to get it myself.” So why do wealthy towns like North Andover seem to have so many well-educated students who lack sportsmanship and character? According to the Berkeley research, maybe these impolite players grew up with this logic and their behavior isn’t by choice but the result of a different kind of conditioning.  Sadly, it’s simply what they are used to.

Even when North Andover won the match that day, did they really win? Maybe Lowell High did lose the match, but we won something greater than North Andover did. It’s about playing tennis for the love of the sport, not for the pleasure of constantly winning. Winning is great too, but it shouldn’t be the only reason why someone does something. It’s widely understood that there’s always room for improvement no matter what level one plays at.  Lowell High played with their hearts, tried their best and treated the opponent with dignity, and that’s what’s most important.  As Coach Carey says before playing each game, “kill them with kindness” because that’s what already makes us the better team.

Which Direction should One Direction go?

One Direction is experiencing confusion about which way to go.

By Caroline Laiber

One Direction is a British band that is made up of Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Liam Payne and Niall Horan.

They met each other on the X-Factor in 2010 and the judges formed the band.  Last Month Zayn Malik who was one of the members left the band.

He said he left the band because he wanted to be a normal 22-year-old man, but before he left the band he wasn’t in some concerts and when someone asked about it he said he was sick.

And after he left the band he started his own career but now another type of music.  When he left I felt not like he was just leaving the band but he was dead because my heart ached a lot.

One Direction fill stages with thousands of people.  I met them in one of those concert shows in Brazil and they sang my favorite song, Diana.  I hope none of them leave the group because if that happens it’s going to be the end for One Direction.