Talking About the Flint Water Crisis in Your Michigan Classroom

*Heads up! This isn't my usual Beautiful Static-y post. It's teacher-y.

I'm feeling rage about the Flint Water Crisis right now and I already know if I was still a classroom teacher, I'd be all over Google trying to find a way to make sure my students were knowledgeable on the subject.

Because I am no longer in classroom, I'm going to use the time I have this evening to create a teaching resource for those of you are using this time to grade papers, lesson plan, breathe, etc. Sorry Season Six of Parenthood on Netflix, you don't get my tears tonight. I'm writing this more quickly than usual to get it to any of my friends who would like to use it-- apologies for not teaching it first before throwing it out there. If you use it, please let me know how it goes! Feel free to change it up... you won't hurt my feelings. I suppose you can use this in classrooms outside of Michigan too!

This is a problem posing lesson. It is meant for you to start a discussion with students on this important topic in one-two class periods. Ideally, it will result in action, which looks different to every teacher. For me, it's some kind of service learning project or letter writing campaign, for others it might be a media piece, or further research. 

Grade Level: Middle and High School

Time Frame: 60-90 minutes

1. Water and You: Introduce the Lesson
Activity One:

• In groups, ask students to list every way they use water each day where the water comes into contact with their bodies. One student can record in the group.
• Tell the students they are all part of a family and today, the family has to decide how they want to use the water because they do not have unlimited water. They can only choose two ways. Give groups time to circle the two choices from their original list. 
• Give groups time to share out on their choices and why they chose them. 

Activity Two: Ask students to stand up, sit down if the following is true for them.

• I know I can take a shower or bath every day in clean water.
• The water at my house has never made me sick.
• I can drink the water from my faucet.
• Elderly people, small children, and people with compromised immune systems can drink the water from my faucet.
• My siblings and I don't have to get our blood tested after ingesting the water from my faucet.

2. How Did Flint Get Here? 
Activity One:

• Students will put the pieces of a timeline based on this MLive slide show--How the Flint Water Crisis Emerged-- into chronological order. It details the account of how our state got to where we are today from 2014-2015. Click here for an easier way to print cards of the timeline. 
• These cards can be sorted as a full class, with each student receiving a card and then reading them off when they are in order. You can also make several sets of the cards and the sorting can be done in groups. 

Discuss (as a class or in groups):

• What are some of the key points that stuck out to you from this timeline?
• How did you feel about some of the situations on the timeline?
• What do these issues mean for Flint? Our State?
• What actions or ideas has this issue triggered for you? 

3. Now What?
The timeline only goes up to October 15th. If technology is available, conduct a Google search with students about what is happening now. If cell phones can be used in the classroom, ask students to conduct a Google search on the topic (individually or in pairs) and report out on what is catching their eye from their news search. If technology isn't available, print a variety of articles for students to explore. There are SO MANY right now. Have students report out on what is catching their eye from the articles.

4. Take Action
I'm going to leave this one in your wise and knowledgeable hands, teacher friend. As I said at the beginning of this post, I always go the service learning or PBL route, which can take too much time if you've got a curriculum you've got to stick to. Here is a planning template I've always liked. Maybe taking action isn't appropriate for you at this time and you just wanted your students to know about what's happening. It's coo. Let me know if you do something bigger.

My Christmas List

I'm at a point in my life where when I want something, I find a way to buy it for myself. It might take a minute, but I'll get it. When I have to put a list of gift ideas together for my loved ones, I include items like this amazing shirt. In real life, I won't buy myself a $25 t-shirt. However, if someone were to buy it for me? I'd wear it all the time.

I'm one of those those people--I don't like giving or getting gift cards, even though they're easy to buy and can be very useful. I always want my gifts to mean something and I want someone who gets a gift from me to know that I know them. I know, it's annoying.

This year, my list has a few frivolous t-shirts and other items on it-- and I would be tickled to receive any of them-- but I also added some of my favorite organizations in Kalamazoo so people can make a donation for me. I've never been the type to ask for donations for a gift. I don't know what happened to me this year, but I can't really think of anything else I want besides things are cost insane amounts of money. I can't really ask people to donate to the Human Fund, ya dig?

These places are doing so much for our community and are mostly run on donations and volunteer power. That's pretty badass. Here they are, in case you're looking to do the same and need some ideas:

1. Clean Water for the World because I love the work they do.

2. RAWK: Read and Write Kalamazoo because I'm still an English teacher nerd at heart and RAWK helps create new reading and writing nerds.

3. Peace House because I love the East Side of Kalamazoo and so do they.

4. KGLRC: Kalamazoo Gay Lesbian Resource Center because I've worked with hundreds of youth in the community over the last decade and many of them have received amazing resources from the KGLRC.

5. Animal Rescue Project because of our fur babies.

6. Educating for Freedom in Schools because I love their approach to curriculum and schooling. 

Flaunt Your Cause: Clean Water for the World

I am extremely excited about the "Flaunt Your Cause" link-up from Lindsay and Emmy:

I've been wanting to write about Clean Water for the World again for quite awhile and this is a perfect excuse. I mentioned this lovely organization in my "I Left My Heart in Dakar" post, but I'd like to devote a little more time to talking about something that is very near and dear to my heart. By near, I mean they are a local non-profit organization doing amazing things globally. By dear, I mean they are some of my favorite people in the world. Here's their organization and my story.

If you are reading this blog post then you probably have regular access to clean water. You brush your teeth with it and drink it out of the faucet (the only reason you might not is because you don't like the taste of it). You bathe or shower in it without worrying about getting sick, where the water is coming from, or what would happen if you used too much of it.

Did you know that a child dies from a water borne illness every 15 seconds?

My interest in access to clean water for everyone came from my research trip to Senegal in 2010. While there, I met a man from an international non-governmental organization in the United States who had been contracted to clean up the hazardous waste in a village's only water source. The village had lost fifteen children because of a battery acid contamination in the water. There was no place to dipose of chemical waste and the acid had leaked into the groundwater. The way this man spoke about the people in the village angered me. He talked about how the people didn't care about their own people, how they "just didn't know" how to clean up after themselves, and other ideas that reflected the attitude many Westerners have towards African-- and other developing-- countries that are still trying to move towards progress after colonialization.

A well in L'ecole des Sables (Toubab Dialaw)

Just one of many trips to get water from the well. 

When I got home I wanted to find a way to combat attitudes like the man's while still trying to make a change in the world. That's when I met Jerry, Judy, and Paul. You can read about them and other members of the Board of Directors here. These people are the most open-minded, caring, and giving individuals that I've ever met. They don't assume that people in communitites with little or no access to water, dirty water, or other issues with water are ignorant or stupid. They (and other Clean Water for the World delegations) don't storm into cities and villages telling them how to make things better. They work with communities and it's a beautiful thing.

We installed one system at the school.

My experience with Clean Water for the World started with a student trip last summer. We installed a system in a school and community center in Pikine, a suburb of Dakar. You can read the details about the installation here. Here are some installation highlights:

Waiting for the water to come from the source.

Turning on the system after we finally got it hooked up!

Fatima drinking the water. I had some as well and had no issues!

When we got home, I decided I was a Clean Water for the World lifer. Because they do not allow groups to buy the systems (it is all donated to places and sustained for life) Clean Water for the World raises money with The Walk for Water. As the co-advisor of a Peace Jam group at my school, we thought it would be perfect for our students to participate. Paul came in and presented talked about the systems and my students were hooked. You can tell when people are passionate about what they do and it's contagious.

Getting ready to walk 3 miles AKA the distance many women and children in countries without easy access to clean water must walk more than once a day. 

I will always do whatever I can to support Clean Water for the World. I encourage you to check them out and to please message or comment with any questions or for more information. If you're in Michigan next spring maybe I'll see you at the Walk for Water. :)

Clean Water for the World

Our experience with Clean Water for the World has been amazing and it started before we left the country. The students took part in helping to build systems at Jerry and Judy Bohl's house and it gave them a sense of ownership over the whole project:

Helping out with the small pieces that make a whole

It was also a lot of fun, as you can see from our pool picture. I haven't met generous and kind people like the Bohl's in a long time. 

I don't know about you, but I don't really think about water very much when I'm at home. Sure, I try not to run the faucet while I brush my teeth or wash the dishes, but I don't really think about the water that comes out of that faucet. When I'm in Senegal, I have to think about water. I have to spend at least five dollars a day buying water that is safe to consume. I can't brush my teeth with it or open my mouth in the shower for fear that I'll be on the toilet for a few days. While I could drink a little bit of water each day and eventually "get used to it," many people here are missing teeth, have discolored teeth and gums, and are suffering from ailments or taking longer to heal from sicknesses because of the water. When we first got to Pikine, kids were always running up to me and they weren't asking for money. They were asking for a sip of my water. 

On the second day of the trip, the whole group took an excursion to Toubab Dialaw, which was beautiful, but also reminded me of a big part of why we travelled to Senegal in the first place. While we didn't install any purification systems in Toubab Dialaw, the excursion helped the students see the importance of clean water with their own eyes. I'll let the pictures explain:

Many people in Toubab Dialaw go to this well, which is right next to the ocean to get their water every day. 

I digress. Let's get back to the actual installation of the systems. The installation of the water purification system turned out to be a lot more complicated than any us thought. Because Pikine is such a buzzing little metropolis, both organizations (Mame Yelli Badiane and Africulturban) were worried about the safety of the systems. These systems are invaluable, so it is understandable that theft is a concern. The second concern from many of the adults was that some of the students would take the systems apart and mess with the pieces. Apparently, the school once had a working well, but some students filled it with rocks and trash and now... no well. It seems as though it would be natural for people to protect the system, however, it isn't. I still don't understand the disconnect, especially because whenever I've had a bottle of water on the school grounds, people want to drink it. This is where the language barrier has been a problem. If I was fluent I could just ask.

Paul, another gracious and amazing individual from Clean Water for the World told us that it could take one hour to install a system or twelve hours... it all depends on the situation. Whew, he was right. I'm going to address each installation separately because each one had its own special circumstances. Most of the following information is from my own observations and those of Patrick and Marlon, who are the group leaders who put in HOURS to get this project done. They rock. 

Africulturban

One of the biggest issues with the system installation at the community center was getting started. We did a lot of waiting. In Senegal there is a process for doing anything. As Americans coming in wanting to build lasting relationships, we didn't want to barge in and just install a system without following the right (unwritten) procedures. So we had to wait and talk to the right people. Also, as I stated before, a big road block was fear of theft. At first, we thought that the system would be sitting on a table every day and then taken in at night. Then, it was decided that we would mount the system and keep a cage around it. 

The next road block was waiting for the plumber and electrician, who were giving their own time to this project. We waited for a long time, but once everyone arrived, they were very participatory. To be honest, the students themselves couldn't install the system from start to finish like we wanted them to because they (and me) don't have any kind of understanding of the way plumbing or even using tools works here. For example, to mount the system, the plumber marked the holes, took a flathead screwdriver and hammer, and made the hole. The hole was too big, so he jammed it with sticks and they were able to screw it into the wall. None of us knew how to do that!

The plumber did everything he could to involve the students who were working with him. He was extremely helpful and is really interested in how these systems are built. After the plumber was done, the electrician came in and everything was hooked up. Another roadblock. Lack of electricity has been a HUGE problem over the last few months. It was decided that a switch had to be added to the wall to control the power flow to the outlet where the system was plugged in. They were worried that if there wasn't a switch, the abrupt surge of power that would occur when the electricity comes on would blow the whole system.

But finally, after 12ish hours of waiting/talking/troubleshooting/deliberating and 1.5 hours of installation, the system was in. As you can see from the collage below, we had a closing celebration last night. I wish I had more pictures of the installation, but I was at Mame Yelli Badiane helping out the the installation there while a few students were at Africulturban. :(

The system will be open for everyone in the community from 8am-8pm every day. The guys at the community center had ear to ear grins about all of it. They spend so much money on buying bags and bottles of water every month and they are really passionate about making the system last. I'm excited to hear the updates over the next year and to see how everything is going at Africulturban next summer.

Mame Yelli Badiane

Installing the system at the school was a little more complicated. At first, we talked to the headmaster and decided to hook the system up to the water pump outside. However, as we have learned, things are never as simple as we want them to be. The headmaster and the teachers were worried about security. They wanted the system installed inside of the school with a spigot outside for the community. That's where the fun started. Thankfully, as I have no knowledge whatsoever of plumbing or anything technical, I was not able to participate in the "fun," but was able to watch our group leaders Patrick and Marlon hard at work. :)

Mounting the box was easy and was done in the same fashion as Africulturban. However, when it opened the box, the plastic piece protecting the electrical was broken. Jasmine helped remedy the issue by finding another piece of plastic, washing it, and getting it attached:

Then it was time to figure out the flow. All of the plumbing was inside of the brick wall (why? I don't know), so the guys had to chisel the wall out to get to the pipes:

COMPLICATED!

There was was miscommunication on the spigot and where to put it. Then, everyone was proposing ideas on which materials to use. Americans wanted to use all of the same type of material (all copper, all galvanized steel, all PVC, etc) while the Senegalese wanted to make the system work and use whatever pieces we could find. I don't know why it was important for all of the pieces to be the same material either, but Marlon talked to everyone about not just making it work, but also making it LAST. There was about 1.5 hours of back and forth for everyone to understand each other and be on the same page. Even with Marlon translating, there are terms specific to plumbing and electrical that don't translate. Perhaps next year, we need to purchase Rosetta Stone for ourselves and take plumbing and electrical courses? Haha. The men were at the Senegalese version of Home Depot (which is about the size of Home Depot's bathroom) for almost 3 hours trying to get all of the pieces.

After 8 hours total, lots of sweat, and LOTS of conversation, the system was in!

Turning the system on at the school was one of my favorite moments on this trip. It was like a big party, but instead of toasting with champagne, we toasted with water. This system will be open every day early in the morning before school starts, closed during school hours, and open again every evening for everyone in the community.

In Michigan, I told Paul that I was really nervous about drinking from the tap, but since then, I've had water from both systems and I've got a clean bill of health. The students do too. What a great feeling.

Thank you, Clean Water for the World, for this collaboration and for making these systems available for people all over the world. You've got my support for life.

Peace and love,

Jen