My second graders are learning about children all around the world. We’re using materials based on the UNICEF work from the Conventions on the Rights of the Child. Right now, we’re learning about at what every kid has a right to, including the right to be healthy, to play, to have an identity, to food, water, and shelter. We’re learning that some kids have those things. And some kids don’t.
We were reading about one right in particular: Every child has the right to learn.
We read about illiteracy and the lack of opportunities for schooling, especially focused on gaps between genders or economic status. And then I asked my students: does being illiterate mean you’re not smart?
Sidebar: < clears throat, steps onto soapbox > If we want kids labeled “smart” to function in this world, it is absolutely critical for them to have conversations about what exactly “smart” means and doesn’t mean. <Steps off soapbox>
It sparked some good conversation, which culminated in this thinking:
I think they might be on to something.
Soapbox: The Way I see Things 
You can be smart and knowledgeable at things without reading! Example, can I build a house? No. I would not be the person to go to for that. Can I read a book? Yes. Can I write a grant proposal? Yes.
What about those children elsewhere? What are they good at? Can they hear? Can they listen? Can they watch movies? Gets into a whole other conversation about abilities and accessibility and disability inclusion, but I’d love to be a fly on the wall for these conversations. Reading isn’t the only source of knowledge (albeit a huge one), and I love this conversation!
Exactly! I want my students of any age to fully understand that intelligence looks like a LOT of different things – and their version is just one. Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences is just the tip of the iceberg – as you mention the range of physical and neurodiversity, there are countless forms of brilliance.
What a great prompt; and so amazing you are doing this with second graders. They clearly have a lot of ideas and thoughts to share! My mind (and sorry — I don’t mean to give advice!) goes right to read alouds you could read that spark this discussion — Aaron Slater, Illustrator comes to mind. He suffers dyslexia, yet is able to share beautiful stories. I teach Grade 7, and we talk a lot about how our experiences shape our knowledge — so this is something I would love to bring to their attention, too!
Thank you for sharing this really vulnerable teacher moment. I really enjoyed reading about it, and hope you keep us posted!
I’ll have to add Aaron Slater to my list! – does he also write about protagonists who aren’t neurotypical? I’m always interested in diverse text that’s written by someone with that lived experience.
And…thanks =) the big question for me is how they regard others in their mainstream classroom…
Shout out to second graders and all young students who are very ready to wrestle with what it means to live in the world they are learning about. I love that you’ve explored this question with them and given them a chance to reflect on something we think we know until we have to make some decisions about who is in and who is outside of our definition. Especially appreciate your sidebar soapbox. It conveys a lot about your priorities.
Thank you! And…as the product of a system where intelligence was treated as a commodity, with “haves” and “have-nots,” it’s taken a LOT of unlearning to be able to support kids as they work to understand themselves (which, I’m realizing, might be an interesting post)…
The distinctions your students make show high level thinking skills. Kudos to you for leading your students through this conversation and helping them see how one thing doesn’t mean another thing is a given.
They are AMAZING thinkers! I learn so much from them.
I’m so glad you captured their thinking on the whiteboard, and captured the whiteboard for us! What an important conversation. Today in my slice I used the word smart to convey something about kids’ thinking … and after I wrote it, and even after I published it, I am unhappy with my word choice — but your post has given me new ways to think about it …. And maybe I did mean the word smart — as in able to learn … Thanks for sharing this!
You make a very important point – which is that there is WEIGHT associated with the word “smart.” And depending on how it gets defined, expressed, and valued in ALL its forms, it’s the difference between whether the word is elitist, or simply a descriptor…
Wow, this is so interesting and wonderful that you’re engaging your students in this kind of deep analysis. Great work, Lainie!
Thanks! I love seeing them wrestle with the tough stuff =)
What a deep question that your 2nd graders wrestled with today. Thank you for sharing the photo of their thinking. I agree that they could be on to something.
I absolutely think they could! There’s so much social knowledge to build on at that age, so I’ll do anything I can to widen their horizons or shift their perspectives…
What an incredibly important conversation you had with those empathetic second graders. Wow. I might have to steal this topic and listen to my first and second graders’ thoughts. Beautifully done. 💖
I’d love to hear how it goes for you! I’m happy to share titles and resources if you’d like.
I would love that, thank you!