The Friends School of Atlanta

Bringing forward more than 329 years of excellence in Quaker Education

The True Cost of Fast Fashion

This semester in Global Citizenship, 7th and 8th graders examined the way we make, buy, and dispose of our clothing with our unit about How a T-Shirt Gets Made.

In doing so, we saw how the rise of Fast Fashion in their lifetimes has contributed to a global system of economic production that relies on the exploited labor power from developing countries (many of whom are young women) as well as an intense and unsustainable use of fossil fuels in the fabric itself (think polyester, spandex, and elastane) as well as shipping items throughout the global supply chain.

Students grappled with how we benefit as consumers from having cheap, trendy clothing in the short term with long term consequences and the inevitable way our consumer practices clash with our stated values.

Additionally, students undertook a hands-on project – The Closet Challenge – to tally their own clothing and make conscious choices around disposing of clothing that no longer served them. Students also learned how to make simple repairs such as patching, replacing buttons, and hemming as a means of extending the life out of perfectly serviceable items in need of a little TLC.

Ultimately students came away with the uneasy idea that for now, there are no easy answers when it comes to something as basic as acquiring and disposing of clothing. What we know is that our unconscious patterns of consumption and disposal do not serve the short, medium, and long term trajectories of Mother Earth and her citizens.

In this unit of study, we observed that often people are resistant to change their practices, and even with our newly formed knowledge, we observed the barriers, some coming from within, to making choices that align with our values. In the act of raising our consciousness about clothing, we fostered the ongoing practice of questioning and reflection at the heart of Quaker education.

Written By: Alex Zinnes

Highlighted Student Reflections:

The overall closet challenge as a whole was life changing. The closet challenge completely changed the way I think of clothing. Whenever I think of clothing now, I think of plastic, fast fashion, how they're made, and how much it pollutes the environment.

Jimmy

The most meaningful part of this project to me is how so much of our clothing is made in sweatshops, and people don’t even know about it. All the big companies and brands are using these factories, and most people don't even know how buying from one of these companies makes an impact on the workers. It was also shocking realizing how much of my clothing was from fast fashion companies. What was the most surprising to me was that kids work in these dangerous factories. It's heartbreaking to think about how someone my age is working in an unsafe factory making our clothes while I am able to go to school and learn in a safe environment. It is eye opening learning about how these companies are getting away with using people from countries like Bangladesh for cheap labor and how far the factories would go to save an extra dollar.

Learning how the Goodwill operates made me want to look into alternative stores to donate clothes to. In the future I will definitely donate to different organizations. Another practice that I will carry forward is repairing clothing. Before, when I had a hole or a missing button I would not wear the item. However, now I can fix it on my own and I can get more use out of the clothes. I can also add onto or modify a piece of my clothing to something I would wear more. A behavior I hope to carry forward to buying less from fast fashion. It would be hard for me to do this because it is the easiest and cheaper option especially as a kid who doesn't have a constant source of income. I will try to only buy what I really want or need from these companies. Although, I think it will be hard.

Before this unit I had no idea what was behind a single t-shirt. Now that I do, it is very eye opening, it is special to me that I am able to learn about this in school because this topic is not talked about enough. I really enjoyed this unit because not only is it a very unique topic to learn but also it gives me a new perspective on a t-shirt.

Sahana, FSA Student

Before this assignment, a t-shirt was just a piece of colored fabric to me. Now when I see a t-shirt, I think about who made it, where it was made and wonder what the working conditions were.

Eli, FSA Student

This subject has taught me that there can be a whole story behind just one t-shirt. Now, every time I wear a t-shirt, I will always wonder about the story behind it. I will never forget about the struggling lives of the workers in Bangladesh who work hard long hours for a very little wage. There is a long journey of making just a t-shirt with many different people from around the world a part of it. I will never look at the clothes I wear the same ever again.

Zoe, FSA Student

Alumni Spotlight featuring Morgan Phillips-Spotts

Stories are at the heart of FSA, moments that we feel seen, places we’ve been, the people we’ve loved and who have influenced us. This month’s Alumni Spotlight is about just that, meet Morgan Phillips-Spotts, Class of 2001. Morgan, seen here with her brother, shared about her experiences at FSA and how that has shaped her company, Momo’s Book Club. 

Momo’s Book Club is a subscription book club for kids that’s designed to make a child’s home library as diverse as the world. 

How do you think FSA helped you find your voice? As weird as it sounds, silent meetings. I started attending silent meetings when I was 5 and I remember there were a couple that went off the rails (I think there was one where we talked about frogs for a while). There was a lot of joy and laughter in those but the biggest thing is that the teachers didn’t course correct. I kept waiting for an adult to tell us to stop but that didn’t happen. They let us have this moment about frogs. Silent meeting gave me the courage to express my thoughts and my teachers gave me the space to do so.

What is your favorite memory from FSA? Most of first grade. Linda and Diana made that whole year so great. This was the year we found Shelly and she became our class turtle. We had a leprechaun come to visit and the classroom got turned all around and then we got extra recess and then a scavenger hunt to find the treasure left for us. I think this year was part of the reason I really love the storytelling aspect of theater. We were reading “The Witches” and at the beginning the narrator is describing what a witch looks like and then adds “it may even be your teacher reading this to you right now.” and then Linda looked up at us and then went back to reading and we immediately ran down the list she just gave just to confirm. I remember us complaining that we were tired in the afternoons after lunch (no more naps for 1st grade) and they added a quiet time with carpet squares if you wanted to rest or read at a table. It felt great to be listened to. Little things like this made that year really fun for me.

The SPICES (Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, Stewardship) are deeply ingrained into all aspects of teaching, helping kids build empathy, understanding, and allowing them to build what each of these is to themselves and their community. 

How did the SPICES come into play in that mission? I think equality and community have the biggest impact on Momo’s Book club because true equality would be seeing all types of people on your bookshelves, showing kiddos that other people who aren’t exactly  like them can be the heroes of a story too. And that we’re all part of a global community so let’s take the time to walk in someone else’s shoes for a bit.

What is your favorite book in the club/ or a book that had an impact on you as a child? It’s hard to pick a favorite but I think City Green is one of my favorites. It’s about a little girl who brings her block together by creating a community garden in the vacant lot next door. It’s a good read!

Momo’s Book Club

A Community That Never Leaves You

Want to know what The Friends School of Atlanta is like? Ask Karen McMichael, known to her friends at FSA as Kaymac. She will be retiring as the school’s administrative assistant at the end of the 2017-2018 school year, but Kaymac’s Friends School journey started years before, when she and her husband decided to send their son, Ian, to FSA in 1998.

“Our son was at Georgia State University’s Child Development Center,” Kaymac recalled. “They recommended the Friends School for him, specifically because he wasn’t any trouble and he was [and still is] very bright. They felt he was going to fall through the cracks in the public schools. We visited FSA first, and to tell you the truth, we didn’t visit any other school.”

After Ian started attending, Kaymac volunteered her time and soon found that the culture fit her like a glove. She felt at home, so much so that when she was brought on staff full-time in 2001, the transition was virtually seamless.

She’s done a bit of everything over the years. She does website updates, performs some registrar work and helps with admissions in ways that coworkers identify as completely responsive, patient and effective in bringing calm to often stressful situations. She has taught word processing, Photoshop, jewelry making, among other subjects; and, as a teacher’s aid in reading, has experienced the joy of witnessing a child’s “aha” moment, the initial spark of understanding, of conquering a small hill, looking back with pride, and looking forward with confidence. “The squiggles on the page, the letters, now mean something to them,” she said. “It’s different with every child, but once you witness it, it’s something you never forget.”

“Kaymac’s smile and gentle nature was refreshing as well as encouraging to the children that she assisted with reading,” recalls long-time first grade teacher Celest Samas. “Her love of books has inspired generations of FSA first graders.”

The entire FSA experience is shaped by a kind of empathy that anyone associated with the school—staff, teachers, students, parents, alumni—knows very well. “Early on, working here and sending my son to school here, I learned about not judging people by my life. Consider what the other person’s life is like.” That is, she doesn’t judge someone based on her own life experiences, but instead tries to truly understand the complete context, and how the whole of a life shapes a person. It’s living the expression “knowing where the person is coming from,” but on a much deeper level.

This philosophy even lends itself to her teaching. Speaking about Kaymac’s jewelry-making middle school exploratory, 6th graders Katy and Paideia said, “Kaymac gives lots of freedom to express yourself, always makes space for laughter and responds right away when you need help.”

Living it comes through listening instead of waiting to talk. It also comes through feeling at home in silence, be it during class, silent meeting or during administrative staff meetings, where silence plays a key role. After someone expresses an opinion, everyone sits for a brief period of silence, allowing time to reflect on what was just said. That builds understanding, reinforces empathy, and buttresses FSA’s unique, enduring community.

“I’ve loved this place since the first day my son started school here, and I’ve never stopped learning. It’s such an amazing community.”

Those who have worked side by side with Kaymac in the administration, whether for decades or just a few years, are not sure how to move forward without her capable, reassuring presence. “It would be impossible to enumerate all of the ways that our beloved Kaymac has served the school community,” according to Waman French, Head of School. “Speaking personally, Kaymac has provided the ultimate support during some very difficult times as well as joyous ones.”

Likewise, Nancy Bent, Director of Advancement, shared, “Kaymac is so utterly reliable, so meticulous with detail, so unflagging in her willingness to serve however she is needed. I will dearly miss partnering with her on the work of the school.”

Kaymac may be retiring this year, but she—like all the students, staff, teachers, and alums who have passed through The Friends School’s doors—will never stop being part of the FSA community.

 

By Tim Heston

Tim Heston has written for business magazines since 1996. He’s won some awards here and there, but his greatest achievement is being the proud parent of an FSA fifth grader.

About Harmony, Acceptance, and Playing Your Part

Every classroom has its rhythm to it, the people its chord structure, and at The Friends School of Atlanta, the classes have some rich chords. Fifth grade language arts teacher Johnny Pride felt the vibe of those chords the first time he stepped into FSA, when he saw the art on the wall and heard about the philosophy, about the Light Within.

“It was me. I was in.”

Johnny felt the vibe since he interviewed and began teaching for the school six years ago—a bridge, if one were to map out his life in song form. He had been a classroom teacher and then a literacy specialist at The Howard School. Eventually, he wanted to be in front of the classroom again.

From one perspective, FSA seems like an unlikely destination for Johnny, a music industry veteran who once played with the drummer for REM, whose band once opened for The Police and other big acts, who ended up being featured in The Doors movie, and who even roomed with Val Kilmer for a few months during the filming of it.

But from another perspective, Johnny’s landing at FSA makes all the sense in the world. He majored in journalism at the University of Georgia (hence the connection with REM). He wrote for the Atlanta-Journal Constitution for a time and worked for PBS before jumping in the car and heading for California. He headed west to perform and write, songs instead of prose, before family commitments called him back to Georgia. He taught and coached his nephew, who attended Howard, which is how he ended up at that school and, ultimately, FSA.

It’s safe to say that Johnny wouldn’t feel at home at Friends if he taught in a traditional environment where students are tracked and separated by ability. Grouping students together in advanced and remedial classes doesn’t reflect real life, where different people with different strengths and weaknesses need to work together.

True, FSA pushes students as far as they can go. For instance, a few middle schoolers who’ve mastered certain concepts join math or language arts classes in higher grades. But students aren’t segmented into tracks. Teachers, Johnny included, practice what’s known as learning differentiation. They teach differently to different children, depending on their strengths and weaknesses. They also encourage students to teach each other.

“I probably do about four different lesson plans per class,” Johnny said. “All kids are different. They all work together, and what I love about it is the acceptance they have for each other.”

That acceptance builds the harmony and drives the rhythm of learning. “Here I can make learning joyful and fun,” Johnny said. “Students work very hard, but they don’t feel that they’re working hard because they have so much fun. This place allows me to do that.”

Visit Johnny’s class, and you’ll see students constantly in action. They write all the time and read each other’s stories allowed. They learn vocabulary through theater; they dream up and write scripts that use new words or imply them, and the students watching guess what those words are. Students teach students. Like those in the best bands playing the best music, everyone listens, everyone helps, and everyone plays their part.

By Tim Heston

Tim Heston has written for business magazines since 1996. He’s won some awards here and there, but his greatest achievement is being the proud parent of an FSA fifth grader.

Noticias!: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

“Noticias! Noticias!” rang out the news carriers on the third floor of FSA as they scurried from room to room.

On any given day, it’s not unusual to hear such enthusiastic footsteps peddling to and fro on the upper levels of the school. In a place where education is always the adventure, hearing chants in another language may be quite the norm.

For the second year, Spanish teacher Brian Ryu has chosen to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month by charging his eighth graders with the task of creating their own Spanish-language newsletter and delivering it to the rest of the middle school community. This year’s end result is El Mes de Herencia Hispana, an impressive collection of article summaries entirely written and produced by students.

For Brian, teaching involves reinvention and innovation. He is constantly looking for novel pedagogical ideas to not only immerse his students into the Spanish language, but the many cultures of those who speak it. This activity is one that encourages students to discover the rich culture and history of Spanish-speaking countries and the Hispanic community that comprises one of the largest minority groups in the United States.

“There is a certain awareness around Hispanic culture that is more visible to mainstream America, including our students,” Brian said. “But asking them to dig deeper and explore the historical significance and contributions that highlight Hispanic heritage brings their awareness to a whole new level.”

Hispanic Heritage Month is meant to emphasize the important presence of Hispanic and Latino Americans in North America. Beginning as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968, it became a month-long celebration in 1988. September 15 was chosen as the starting date for the month to acknowledge the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries—Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua—that were all released from Spanish rule in 1821.

It took the Spanish II class about a week and a half to produce the newsletter. This may seem unbelievable when readers first glance the introduction, a succinct paragraph with one central message: “the thing we need above and beyond a united voice is a diverse voice.”

This need to recognize the diverse voices that make up our many communities is the motivation behind the well-crafted language and attention to detail within the newsletter and its production. And for those in need of noticias but unfamiliar with Spanish, the students provide English translations as well as keywords for enthusiasts in search of learning a new language.

Though an article on chocolate may appear rather unrelated to a newsletter dedicated to  Hispanic Heritage Month, one student writer wanted to point out that the cacao bean from which chocolate is made was actually first used by the ancient Olmecs in what we now know as Mexico. In fact, such probing into the history and importance of chocolate was a topic some of the students previously explored in World Studies with Alex Zinnes.

Another student chose to report on Celia Cruz, the Cuban singer also known as the Queen of Salsa. “I never heard of Cruz,” she said. “Before I didn’t know about Hispanic music. So that was cool to research.”

Although Brian did the copyediting for the newsletter, his students were in charge of everything else, from writing to selecting the accompanying photos. Even that task he would have delegated to his students if they had more time. Because Brian’s curriculum prepares students to speak, read and write in Spanish, his former students report that they often feel ahead when they enroll in high school classes. This is no doubt due to assignments like this one that require students to be attentive and mindful to the social significance of their work.

If it wasn’t already apparent, Brian’s approach to teaching is always led by the philosophy that students are the bearers of knowledge. In this instance, these future journalists proved themselves to be skilled in more areas than previously thought. And that, too, is quite the norm.

Click here to view El Mes de Herencia Hispana Newsletter 2017

 

By Malcolm Tariq