What’s Right With Our Schools: Cleveland Middle School’s “We the People”
CLEVELAND, TN (WDEF) – Eighth graders at Cleveland Middle School recently got a civics lesson they won’t soon forget. The students marched onto the football field to spell out the first three words to the preamble of the Constitution. That’s a patriotic example of “What’s Right With Our Schools.”
Ed Fickley is the 8th Grade American History Teacher at Cleveland Middle School.
He explains, “Today, we brought all of the eighth-grade students, about 500 students out here, onto the CMS football field, so that they could spell out the key words of our constitution, the first three words, which are, ‘We the People’. It’s important to understand the students have a place and a voice in government; even before they have a chance to vote. Even when they have an opportunity because you know they are a member, members of society, their citizens and they need to be heard.”
Harper Parris is and 8th grader at Cleveland Middle.
Harper explains, “Representing our school, ok, by spelling out the letters, “We the People”. Cause I’m the people.”
Mr. Fickley breaks it down, “We have about 500, almost 500. All 500 are going to spell out, ‘We the People’. It is something for them to latch onto so that they understand that the government comes from the people. And as you know, Jefferson said the Declaration of Independence, the government are instituted among men deriving their power from the consent of the government. So, today we are teaching about The Declaration of Independence, and tying into the constitution and the constitution was created to help protect our rights and create our government, which comes from the people.”
8th grader Joshua Keith Woods, Jr. chips in, “The constitution, like it’s our plan of government. It gives us, like, The Bill or Rights. It gives us our rights. It gives the government, rules for the government. They can’t power each other. And we need to remember that here today so that we don’t forget where that came from.”
We asked, “Why is that important to know your rights?”
8th grader Cecilia Schaefer responded, “That way we know it’s right from wrong, and the power is with the people.”
Mr. Fickley concludes, “I want them to remember, uh four key elements: (01) that we are born with rights.(02) all men are created equal. (03) the people created the government, and for the purpose of government is to protect our rights. You know whatever students are involved in something hands-on, whenever students have the opportunity to do something unique like this, it helps to remember it. And I tell my students that they can remember the fact that they are born with rights, that we create the government in order to protect those rights, that’s what I want my students to leave here, knowing and remembering at all times.”
