RFK inspires curriculum
CV teacher one of 14 in state who developed social justice lesson plans
By George Basler • Staff Writer • November 24, 2008
Susan Halpern thinks students can be blissfully ignorant of the world outside their own backyards.
"They don't have a real understanding of social justice or the issues of injustice that continue to go on in society," said the English language arts teacher at Chenango Valley High School.
Halpern hopes a project she worked on with other educators from across New York will be one small step to change that.
The Chenango Valley teacher was one of 14 teachers and state Education Department officials who worked intensively for three days to write lesson plans for fourth-, eighth- and 11th-graders on Robert F. Kennedy, former U.S. senator from New York, and his involvement in social-justice issues.
The project is a collaboration of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, the state Education Department and New York State United Teachers, the state teachers' union.