Humans of Lawfield promotes Positive School Culture and Well-being

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Humans of Lawfield promotes Positive School Culture and Well-being

Inspired by the sensational book Humans of New York, Humans of Lawfield has used photos and text to share mini biographies while building empathy, compassion and writing skills.

Lawfield ESL teacher Connie Sun initiated the project that aligns with the Board’s goal of creating Positive Culture and Well-being.

“The idea was to encourage our students to journey through personal storytelling,” Sun said. “It gives students a voice, and instills feelings of belonging.”

The exhibit features human stories of two students from each class, and 12-15 adults at Lawfield. The display has opened up communication, and has encouraged conversation about perspective, individual truths and experiences.

“We’re a big school,” Sun said. “We have 700 students and 50 staff. We come into school, we see each other every day, but how much do we really know about what’s going on in other people’s lives?”

Humans of Lawfield

: Hiba, Grade 7 — There was a war in Syria, so we had to leave. We took a car to Lebanon. It was scary. There was lots of men with guns who would look through our bags. My grandma and grandfather are still in Aleppo, Syria and there are lots of bad things happening there right now. When we arrived in Lebanon we didn’t go to school because it was too expensive and we are a big family with six children. I was crying and I asked my mom why I couldn’t go to school. Next year there was a school we could go to, but one day the school bus driver wouldn’t let us on the bus if we didn’t pay for school. We had to stop going. Next year when I was in Grade 5, there was a free school that we could all go to. One day they called my dad and said we could go to Canada. I was sad to leave my aunts, uncles and friends but my dad told me that school in Canada is good. When I started school here, I was so nervous that people would laugh at me while I was trying to explain things. This year my teacher makes me read out loud in class and encourages me to talk to people in English. I can now understand what people are saying. I am happy that I can go to school. The teachers are so nice and I made new friends.

: Mahmoud, Grade 4 — This past October, I had teeth surgery, and the doctor took out five teeth. I was knocked out, so it didn’t hurt. It happened on the weekend, and I slept a lot. My brother thought they were funny, and my mom and dad took a video of me after the surgery. By Monday, I came back to school. I wanted to be a robot for Halloween, and my new teeth fit my costume. They are really smooth, so I lick them all the time. I think I got new teeth because I was eating too much candy. I want to say to everybody: don’t eat too much candy! You can have some, but not too much.

: Shadi, Grade 4 — I want to be a teacher when I grow up. God willing, I will complete it! I want to be a teacher because it is a good job and you get to work with kids. I come from a big family with eight kids. I help to take care of my three little brothers. I read them stories and teach them to fix things up when they do something wrong. I want to help kids to learn.

: Layla, Grade 1 — My favourite animals are cats and raccoons. I love raccoons because they have special defence to protect themselves. I once saw a raccoon walking like a person on top of a fence. It didn’t even fall. I read a book in the library about raccoons once, and I learned that they’re the only animals with thumbs, because they need to pull down trash cans. What would they eat if there aren’t any trash cans? They don’t kill other animals. I love cats too! I once read a book on cats. It says that hairless cats are really good pets. Guess what? The hairless cats still need sunscreen if you take them outside, and they need sweaters. I like animals because they’re so cute. I guess I just wasn’t into cartoons when I was younger.

: Thivya, Grade 4 — My disappointment in life is about my little brother because he has a disability that will never go away called autism. I watch him struggle with it everyday. Autism stops him from being able to have a normal life. I feel like crying sometimes. But I do not let it stop me from loving him. I keep hoping one day he will get better.

: Darian, Grade 7 — My dad works in other cities and travels a lot. He’s not always home. My mom works in a store in Burlington. Sometimes she works late. I take care of my sister when school ends until my mom comes home. My sister usually doesn’t finish her lunch, so I make her finish her lunch. Sometimes, I make her dinner too. I can cook grilled cheese sandwiches, instant noodles, and other easy food. She’ll eat anything. Usually, if she’s not hungry, she won’t bother me. Then I can play on my computer and do my homework. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. It’s just something a big brother should do.

: Alex Whiting, Teacher — I haven’t had a bath in five years now…and counting. Don’t get me wrong, I shower all the time, but having been to Africa and having seen how differently water is used there, I committed myself to limit my water waste as much as possible. During my teaching placement in Kenya, I had to fetch my own water using a gas can. We walked 2 km each way to the watering hole, filled the can with the water, which is brown in colour, then, carried it back using a rope that sat on my head and shoulders. I still remember vividly the taste of boiled muddy water. When I came back home, I had major culture shocks. For the longest time, I felt funny driving in my car, or turning on the tap and have clean fresh water available whenever I wanted. When I saw the “ban-the-bottle” campaign, I was truly an advocate for it. I try to share my experiences with my students to help them make stronger connections to the world beyond their immediate experiences.

: Luckas, Grade 8 — Sometimes I have a difficult time getting along with my classmates, but I try to ignore the issues unless they are serious. People may think it’s funny to put someone down but I find it depressing, especially when I am the one they put down. I want people to know that when they make fun of me, it hurts me. Words can sometimes cut deeper than a knife. If I am put down, I’ll rise up again. I’m always supporting the people who have been bullied. I try to stand up for the bullied and help those in need. My family can be stressful but my dad was in the military and that’s why I have an attitude. My mom is a social worker, so that’s why I have a sweet heart. What represents me the most is music. Music always motivates me to keep going. Right now, education is a serious focus for me. I am trying my best when I have to work in groups, and I try my best on all projects, even if they are hard. Nothing will stop me from learning.

: Lara, Grade 8 — My passion will forever be video games. I’ve been playing video games ever since I was just a little eccentric five year old. Video games were always there for me when I was thinking about the unknown aspects of my future and my dreams. Now that I’m in the eighth grade and going to be graduating soon with my future just ahead of me, I realize throughout all those years, I still play and enjoy video games, like when I was just a five year old gripping onto the realities of the world with huge aspirations. “If history only remembers one in a thousands of us, then the future will be filled with stories of who we were and what we did.” -Battlefield 1 game quote

: Kunmi Adun, Education Assistant — Growing up in West Africa, Nigeria to be exact, the career choices were: lawyers, doctors, and engineers. I was lucky to have a mom who only wanted me to be happy. She knew of my love for working with children, as I would always go to the school she owned every opportunity I got. I took a detour because I had ‘being a lawyer’ stuck on my mind, but I quickly figured out that it wasn’t for me. When I started my education in the field, I knew I was where I should be. I love knowing I have the opportunity to make even a little bit of difference in a young person’s life.

: Logan, Grade 2 — Je veux être un FBI. C’est amusant d’attraper les criminels parce que c’est mon travail. J’aime les FBI. Je vais aider des personnes et ma famille. De plus, je vais aider les FBI. I want to be an FBI. It’s fun to catch criminals because that’s my job. I like the FBI. I will help others and my family. Also, I will help the FBI.

: Jenna, Grade 1 — I like to do homework. It is so fun! I like to multiply in math. It’s just like adding, but it’s not. I know that 4×5 is 20, 6×3 is 18, 7×7 is 49. I know all the way up to 9×9. I like to learn to spell new words too. I practice every day. My mom writes out the words, then I copy them two times. Then, I know how to write the words. Right now, I’m learning the words: trampoline, xylophone. Sometimes I forget words too, like the word ‘calendar.’ I had to learn it for two weeks. I study so hard because my mom wants me to be the smartest girl in Canada. I want everyone to be the smartest person in Canada. If they do learn a lot, they’ll learn lots of stuff when they grow up.

: Fares, Grade 3 — Before I got my cat, my life was dark. My work was crushing me. When I met Oreo, he was a year old. We played with each other. I felt a lot of love. I’m happy that my cat is here.

: Taylor, Grade 7 — When I was little, I wanted to be a princess, well I still do but that’s besides the point. When I was little I would dress up as a Disney princess just about every day. As I got older, I was told more and more about how unrealistic it was and how I should pick an actual job. Little after that, I stopped dressing up and advertising it. My career goals shifted from princess to lawyer, detective, psychiatrist, then speech pathologist. The older I got, the question “what do you want to be when you grow up” was dreaded more and more. I still don’t know what I want to to do and I don’t have to figure it out just yet, so for the time being i’m just gonna continue being a kid.

: Lama, Grade 6 — It’s been really hard ever since my father got in a car accident on December 29, 2016 and now I don’t get much free time anymore. He has been on a wheelchair from the day of the incident until the end of March. Now he is on a walker and still can’t walk properly. He goes to physiotherapy once a week. He can’t do a lot of things by himself anymore and I have to help him. I don’t mind helping him but I want him to be able to do things by himself. My mom helps him when I am at school, but it’s especially hard for her because she also has to take care of my baby sister. When I don’t have school, my mom does the house chores while I take care of my baby sister.

: Connie Sun, Teacher — I would’ve been an “Olivia”, or perhaps an “Emma.” I bet I could’ve been a convincing “Amber” too. To this day, I still get an out-of-body experience when people call me by my known name. I mean, seriously, do I look like a “Connie”? I wasn’t always a “Connie.” On my first day of school in New York City, I knew only four words in English…I certainly didn’t understand why my teacher read down a list from a dictionary, read out a word, “Ashley?” pointed at me, read out another word, “Blair?” pointed at me, and repeated this ritual until I figured out that he was trying to name me. I was overcome with embarrassment, and nodded as he got to “Connie.” Since then, “Connie” became the label. My label. After so much time, I guess I don’t mind it as much. However, things weren’t always this way. Once upon a time, I had a different name…a pretty name. I was named 孙忆 (Sun, Yi), which means ‘memory’ in Mandarin. It’s a name that bore the richest family histories, and intended with the deepest of meaning…but that’s a different story for another time.

: Claire, Grade 2 — Je m’appelle Claire Fernandes. J’ai les cheveux bruns foncés mais quand ce sont mouillés, ils deviennent bruns clairs. J’ai les bottes noires et je les porte beaucoup. Mes yeux sont bruns, mais des fois, ils ont l’air noisette! Je me sens des fois que j’ai peur. Je suis tellement sensible! Je me sens aussi que je suis une bonne amie aux autres et je suis folle de joie! Savais – tu que je peux tricoter et je peux aussi fair du crochet? En fait j’ai fait un sac à main et maintenant je fais un foulard avec du laine rose. Ma maman m’a enseigné comment crochet! My name is Claire Fernandes. I have dark brown hair, but when it’s wet, it becomes a light brown. I have black boots that I wear quite often. My eyes are brown but sometimes they appear to be a hazel colour. I am sometimes a little timid. I can be sensitive! I also feel that I am a good friend to others and I’m immensely joyful! Did you know that I can knit and crochet too? In fact, I have already made a handbag and now I am working on a scarf which I’m making with pink yarn. My mom taught me how to crochet!

: Bethany Robinson, Teacher — Dance has always been a part of my life. I love everything about ballet: the music, the graceful movement, and the challenge. It is my escape from the daily grind. I love being on stage, wearing a gorgeous tutu, being lifted in the air, and getting lost in the music. When I’m not dancing, you’d probably find me with power tools in my hand working on a renovation project or detailing my car. My first car wasn’t very glamorous; it was a stick shift (that I had yet to master) and didn’t have a working stereo. After a demonstration from my dad, I installed my own stereo system. That was the moment I finally understood what he meant when he said that I could do anything I set my mind to. I have always loved learning from him at our family hardware store. He taught me how to drive a forklift, use power tools; and confidently rock a pair of steel toe boots! I guess I’m used to the look of surprise on people’s faces when they find out that this ballerina is such a tomboy too! Despite some of these accomplishments, I did struggle with my self-confidence. It was a constant battle to truly feel proud of myself and believe the compliments I was receiving. It wasn’t until I became a teacher that I began to celebrate my journey. I now know that this is where I’m meant to be. I wish that more people would be willing to go beyond small talk pleasantries, get to know others, speak positively, and ask questions. There might be a lot more to the lives of others than you know. “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” – Ian MacLaren

: Abby, Grade 2 — I like playing with my twin sister. We’re really best friends. We look the same, we sometimes have the same ideas, we agree on lots of things, and that’s pretty cool. Sometimes we do fight, but when we do, I tell her a joke. Then we both laugh and that’s the end of it. When I see others get upset and cry, I don’t like that, that’s why I like to tell jokes. Sometimes I think in my head, “my god, please tell a joke.”

: Sophia, Grade 5 — C’était l’année dernière et tout à changer pour moi. Moi et ma sœur n’était pas dans la même classe. Mes parents ont pensés que c’était une bonne idée, ça vous donnez une chance de faire un sport ou faire de nouveaux amis ils ont dit. Au commencent de l’année, j’étais nerveuse parce que je n’avais pas ma sœur dans ma classe. Mais j’ai réalisé très vite que ma sœur était là pour moi même si elle n’était pas dans ma classe. Depuis que l’année a fini je me sens un petit plus confiante dans moi-même, puisque j’ai fait quelque chose sans ma sœur. It was last year and everything changed for me. Me and my sister weren’t in the same class. My parents were thinking that it would be a good idea for “making new friends or joining a sport,” they said. At the beginning of the year, I was nervous because I didn’t have my sister in my class. But I realized quickly my sister will always be there for me even though we weren’t in the same class. Since the year ended, I felt more confident in myself, I realized that I could do something without my sister.

: Rowmario, Grade 3 — I like dancing because I can let loose. I’ve been dancing for four years. I like doing back flips because I feel like I’m flying and I can run free with my dance moves. I would like to help new dancers. My parents always help me to get better until I’m really good and my sisters would always help me a lot. Now I’m way better and am ready to teach other people.

: Lisa Scordino, Librarian — Not many people know this about me, but I am a candy freak! Candy is a treat that brings back many fond memories. When I was a kid, we used to visit my grandparents in Niagara Falls, and every time we went, my grandpa would walk with us to the corner store and buy us a bag of penny candy. Penny candy. Yes, it’s true, there was a time when candy used to cost one cent each! Most people don’t even know what penny candy is anymore! As for what I like, you name it, I’ve probably tried it! Some of my absolute favourites are Sour Keys, Blue Razz Ring Pops, Pixy Stix and Starburst Fruit Chews. I became known as the “candy lady” after I wrote and published a book called Candy Connoisseurs’ Encyclopedia with my best friend from childhood. During the writing stage, my partner and I ate so much candy we made ourselves sick! You have to understand, in order for us to write a book on candy, we had to sample the candy! At one point, we were writing two to three times a week, and after munching on bags of sweets, I always went home feeling the full effects!! Candy, for me, is a universal language. Everyone likes some kind of sweet, and eating it puts a smile on my face. Writing about it allows me to share my passion for sweets with the whole world, and that’s what I consider SWEET success!

Updated on Friday, May 05, 2017.

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