Two weeks ago, I showed many of my students a PSA (public service announcement) at the beginning of class. It is surprisingly powerful and emotional. In fact, since it’s less than two minutes long, I will just let the video make it’s own point without me spoiling anything.
March 3, 2010 marked the official day to “Spread the Word to End the Word”. The word that we are looking to end is the r-word, which can stand for both “retard” and “retarded”. Really, we just want it’s derogatory use to stop. When someone uses that word to describe or color something as “stupid” or “less than” in some way, it’s more than just being insensitive; it’s bullying.
Even though I do not have any close family members who deal with a cognitive disability or who are differently abled in some way, I knew that many of my students do. Inspired by r-word.org, We got together this past week to shoot a quick video and make our own PSA.
It’s been a fantastic experience. I’ve already had a high school student approach me to say that she has been convinced to forever change her language because of this.
I’d say that is a pretty good start.
