Our Global Dreamers collaboration started two years ago when I was invited to join Marsha Goren, a teacher in Israel, in a Holocaust Memorial project. Global Dreamers are a group of students from all over the world who work together on various school projects. Our students at BJHS have partnered with them on several units, and they have learned much about the students in Israel. They have discovered that they are not so different from students half way around the world. In fact, they are quite similar! The reaction is always the same every year. They are amazed that the kids in Israel watch the same TV shows, play the same computer games, and listen to the same music as the kids in Ballinger!

The Holocaust Memorial is so important. It is our most important collaborative work because we address the issue of tolerance. Our students start learning about tolerance in my class when we study the Civil Rights movement. We learn about hate, and how it destroys society. We look at the ladder of prejudice and examine our own lives, families, school, and community. We ask ourselves, “Are we tolerant of other people when they are different from us?”

Becoming a Global Dreamer has enriched and impacted my life and the lives of those I teach. We have learned to value others despite our differences, and to look upon a person’s heart to find that value. I hope all of you who look at our student’s work for the Holocaust Memorial will appreciate how important tolerance really is.

Blessings,
Elaine Brevard

“I think Global Dreamers is a pretty cool thing!”  -Nazareth Lara

“Learning so much about people of another country is wonderful. I enjoyed learning about Purim. It is similar to our Halloween.”  -Nora Rangel

“It is so interesting!” Mary Tapia