For Teachers: Activities and Lesson Plans:
Ordinary People

You can make a difference

The Underground Railroad shows us how important ordinary people can be in making the world a better place.  Sometimes all it took was a piece of bread, a warm bed to sleep in, or directions to the next station.  Yet through their collective actions, tens of thousands of people escaped to freedom and the nation eventually abolished the institution of slavery. 

Here are 7 ways you can make a difference today: 

1.  Concentrate on doing one kind thing for someone else each day.  Don’t pick one of your best friends or a person who is just like you.  Find someone who has been slighted or feels left out.  Keep a journal and take note of how people respond.  Like Trevor, the main character in the book and Warner Brothers movie, Pay it Forward, you will be able to watch your idea grow exponentially.

2.  Everyone has a role in helping the nation live up to its highest ideals.  Visit the Safe Harbor documentary web site and listen to Professor Jim Horton (link to open of Teacher section where Jim Horton’s audio file is posted) discuss the responsibilities that come with living in a free country.   Identify people you know who live up to those ideals and make a list of the qualities you want to develop within yourself.

3.  Read the newspaper and find a story about a great injustice somewhere in the world, or even in your own hometown.  Engage your family in a lively discussion.  Won’t they be impressed with your grasp on current events?

4.  Choose a subject you care deeply about, and write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.  Many newspapers now accept e-mail letters, so you can save a stamp!

5.  If you are 18 or older, register to vote.  Don’t let apathy keep you from getting involved.  Your vote counts.

6.  Have the confidence to stand up to your friends when you hear a joke based on race or ethnicity, or you see them ridiculing someone for being different.   

7.  Many United Way organizations and newspapers publish lists of community organizations that need volunteers.  Identify a group with whom you want to work. Then talk with your teacher and classmates about organizing a project. 

Resources for Teachers:

Like Reuben St. Clair, the teacher protagonist of the book and Warner Brothers movie Pay it Forward, you can energize your students with your voluntary, extra-credit assignment:  Think of an idea for world change, and put it into action.

Pay it Forward Foundation
http://www.payitforwardfoundation.org/home.html
The American Library association cited Pay It Forward as one of its "Best Books for Young Adults."   Excerpts suitable for middle school and high school age students are available here, along with K-12 project ideas.  The site also features a downloadable mini-grant application for projects identified by children.

Civic Practices Network (CPN)
http://www.cpn.org/
CPN is a common resource for practical civic education, responsible community action, and democratic policy making.  The site includes best practices and case studies.

Safe Harbor Web Site
http://www.wqln.org/safeharbor
Interview excerpts from the Underground Railroad documentary Safe Harbor are arranged by topic.  See:

Charles Blockson, Underground Railroad historian, Temple University, on children and the Underground Railroad

LeRoy T. Hopkins, Ph.D., Underground Railroad historian, Millersville University, on doing what’s right

James Oliver Horton, Ph.D., historian, George Washington University, on the responsibilities of citizenship