Downtown School Draws Lessons From Occupy Wall Street Protest
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The Occupy Wall Street protesters have not been welcomed with open arms by all who live and work near their downtown staging area, but at least one nearby school has turned the situation into a teaching lesson. NY1's Education reporter Lindsey Christ filed the following report. As students in a global history class at the High School for Leadership and Public Service in Downtown Manhattan take a test, the Occupy Wall Street encampment takes place outside the classroom window, several stories down in Zuccotti Park on Greenwich Street.
For weeks, the protest sounds have been the background noise in these classroom: crowds, sirens, chanting, and of course, drumming.
"Sometimes we can't concentrate and sometimes teachers can't speak," says student Monwar Jalil.
"I usually start dancing and singing along with the beat instead of focusing on my work," says student Yetunde Dozier.
"It's tough for our students. Some students have a difficult time concentrating, normally," says Principal Philip Santos.
But in the vein of "turning lemons into lemonade," teachers have tried to turn distracting noise into lessons and projects.
"It's really great now that we can teach the First Amendment because it is in our backyard. A lot of times when we talk about protests and assembling, we look at them in history but don't get to see them in place," says teacher Donna Mobley.
"We try to connect what is happening across the street to our English classes, to our history classes, even mathematics and science," says Santos.
Students say they have begun to reflect on some of the protestors' messages.
"It makes me think about my future and how many job opportunities will I have and the money that I'll be earning, even with a degree," says student Christian Mendez.
While for students and teachers, the protest has been both a learning experience and a distraction, the principal says his biggest concern is safety.
"If there is an incident across the street, students naturally run toward incidents," says Santos.
He is especially concerned about protecting students if protestors are ever forcibly cleared from the park.
"If it were to happen, the weekend would make much more sense to me, given the businesses and schools in the area," says Santos.
The High School for Leadership and Public Service is not the only school overlooking the park. Next door is the High School for Finance and Economics, but students there say teachers have been more likely to try to teach over the sound of the drums rather than teach about the drummers.