From then on, I felt like I was re-born and that nothing could stop me from doing what I wanted.
~ words from Louis that keep us thinking and wondering ~
Not hers. Not yours. People are always more than the chapters anyone could share. Hold what is here gently. Approach with curiosity, before judgment.
Notice what you notice. Wonder what you wonder. There is no quiz, no right way. Read until something stays.
this film has no words. notice what you notice. notice what you wonder. wonder out loud. and don't forget to notice what you feel, too.
Walk in my Shoes
This is my routine every morning!
What is your routine like?
In what ways is it similar to, or different from, my routine?
Do you have family in another part of the world?
What ways do you keep updated on their life?
I encourage you to close your eyes and imagine that you are the beneficiary.
You use crutches every day to be able to move around, which means you cannot play sports with your peers or race your siblings down the street.
Sometimes your arms get sore from the crutches.
You don’t know anyone else with a disability.
What else do you feel?
What are you thinking?
Guess what - you have options!
I would love your help to add important measurements I take.
What measurements do you think I would need to make leg braces?
Next, I need to add together these different measurements.
For example, the hip-to-knee length and the the knee-to-ankle length need to be added together.
I also need to subtract the measurement around your ankle from the measurement around your thigh.
I usually allow a little extra space, because if it is too tight it will hurt you.
If these are the measurements, can you help me with adding and subtracting?
Can you provide me with all the measurements I would need to make you a brace?
Hip-to-knee measurement: 25.
9 cm Knee-to ankle: 25.
66 cm Ankle: 13.
71 cm Thigh: 49.
Let’s pretend we are at the hardware store right now. I have some Congolese Francs with me, which is the currency of DRC. What’s the currency in your country? I need five pieces of electrical supplies. Each piece costs 8,579.14 CDF. I also require 2 metre of metal sheet, priced at 3,900.14 CDF per metre. Can you tell me what will be the total cost of the electrical supplies and then also the cost of the metal? ? What would be my total bill amount?
Close your eyes and imagine this moment: you haven’t walked on your own in years.
Maybe you don’t even remember a time when you were able to walk or play sports like soccer.
How do you feel?
How do you think others are perceiving you?
What are your thoughts and actions?
What would it be like to finally get the strength to do something you’ve always wanted to?
What were some instances in the past when you have felt like that?
Can you use one word to describe that feeling?
What did you learn in this role play?
I’d love to hear some examples from your life where you’ve been altruistic, or noticed someone else acting in an altruistic manner.
How do you feel when you act in this way?
Consider beginning by asking all students to take off their shoes, as you’ll be ‘walking in someone else’s shoes’ during this lesson.
“Do you think it’s important to ‘walk in someone’s shoes’, or empathize with them, and their challenges?” Invite students’ ideas and thoughts on what empathizing means to them.
Discuss the various ways in which one can empathise with other people. “Today we’re going to try out walking in someone else's special shoes!” In this lesson you’ll learn about the daily life of a Congolese brace maker who works to help disabled community members be able to walk again. He explains the process, and students can role play as if they are the beneficiary.
First, watch the video Un Architecte. (Un Architecte follows the story of Louis. The sequences in the video are dramatized for creative purposes.
This could be brought up before playing the video.) “Pay close attention to what the people in the video are feeling; think about if what they are feeling is justified. Also think of how you might be able to change that.” After you watch the video, let students know that you’re now going to read a story about the brace maker and a ‘beneficiary,’ or someone who receives the leg braces. “The story is written in a way where you can role-play both the brace-maker and the beneficiary, so...everyone to your feet!” You can decide if a few students will play the brace maker and others the beneficiary, or if all will role-play a beneficiary. You can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. You could create ‘character cards,’ telling students what their ‘name’ is and what their disability is. You could create a “shop” where Louis works. Or, you can ask students to use their imaginations fully to imagine these scenes and realities! Before beginning the story, consider helping students mentally set the stage. Ask the students to close their eyes and walk them through some of what they may be feeling. When you feel your students are ready, begin reading the story, A Day with Louis. At the bottom of page 1, Louis begins prompting the role play. Read slow and take pauses, giving students the chance to fully act out and take on their role. When the story is complete, ask students to circle up so you can reflect. “How did you feel in this role play? What surprised you? What was challenging?”
Helping Louis with his measurements and him buying his materials at the store! Louis asks students to help him add and subtractions that will help him make the leg braces.
Consider working with different units (cm, inches, etc) in order to work with various numbers to practice addition and subtraction of decimal numbers. Louis also describes which numbers he typically needs to add and subtract. Consider asking for other combinations as well to increase the number of equations you have to work with. Encourage students to compare decimals (which one is greater/lesser) especially when they are close eg. 5.6 and 5.5 as they practice addition and subtraction. In the middle of page 3, Louis talks about going shopping for materials. The money listed is in USD currency, which is sometimes used in the DRC. (The cost of the materials is for reference purposes and the true cost might vary). You can relay this to the students as well. Students can partner with each other to roleplay - one of them being Louis and the other the shopkeeper. Louis can ask for the number of materials he wants, and the shopkeeper assigns cost per piece for each type of material. The students can then work in partners to come up with the total bill amount. To make it fun, you can communicate the currency exchange rate to the students. Once they calculate the amount in Congolese Francs, they can convert it to the home currency.
Consider debriefing with the last prompt in the story, where you discuss what students learned in the role play and what ‘altruism’ means to each student.
Together you could brainstorm little ‘altruistic’ gestures students could make during the day in class or back at home. Students could create an ‘altruistic diary’ where they write down all their acts during the day. You can also have students have shout-outs for their peers when they see them doing an altruistic act.
This is one way to teach this story. You could also weave your own way, threading two or three other people the AI finds for you alongside.
Want to weave a full lesson around this story?
The weaver finds 3-4 real people whose stories thread together with this one.
Weave a lesson →Seeing Stigma
Where are you from?
What do you call yourselves?
What are the similarities and differences between my hometown I just described and yours?
Do you live in a city or in a more rural area?
What are the advantages/disadvantages of living in a city and in a more rural area?
What emotions do you imagine I may have felt during this time?
Do you know anyone who is disabled?
What might be challenging about their disability?
What could you say to them, or how could you act toward them, to make them feel welcome?
How do you respect your elders?
Is this an important part of your culture?
Do you agree with what I said about our elders knowing best?
Why or why not?
What are the total number of school hours I had in a day, excluding the lunch break? If I had French for 2 hours on Monday the rest of the time being for other subjects, can you write that as an equation with one variable? What would be the amount of time for the other subjects? Now, if I had French for 3 hours on Wednesday, what would that equation look like? Compare both of these. Would one be greater/lesser or would they be equal to each other?
How important do you think going to school is?
How would your life be different if you stopped studying?
Do you agree when I say that we should never refuse an opportunity?
What opportunities have you taken so far in your life?
Play in the background music by Papa Wemba, one of Louis’ favorite musicians, to set the mood.
“Close your eyes and imagine going through your normal day, only you’re on crutches. What would be the most challenging?
How would you make the most of it?” If your students struggle with visualization activities, consider doing a little mindfulness activity to get them focused first. Then facilitate the visualization exercise, walking them through their day with prompts like, “Imagine yourself waking up and getting out of bed; what do you do next? What do you eat for breakfast? Now you’re ready to leave for school, how do you get there?” And so on. Give the students time between each prompt to really visualize their day. In this lesson you’ll be learning about the life of a Congolese man who grew up disabled.
Turn on the video, Un Architecte. (Un Architecte follows the story of Louis. The sequences in the video are dramatized for creative purposes.
This could be brought up before playing the video.) Ask students to, “Simply take note of what you notice in the video.” After the video, invite students to share things they noticed. “The man making the braces is named Louis, we’re going to read more about his life! But first, what did you notice about him?” At some point, students will probably point out the handicap that boy Louis, the brace maker, as well as the young boy Landry have. “Do you think that is the main part of their identity? Is that how they want to be known? What else might they want to be known by?” This story presents an opportunity to discuss stigma, which Louis brings up on page 2. “What does Louis mean by stigma?” Ask for examples or provide your own culturally relevant examples. Then introduce an activity called, “Do you see what I see?” The goal of the activity is to help students understand that we may all hold different perspectives and experiences that are not necessarily wrong or bad, just different. By understanding and respecting differences, we can work to prevent stigma. Use an example with a cardboard cutout of the number 6. Ask two students to come up, each standing on either side. Ask them what they see - one sees a 6 and the other a 9. Explore how neither one is wrong and how this looks like in real life. Bring up different activities, situations and discuss how each one can see it differently. At the end, read the story I am Louis and practice applying what you’ve been learning. “What type of stigmas might Louis have experienced? How might his perspective on being disabled be different from my perspective or yours? Why?”
With Louis, understand equations and word problems which need to be translated to one-step equations to be solved. Introduce the concept of equations and doing the same thing on both sides.
You can use the example of a weighing scale or even get one to class to have them work with it hands on. Use the Math problem in the middle of page 3 to expand on these concepts. Students can practice this with different combinations of subjects and hours in a similar fashion. Add in activities Louis enjoyed doing like watching football and listening to Papa Wemba. Have students practice the equations with one unknown variable. Example: Louis had 3 hours of free time. He chose to watch football for 0.5 hours and study for the rest. Can you solve this equation to find out how much time he spent studying?
Debrief this lesson by first discussing the negative impact of stigmatization. Encourage students to think about not only about short-term but also long-term and more compelling impacts.
Then move into a class brainstorm about what causes us to see stigma, and how this can be prevented.
This is one way to teach this story. You could also weave your own way, threading two or three other people the AI finds for you alongside.
Want to weave a full lesson around this story?
The weaver finds 3-4 real people whose stories thread together with this one.
Weave a lesson →Positive Change
In 2008, a recruiter approached me on the street and told me about two organizations called StandProud and Association Congolaise Debout et Fier (ACDF). Supposedly, these organizations worked together to give direct assistance to disabled people like me in Goma, a city in the Northern Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). I was suspicious at first. Why would they want to help me, a disabled man? I invited them to my house though and, after hearing all the information, I decided I could trust them. I decided to go through with it. I decided to take a plane to Goma and meet my pairs! I also met with the members of the organization, who told me there is a way for me to walk again without crutches and to stand tall by myself.
What do you imagine this news felt like for me, after growing up with this disability that prevented me from running and walking like other kids my age?
What might you feel?
The first big step was a surgery that would straighten my joints so they would move correctly when I began walking with braces. After many months of physical therapy and pain while healing from the surgery, I could not believe it: I could stand without crutches! I was so happy! From then on, I felt like I was re-born and that nothing could stop me from doing what I wanted. I also began to meet people with similar disabilities to me who were also being helped by these organizations. Seeing them gave me so much hope and happiness; I no longer felt so alone, like I had back home where I didn’t really know anyone else with a disability. These people are now my closest friends.
How old was I when I received my surgery? I’ll help you out: in the year 2017, I am 36 years old. So first, how many years ago was 2008? Let’s say that number is represented by Y:
Y less than 36 is: _______?
Can you describe a powerful moment in your life when you felt so happy that nothing could stop you?
Or maybe someone you know has experienced this type of moment?
What do you think I mean by saying, “I felt like I was re-born?
You see, when I was young, I only had a few friends. A lot of people would not approach me because of my disability. Even my own family members. My extended family didn’t understand how someone could be born “normal” and then later become disabled. I was the only one in my family who had polio, so we would often wonder: “Why me?” Some people thought I was poisoned. Others would go so far as to say that it was a curse and I shouldn’t be part of my own family! During that time I felt a lot of anger and sadness and shame. When someone said “disabled person,” it felt like an insult. When you don’t see anyone else like you, it raises a lot of questions about your identity. Getting surgery was the most powerful experience in my life. I think that everything starts with pain before it turns into happiness. When I was finally able to stand up with the leg braces by myself, I realised the importance of this work and decided right then and there that this is what I wanted to do with my life. I was so thankful for my new abilities and opportunities. I needed to give back to the community and share my newly obtained knowledge in order to help other disabled individuals be able to walk again and to stand proudly. I went from walking with crutches and being called names, to standing tall and being an active member of my society. I no longer see “disabled person” as a bad thing; now, it is part of my identity just like someone who is called something completely normal, like ‘biker.’
For what are you thankful?
In what ways does this, or could this, inspire you to take action?
In what ways do you notice people around you being inspired or motivated to take action because of something for which they are thankful?
I wonder how your community or culture views people with disabilities?
How are they treated?
Do you know anyone?
After hearing my story, how do you imagine you might be able to interact with someone that has a disability in a way that will feel good to them?
Once I was healthy enough, ACDF/StandProud trained me and enrolled me in a formation to become a brace maker. I committed myself very seriously in order to be able to pass the tests and accomplish the trainings. Slowly but surely, I started taking over more responsibilities in the atelier, or workshop, until eventually I became a full time volunteer. Given my previous experience as a shoemaker and orthopaedic assistant, I was able to quickly pick up the needed skills. I believe I contribute greatly to my community. I consider myself a recruiter now too: When I see people on the road who I know can be helped, I tell them all about my experience and what their options are. What helped me was to talk about what was happening with others going through the same thing. So, I feel like I have a responsibility to try to give them strength and diminish their fear. By helping the direct beneficiaries, I also contribute to the indirect beneficiaries. Any idea who I mean by that? The families surrounding the patient! I am able to help a lot of families. Most of the beneficiaries of the center are from rural villages and travel miles and miles to reach my workshop. Once treated, they go back to their families and can now walk, go to school, or work and earn money!
In what ways do you imagine these types of changes to impact a family? What would be different in your family if you were disabled? If you are disabled, how might things be different if you were not? We all play such an important role in our family! Try drawing a family tree to visualize how interconnected your family is. How do you impact each other?
From a very young age, I remember asking myself, “How can I contribute positively in my community?” I believe in the potential for positive change; as you can see, I personally have been subject of a huge change! And I have also seen my community develop itself quite considerably since I was a child. I went from living in a village to living in a city with a lot more opportunities to offer. By going to school, even though I didn’t finish, I learned the importance of education in every society. Having an opportunity to go to school where you learn to read and write is an advantage here in the DRC. For my future children to attend a private school is a dream I hold! I envision being able to buy my family a house with the aim of building a hotel so that they can live off the rent. This will enable them to be more independent and for my children to go to school.
In what ways might education be an advantage in your community?
Is it the norm for every child to attend school, or are some unable to?
Why or why not?
When you hear that not every child in the world is able to attend school, what do you think and feel?
I consider myself a leader and I feel very empowered by being able to make other people walk, especially children. It allows me to feel stronger by giving them this opportunity and ability to follow their dreams. I believe that collaboration and sharing ideas is what is most important in life; it is what will make the world move forward. I want to train more people in order to share my knowledge and, ultimately, open my own orthopaedic business. In order to get there, each day I give myself three objectives. I will not stop until they are done. This can be a simple daily task, like buying the materials I need, or something bigger, like visiting a friend who is still healing. I believe my most valuable principles are patience, determination and perseverance.
Let’s say that in the month of February this year, there are 28 days. With three objectives a day, that is 84 objectives! The following month has 31 days, which means 93 objectives total! During those two months, how many objectives would I have made and accomplished? In what way might doing a similar exercise help you out?
I hope to live a long and healthy life. I still want to become more specialised in orthopaedics. I believe one never stops learning and that everyday provides an opportunity to become better. For example, I want to learn how to make wheelchairs or tricycles to help those who were not affected by polio but who were born with other handicaps.
Would you agree that I am a patient, determined person who perseveres?
What are some of your most valuable principles?
I’d love to hear a story of how you practice your principles!
You could even draw a picture to illustrate this story.
Begin with two minutes of collective silence while students arrange chairs in a circle.
“Do you believe in the potential for positive change?” First invite students to share about things in their community or the world that they feel could use a change.
Use this as an opportunity to challenge them to think beyond themselves: “What about animals? People who are caught in a war?” Then ask the question again, “do you believe in the potential to positively change these things? Why or why not?” In this story you’ll read about someone who directly experienced positive change and who now believes deeply in its potential on all levels.
Watch the video, Un Architecte. (Un Architecte follows the story of Louis. The sequences in the video are dramatized for creative purposes.
This could be brought up before playing the video.) “What type of positive change do you notice Louis creating?” After the video, read aloud the story Louis on being a Leader. “How does Louis feel about positive change? Why does he think this?” Check for comprehension and consider pointing out, “Sometimes directly experiencing something makes us believe in it much more.” Ask students to share other examples of this, and then go back to page 3 where Louis talks about impacting indirect beneficiaries. “What does Louis mean by that? When we make a kind gesture to someone, how might we impact someone else who we didn’t even meet?” Consider using a smile as an example: “How do you feel when someone smiles at you? Good? Maybe sometimes it inspires you to smile at someone else? Then that first person indirectly impacted the person you smiled at!” To continue practicing ecosystem thinking, consider doing a family tree project. Invite students to draw a tree, and on that tree place as many family members as they can think of, making sure to use branches and leaves to draw connections and relations. They can use this as a visual aid to explore things like how their grandparents impacted the life the student lives today, or how what they do with their life may impact others in their family.
Practice adding and subtracting 1s and 10s, and adding 1s, 10s and 100s with Louis. On page 2, students can practice adding and subtracting 1s and 10s by calculating how many years have passed since Louis’ surgery.
“Wow, a lot of positive change has happened in those years! What do you imagine could happen in that many years of your life? How old would you be in that many years?” Near the end of the story, Louis shares one of his methods for creating positive change: setting 3 daily objectives! This gives students a chance to practice adding 1s, 10s and 100s. “Even little daily actions like Louis’ objectives can all add up to creative big, positive change! What are some things we could try in our classroom?”
REFLECTION & ACTION ACTIVITY Use the last question from the math section to transition into a reflection & action activity as a debrief. “What could we do in class inspired by Louis’ daily objectives?
How could we work towards creating positive change as a class?” Let the class use their own creativity and inspiration to design a class activity, deciding what type of positive change they want to enact and how they will go about it. It could be as simple as creating “friendship tags” that they pass out throughout the school, encouraging students of all grades to find “buddies” who have the same tag. Another idea is that your class creates a new ritual of creating 3 daily class objectives that help the class grow throughout the year. Have fun with this, your students may surprise you!
This is one way to teach this story. You could also weave your own way, threading two or three other people the AI finds for you alongside.
Want to weave a full lesson around this story?
The weaver finds 3-4 real people whose stories thread together with this one.
Weave a lesson →Not hers. Not yours. People are always more than the chapters anyone could share. Hold what is here gently. Approach with curiosity, before judgment.
If a moment stayed, follow it. If a question rose up, hold it. The quiet teaching is still teaching.
Three or four real stories woven into one lesson, your topic, your time. Louis is one. The weaver finds the others, threads the math, the literacy, the values, the reflection.
Open the weaver →