Lesson 8: Diverse Expression of Love Know Your Classmates

Objectives Students will be able to reflect on how they show love. Students will be able to define love as a verb. Students will be able to identify inclusivity as a key factor to creating a community based on love. Students will practice using the tool of storytelling to connect with other classmates’ identities.

Journal Have you ever thought about how you show love? Showing love is one of the most important things we can do as human beings, but how do we do it? When do we choose to do it and when do we choose not to do it? I want you to think about three people that you show love to who come from different parts of your life. Perhaps one person is a family member, or a friend, or a stranger? One might even be yourself! Journal about each of these three people and how you have shown them love.

Ways we show love

Defining and Discussing Love We have all these examples of how we show love, and that is because love is really a verb, it’s an action, it’s something we do! If we have all of these examples of how we show love, then why is it so hard sometimes to show love to everyone? Why is it hard for our world to show love?

Say Hello Exclusion and isolation are key factors to people experiencing a lack of love, and this can have dramatic life- long effects on people. People can be excluded or isolated based on their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability, socioeconomic status, etc. As you discussed - there are a lot of factors that make it hard for our world to show love, but one of the first steps to showing love can be to include and connect with those around us. The first step to connecting is getting to know one another. Learning someone’s name and just saying hello can be the first bridge we build with people.

Activity Lets start with our names! Think about your name. It is one of the first pieces of your identity that is given to you. Take a moment and think about the story of your name? If you are stuck you might think about: Where did your name come from? What does your name tell about your culture and background? How do you personally feel about the name you were given? Has your name changed over time? Is there a nickname that you prefer? Why?

Discuss What is the story of our names? Why is knowing someone’s story important?

Connection When we know one another, when we listen and learn, we are more able to show love and connectivity; often times, we are more connected than we think.

Humane: Watch and Discuss “The Beauty of Human Skin in Every Color” https://www.ted.com/talks/angelica_dass_the_beauty_of_human_skin_in_every_color What do you think is the point of Dass’ photography? What have you learned from Dass’ work? Why might it be important to get know someone’s identity beyond their skin color? Were you surprised by anything in this video? Look at the following photographs from her work. What do you notice? What do you think this means?

Wrap Up Activity- Dive Deeper Let’s think about our own identities, our own stories, and our own names. Using Dass’ idea, the Know Your Classmates Lesson 8 Worksheet, and the story of your name, create a self-portrait. Share your portrait in assigned groups when you are done.