Everyone wants something. I explain this concept to my Year-8 students, who do not quite know why I am telling them this. I want them to understand the power of language and how people can manipulate words to achieve a goal. I am hoping that these 14-year-old students will see that they can use their words to achieve something good in their lives and, maybe, eventually, in the world.
I have started my class at Scheiber Sandor Gimnazium (SSG) by telling the students something about myself that they can connect to the lesson. My “go to” stories usually involve dogs because, let’s face it, what topic of conversation cannot be enhanced by a dog? For my Year-8s, I explain that I volunteer for an animal shelter, the MDSPCA, where I help people to adopt homeless dogs and cats. I talk about how animal welfare organizations need money to help take care of the animals and that they depend on people to give donations to support this cause. They follow what I say and gather around when I show them a trending video from The Dodo featuring Rosie, a shelter dog who gets adopted by a family with two little girls who had seen online that Rosie was in danger of being euthanized in the shelter. Sadness registers on everyone’s face when I teach them the word “euthanize.”
Of course, this story resonates with me. To say that I have a soft spot for dogs would be quite an understatement. When I visit a city, my attention strays from the buildings and monuments to the people on the street walking their dogs. My students watch the Rosie video with the kind of attention every teacher would like to sustain in a classroom. But the point is not simply to tell them a tear-jerking dog story. What I want them to learn is that words matter; words and images carry powerful messages that may go beyond persuasion to something more insidious – manipulation. To recognize that is to take back one’s own power and agency, to safeguard one’s freedom.
These are deep and intense lessons, and I reward them for their attention and participation with chocolate and my Dogs of Budapest photos. I watch the smiles break out on their faces and smile myself; today, a picture really is worth a thousand words.
