Tiffany Key Educator Impact Story (Japan)

Tiffany Key is an educator at the Nagisa Koen Elementary School in Hiroshima, Japan. As part of The SDG Challenge: Advancing Global Citizenship Education Through The Power of Film in partnership with UNESCO-APCEIU, Tiffany screened Fledgling. Fledgling tells the story of a little boy in a refugee camp who finds and befriends a lost baby bird. He feeds it, protects it, and at night it sleeps close beside him. The adults observe him with tender sadness, oblivious to the Life that the child had given to a dirty old piece of cloth. Through the film, Tiffany encouraged students to connect with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Number 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. After the screening, her elementary students started a letter writing campaign to support refugees.

How would you describe the learning experience for your students? 

The students benefited not only from a step towards being more empathetic but they also realized the value of English as a global language. I believe they will become more motivated with their lessons, knowing that they can use the language to connect to the world. They greet me every class now with the question: Are we learning more about SDGs today? 

Please tell us what you learned in the process of implementing this lesson with your classroom?

I was really worried about such a heavy subject matter for such young children. I do have the advantage that we live in Hiroshima and the students have grown up in the shadow of that great catastrophe. I was also worried that their English language skills would be too low for them to actually take action. But my hopes instead of my fears were realized. The students really took to the subject matter and I am looking forward to making more SDG-focused lessons in the future.