How about challenging the students to care?

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-ho.summit02may02,0,4426762.story?coll=bal-education-top

Frequently, we as teachers talk about how much we want to do for our students and how their voices matter, but we don't often hear of events such as this one in Howard County. Students were organized by their schools to represent diverse backgrounds and ideas, then sent to a meeting to make their voices heard about different topics related to Howard County youth.

This could just as easily serve the Baltimore City school community and help our students to have a voice, too. A number of my students would jump at the opportunity to get their opinions out there and have schools take into account their opinions. Why not let them? Why does it seem like these opportunities are only available in "the county"?

What most interests me about this summit, however, is the chance for active students to hear about what is going on in other schools. These students attending the summit are active enough within their own schools that they would likely take some of these ideas, about interaction with school administration for example, and apply them to their own school.

If education is about learning and learning from others, this type of summit seems to be an ideal opportunity for individuals, schools, the school system as a whole, and the Baltimore community.