Position of Courage
by Sally Abrahms
"I was courageous," wrote sixth-grader Nicholas Lee-Diaz, in his essay explaining why he chose to follow his passion to dance with the Boston Ballet.
Nicholas is one of approximately 60 children recognized annually for their courage as part of the Max Warburg Courage Curriculum (MWCC), started by Jonathan and Stephanie Warburg in memory of their son, Max, who died of leukemia at age 11. Optimistic and perennially cheerful, Max had appeared on TV in search of a bone marrow donor not only for himself, but also for the 6,000 others needing a match. Although he did find a donor—remarkably, a distant relative—the bone marrow transplant couldn't save Max. He died in 1991.
The MWCC, a literacy and character development program, was created by Harvard Graduate School of Education Ph.D candidates and educators from around the country. It's the first privately funded language arts middle school curriculum in the Boston Public Schools. Since its inception in 1992, more than 50,000 Boston sixth graders have learned about Max, explored the value of courage in literature, and have written essays about their own acts of bravery. The curriculum has also been implemented by some middle schools in Hawaii and Minnesota.
"The curriculum enhances students' writing skills and reading comprehension, but most importantly, it is therapeutic," says Boston teacher Patricia Perry-Blegen. "Many have sad stories. Because of the curriculum, they look at their stories in a different light, as a courage experience."
