Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: Why Should I Listen? As part of my 7th grade Social Studies curriculum, I have to talk about slavery, the civil rights movement, etc. The topic ultimately leads to a discussion of how Whites oppressed Blacks. I try to present these topics in a way that does not suggest any guilt. This year, one of my students had a very bad reaction. When we were talking about the civil rights, John, one of my well-behaved but opinionated students, got up and said that he did not want to listen to this lesson anymore, because all we did was to demonize the White people. Three other students openly agreed with him saying that these topics made them angry. I have to cover these topics because they are a part of my curriculum. Also, I believe in the importance teaching children about these inequalities. However, it seems like the way I teach, which is mainly based on lectures and small group work, is making my White students uncomfortable. What should I do to make sure that my White students do not feel offended by these topics? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) Race relations are always difficult to teach, but I believe this would be a situation where you might choose a different approach to teaching instead of lectures. Instead, choose to be the facilitator in the classroom and provide students with primary source documents. While it might be hard for students to hear, this stuff is history and must be taught. When a student has the freedom to learn the information on their own, through reading and completing an assignment with the reading, the teacher can be confident that they are not adding guilt to the lesson. While it may not be on purpose that guilt is put into the lesson, it may happen through the discussion that takes place. With students learning the information on their own, guilt is removed and students can form their own opinions and understand the facts.