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!) Although this topic can be somewhat sensitive for all parties involved, I think it is an important one to study. I think it would be a good idea to open up the lesson or series of lessons with a brief conversation about racial inequalities as a part of our history. I think it would be helpful for both teachers and students to be on the same playing field, understanding that the things that happened were not necessarily right or just, but they are a part of our history and impacted many other events in history, so they are worth studying for that reason alone. I also think that it would be a good idea to present both sides of the issues. If this is done, students will see the key players that were both black and white, and they will realize that the conflicts were more about issues than race.