Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: Politically or Racially-Aware I believe in democracy. As a high school social sciences teacher, I strongly believe in democratic education and political awareness. I want my students to be aware of what is going on around them locally, nationally, and internationally. I require my students to keep up with news. Everything they learn from newspapers, magazines, and television becomes substance to use in my lessons. Before the presidential elections, I asked my students to watch all the debates, try to see the different perspectives, and how those perspectives may lead to different courses of action and to different implications for people. As part of this effort, I gave students a "persuasive writing" assignment. I gave them a list of topics from the debates, such as abortion, healthcare, affirmative action, and foreign policy. Students were to take a position on one of these issues and write a persuasive essay. When it was time for students to share their writings in class, things got out of hand. Every single topic we discussed along with the essays turned into a discussion of race. My Black and White students took opposite perspectives on every issue and during the discussions, they were not civil. I felt like my efforts for democratic education were not producing anything good. Should I change my activities? How come the political awareness I wanted develop in my students actually turned out to be racial awareness? Some guidance please! Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) This scenario is tough because for many, race plays such a large part of the lenses by which they view the world. And for many students, the heart of their disadvantages are a result from how people racially view them. I would approach instruction establishing some "ground rules". Simple expectations such as no name calling, demeaning discussions, intentional stereotypes, etc. can only help aid the flow of talking points. I think that approach would help set a more positive tone in the classroom. Class discussions that somehow stumble onto topics of race are inevitable. After all, race is the first thing people see when they see each other. These are the facts regardless of how much people deny this; well, unless an individual is actually blind. There is no harm in seeing race; I think the offense is given essentially by how one responds negatively to race. Students are going to talk about race whether a teacher endorses it or not. I would take such an opportunity to dispel stereotypes and over-generalizations and allow students to become more informed and grow positively from the discussion. I would plan intentional, guided, remarks and make a point to redirect them for its original purpose: healthcare, abortion, affirmative action, etc. But, at the same time, not necessarily flee a topic that happens behind closed doors anyway. I liken your case to talking about sex with teenagers. It's uncomfortable and no one wants to do it; however, whether we are doing it with our teens or not, it is being discussed. Better to have provocative topics discussed in a contained, organized, mature, environment- than allowing students to completely engage in discourse rogue.