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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!) Unfortunately, the topic of slavery and the civil rights movement will always be one that upsets someone; it is a hard topic to discuss for both blacks and whites. White children don't like being thought of as the ones that mistreated slaves, and black children don't like being thought of as slaves. If teaching this topic by lecture and small group seems to offend the white students, maybe try allowing them to make their own assumptions or opinions before actually teaching the curriculum. Try doing this by opening the lesson with a video clip or reading selection and not saying anything. Let the students complete a written response to the video or reading piece to express their feelings and opinions. This way you will get a good idea of how they feel about the topic before teaching it in a large group. |
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