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!) Teaching students about racism and slavery is a hard topic to cover. I feel like the only way to alleviate the feeling of this is only one sided is to maybe find writing of other races during this time period to show that not everyone felt the same way. Also, use the discussion time to let the students know that teaching this is part of your job and that although it may be uncomfortable, it is necessary to learn so that each student understands why other parts of history happened. They also can learn as to why some students feel differently than them about this situation. There are a lot of situations in their future (such as a job)in which they may feel uncomfortable or do not care for but are necessary to learn self-control in these situations.