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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!) I think that this is a normal way to feel, and that the student is very brave for expressing his opinion. In fact in school I used to hate to talk about slavery because I felt that I drew too much attention to the black kids. Teachers always used to ask us how we felt about the situation not thinking if it made us uncomfortable or not. I think that instead of teaching based on lectures and small group work you could attempt to include some kind of documentary on slavery. Also you should include stories about the slave owners who would take great care of their slaves. Every slave owner was not a monster and it's important for children of all races to know this. |
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