As the new school year is underway, I just wanted to take a moment to urge teachers to think about how social justice issues impact their classrooms. I’ve listed 5 social justice challenges to teachers below to encourage us to think about how we interact, teach and organize our classrooms to promote equity and justice.
Too often, and especially at the beginning of a school year, I see teachers becoming concerned about having the “right” posters on the wall or trying to become an expert at the latest “technological innovation” in teaching. As great as technology can be in a classroom, teaching and learning is about human interaction. At the heart of that interaction can be a shared commitment to learning through a social justice framework.
Here are my five social justice challenges to teachers:
- Create a safe and equitable classroom for LGBTQ students. If we want to create an inclusive classroom where students care for each other, we must instill a culture that embraces all students in the classroom. Here is a resource to help http://glsen.org/educate/resources/back-school-guide-educators
Learn about how colonialism impacts teaching and education. If you’re a teacher in Canada then you must be aware that colonialism is not just a thing of the past, but a process that continues to this day. Many of us teachers are settlers on Indigenous lands and must understand that we have a role to play in the decolonization process. Check this out-http://blogs.ubc.ca/edst591/files/2012/03/Decolonizing_Pedagogies_Booklet.pdf
Do not be afraid to talk about race with your students. Despite what many mainstream commentators are saying, we do not live in a “post-racial society”. Canada is not immune to racial inequality. I urge you to learn about Canada’s missing and murdered Indigenous women as well as how the issues in Ferguson, Missouri highlight racial inequality.
Understand how poverty can impact your students lives. Often times, we blame individual students for their behaviours without looking at the context of the environments that they live in. Poverty has a an immense impact on a student’s ability to succeed in the classroom. As teachers, we see this first hand. When we signed up to become teachers, we also signed up to advocate for our students. Get involved in your community and ask how you can be a part of the solution to create the social change to eliminate poverty.
Don’t hesitate to take on controversial issues in the classroom. A great example is the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Students must use their classroom experiences to make sense of the world they live in. If we do not prepare them to engage in the task of understanding the world, then we do them a great disservice. Below is a short and good video to help kick off a discussion about Israel and Palestine.
I could add many more challenges to this list, but I think these are 5 good places to start. Obviously, you can tailor these challenges to the appropriate grade level and learning needs of your students. If you approach these challenges with authenticity and a willingness to learn, then you just may find that you’ve opened a door to new possibilities about the purpose of your role as a teacher. It definitely did for me, I hope it does for you.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y58njT2oXfE[/youtube]
