Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
This is a very helpful, well written set of guidelines. Thanks!
And now...an essay! I know we'll talk about all of this at the department meeting,
but I'm struggling with my (incoherent) thoughts on these issues.
Personally, I'm finding it really difficult in the current climate to teach kids to
appreciate other perspectives, "identify facts, opinions and bias in sources" and
make evaluations based on evidence, reasoning, and rigorous, thoughtful analysis
when we're seeing the complete opposite at the highest levels of government. I
really do want to protect all kids' ability to share their opinions and comfort
worried, but it feels wrong to not call out ideas that I know will offend many of
my students and create a hostile and potentially unsafe environment. We obviously
have an obligation to "strive not to Present our own personal opinion on a current
controversial issue as more right than another viewpoint," and avoid indoctrinating
our students. But, if the "other viewpoint" might not really be an argument about
"about which reasonable people can disagree" and might not lead to any kind of
intellectual, policy debate; it might just be blatantly racist. I don't always
want to tip‐toe around that, asking what evidence kids could provide when it's
clear that there is none. We need to "Teach students to distinguish between
personal attacks and civil political disagreement," but I want to make it clear
that some people are couching the former in the language of the latter, and that's
bad.
We have an obligation to avoid all of the following: "Present our own personal
opinion on a current controversial issue as more right than another viewpoint,"
"Present facts or logic that support only one side of a current controversial
issue," "Assume that all students agree with us," and "Assume that all students
feel comfortable disagreeing with us." But I also think I have an obligation to
teach civic duty and teach kids right and wrong, and about social justice and basic
Page 1
content
decency. In the long term, what would influence kids to become thoughtful,
responsible adult citizens ‐ seeing their teachers' passion for social justice, or
watching them tip‐toe around and avoid controversy, and perhaps not acknowledge
anything that's going on out of fear of having a tough conversation? I'm not sure
that's the kind of modeling I want to do. This will probably be an unpopular
opinion, but I don't actually think we should have the option of not discussing
these issues. I feel responsible for doing so. School is where kids learn stuff
and have to think; history classroom in which we spend our time discussing big
ideas. Why not these? We can help kids interpret the lessons of the past better
than anybody. I feel like a phony when I'm not doing that.
Thinking about the president's (and his supporters') criticisms of "political
correctness," but from the opposite perspective, I'm worried that as a school we're
so focused on making all kids feel safe and being PC that we're not showing enough
concern for students whose very rights to attend this school and receive an
education are being seriously threatened. If we make such a big deal about bias,
safety, etc. etc. then why aren't we taking stronger positions? I have a Muslim
student from Bangladesh whose family is preparing to leave pretty soon. I don't
feel good about protecting another student's right to a so‐called "political" view
that says my girl from Bangladesh shouldn't be allowed to sit next to him in class.
For all our concern about creating "safe spaces," it doesn't feel like I'm
creating such a safe space. How, exactly, do I "Teach students to distinguish
between personal attacks and civil political disagreement" when "policies" are
based on personal attacks, nativism, xenophobia, homophobia, etc.? One of my
students who is lesbian was harassed outside the cafe several weeks back and didn't
feel safe reporting it; another student did so on her behalf. In a classroom
environment, I wan't kids to understand that homophobia is not a "political
perspective" ("well, that's just my view of things, and I'm entitled to share my
opinion) but a perspective that's fundamentally wrong and unjust. To use some of
the complicated vocabulary we've learned via Tweets, some ideas are just "wrong"
and "bad." Sad!
In my U.S. class I'm teaching about immigration during the Gilded Age, and they
need to know not only the facts of what happened but also the larger lessons we
can of our nation's immigration story. Do I really have to avoid saying "I think
nativism is bad? The eugenics movement was based in large part on immigrants
destroying our country. If teachers could march on Boston with students during the
Vietnam War, do I really have to wait until after class to tell a student that I
went to a protest so I don't influence their thinking? Isn't having an impact on
their thinking sort of...the point? As long as I teach them what other people are
saying and why I think they're saying that, I feel like I should be able to present
my thesis. We have discussions for a living, so of course I want to hear from all
kids, and they learn when they have to listen to each other. But..this is hard.
I don't want to get fired for being a liberal propagandist.
Just a few thoughts!
Page 2
content
Jonathan Bassett writes:
Dear Esteemed Colleagues:
The attached is a document that we were going to discuss at our half day last week
if time allowed (it did not). It's based on a document that Jen Morrill is working
on with her department at South; she drafted it based on an article posted by Peter
Turner. You'll recognize some of the ideas from my faculty meeting powerpoint this
fall.
Henry has asked me to share this with the whole faculty this afternoon, and I
wanted you to have a copy ahead of the meeting. I understand that we have not
discussed this as a department, and had I known that Henry would ask for this to go
to everyone I would have made sure we had time for it. I don't think there's
anything objectionable here ‐ I think it just articulates good practices that we
all do already ‐ but we can certainly discuss it at our department meeting next
week.
Thank you for all your hard work, and I'll see you this afternoon!
Best,
Jonathan Bassett
History & Social Sciences Department Chair
Room 359
Newton North High School
Newton Teacher Residency Program Director
www.newton.k12.ma.us/ntr
Sincerely,
David Bedar
Newton North High School
Dept. of History and Social Sciences
321E
Page 3
content
Dear history nerds,
Thanks, Jon for this. And thank you to Peter for the article and David for the
thoughtful reflection.
Here's my 2 cents:
For what it's worth, it seems that kids (and I) feel that they have two options:
avoid these discussions or get into big arguments. I suggested to my students that
there is a 3rd way: they just ask questions. One basic question to give them is:
"What makes you think that?" I suggested that sometimes the best way forward is to
seriously listen to understand and/or to push the other person to really think
through their own arguments. I suggested that they actually might get further with
that strategy. A lot of kids seemed to think this was a good strategy ‐ it was
helpful that a great student had actually modeled it the day before in class in a
class discussion about the women's march.
Jon's email was timely as I was thinking of asking who was interested in chatting
about some strategies. Specifically, I am trying to stategize on how to do a better
job on some of the following: immigration, Islam, gay rights, checks and balances,
the impeachment process, the Holocaust, how to contact your congressional
representatives, etc... as a starting list. Wondering if anyone is interested in
getting together to chat about possible ways to help one another, e.g. anyone have
an excellent lesson on the gays rights movement I could steal?
I know we are all busy. But anyone up for a strategy session? One possibility,
this Friday after school? Let me know if you are interested, even if that time
doesn't work. I can provide snacks and coffee, or buy the first round depending on
Page 1
content
the location.
Kathryn
Jonathan Bassett writes:
David:
Your "essay" is very good, and raises a lot of the questions that we are all
dealing with. I hope that today's faculty meeting will help, and I look forward to
further discussion. We are in unprecedented times, and we are all struggling to do
good.
Best,
Jonathan Bassett
History & Social Sciences Department Chair
Room 359
Newton North High School
Newton Teacher Residency Program Director
www.newton.k12.ma.us/ntr
Page 2
content
David Bedar writes:
This is a very helpful, well written set of guidelines. Thanks!
And now...an essay! I know we'll talk about all of this at the department meeting,
but I'm struggling with my (incoherent) thoughts on these issues.
Personally, I'm finding it really difficult in the current climate to teach kids to
appreciate other perspectives, "identify facts, opinions and bias in sources" and
make evaluations based on evidence, reasoning, and rigorous, thoughtful analysis
when we're seeing the complete opposite at the highest levels of government. I
really do want to protect all kids' ability to share their opinions and comfort
worried, but it feels wrong to not call out ideas that I know will offend many of
my students and create a hostile and potentially unsafe environment. We obviously
have an obligation to "strive not to Present our own personal opinion on a current
controversial issue as more right than another viewpoint," and avoid indoctrinating
our students. But, if the "other viewpoint" might not really be an argument about
"about which reasonable people can disagree" and might not lead to any kind of
intellectual, policy debate; it might just be blatantly racist. I don't always
want to tip‐toe around that, asking what evidence kids could provide when it's
clear that there is none. We need to "Teach students to distinguish between
personal attacks and civil political disagreement," but I want to make it clear
that some people are couching the former in the language of the latter, and that's
bad.
We have an obligation to avoid all of the following: "Present our own personal
opinion on a current controversial issue as more right than another viewpoint,"
"Present facts or logic that support only one side of a current controversial
issue," "Assume that all students agree with us," and "Assume that all students
Page 1
content
feel comfortable disagreeing with us." But I also think I have an obligation to
teach civic duty and teach kids right and wrong, and about social justice and basic
decency. In the long term, what would influence kids to become thoughtful,
responsible adult citizens ‐ seeing their teachers' passion for social justice, or
watching them tip‐toe around and avoid controversy, and perhaps not acknowledge
anything that's going on out of fear of having a tough conversation? I'm not sure
that's the kind of modeling I want to do. This will probably be an unpopular
opinion, but I don't actually think we should have the option of not discussing
these issues. I feel responsible for doing so. School is where kids learn stuff
and have to think; history classroom in which we spend our time discussing big
ideas. Why not these? We can help kids interpret the lessons of the past better
than anybody. I feel like a phony when I'm not doing that.
Thinking about the president's (and his supporters') criticisms of "political
correctness," but from the opposite perspective, I'm worried that as a school we're
so focused on making all kids feel safe and being PC that we're not showing enough
concern for students whose very rights to attend this school and receive an
education are being seriously threatened. If we make such a big deal about bias,
safety, etc. etc. then why aren't we taking stronger positions? I have a Muslim
student from Bangladesh whose family is preparing to leave pretty soon. I don't
feel good about protecting another student's right to a so‐called "political" view
that says my girl from Bangladesh shouldn't be allowed to sit next to him in class.
For all our concern about creating "safe spaces," it doesn't feel like I'm
creating such a safe space. How, exactly, do I "Teach students to distinguish
between personal attacks and civil political disagreement" when "policies" are
based on personal attacks, nativism, xenophobia, homophobia, etc.? One of my
students who is lesbian was harassed outside the cafe several weeks back and didn't
feel safe reporting it; another student did so on her behalf. In a classroom
environment, I wan't kids to understand that homophobia is not a "political
perspective" ("well, that's just my view of things, and I'm entitled to share my
opinion) but a perspective that's fundamentally wrong and unjust. To use some of
the complicated vocabulary we've learned via Tweets, some ideas are just "wrong"
and "bad." Sad!
In my U.S. class I'm teaching about immigration during the Gilded Age, and they
need to know not only the facts of what happened but also the larger lessons we
can of our nation's immigration story. Do I really have to avoid saying "I think
nativism is bad? The eugenics movement was based in large part on immigrants
destroying our country. If teachers could march on Boston with students during the
Vietnam War, do I really have to wait until after class to tell a student that I
went to a protest so I don't influence their thinking? Isn't having an impact on
their thinking sort of...the point? As long as I teach them what other people are
saying and why I think they're saying that, I feel like I should be able to present
my thesis. We have discussions for a living, so of course I want to hear from all
kids, and they learn when they have to listen to each other. But..this is hard.
I don't want to get fired for being a liberal propagandist.
Page 2
content
Just a few thoughts!
Jonathan Bassett writes:
Dear Esteemed Colleagues:
The attached is a document that we were going to discuss at our half day last week
if time allowed (it did not). It's based on a document that Jen Morrill is working
on with her department at South; she drafted it based on an article posted by Peter
Turner. You'll recognize some of the ideas from my faculty meeting powerpoint this
fall.
Henry has asked me to share this with the whole faculty this afternoon, and I
wanted you to have a copy ahead of the meeting. I understand that we have not
discussed this as a department, and had I known that Henry would ask for this to go
to everyone I would have made sure we had time for it. I don't think there's
anything objectionable here ‐ I think it just articulates good practices that we
all do already ‐ but we can certainly discuss it at our department meeting next
week.
Thank you for all your hard work, and I'll see you this afternoon!
Best,
Jonathan Bassett
History & Social Sciences Department Chair
Room 359
Newton North High School
Newton Teacher Residency Program Director
www.newton.k12.ma.us/ntr
Sincerely,
David Bedar
Newton North High School
Dept. of History and Social Sciences
321E
David, if you get fired for doing exactly what history teachers, and indeed all
rational and ethical‐minded adults should indeed be doing, I will be right behind
you. Thank you for articulating very succinctly many of my self‐censored thoughts
and questions over the last couple of months. Your very coherent thoughts have
reminded me of the title of the Nobel Prize winning Wole Soyinka's book: The Man
Dies in all Who Keeps Silent in the Face of Tyranny. This is a very apt summation
Page 3
content
of some of the tip‐toeing and intellectual gymnastics that may just become the new
norm in dealing with a real, immediate and present danger. In this latest corrosive
and toxic nativist‐driven political environment, I am concerned that the call for
"objectivity" may just inadvertently become the most effective destructive weapon
against social justice. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Thank You,
++++++++++++++++++++++
Dr. Isongesit Ibokette
Dept. of History and Social Sciences
Newton North High School
Office #358C
Page 4