Ted.aily: Explaining difficult events to students

I am simply befuddled.

Befuddled at the actions of adults.

Befuddled at the actions of our leaders.

Befuddled at the *lack of actions of our leaders.

During extremely difficult times, I find it especially challenging to be an educator, feeling the need to process for myself as well as guide the next generation in critical thought and self reflection about recent events. Simply put, my job as an educator has never been to tell students what to think, but to help them critically understand and process current events and to come to their own conclusions. My job has always been to inform students know that I too have implicit bias and recognize my privileges. But additionally am working to identifying all the factors/components to help myself be more informed and in touch with my thoughts and emotions, as they too should learn to recognize/identify theirs.

I have spent a great deal of time thinking about how I can best serve my students who come from diverse backgrounds, and have come to the conclusion that no amount of “science” can prepare them for the real world. I have also found that I, too, need to process for myself, before being able to help students come to realizations themselves. And in response to these thoughts, I need to dig a bit deeper and consider how I teach and how I foster critical thinking within my classroom. “Question everything,” I tell my students. As they learn to process current events, I hope that they will continue to view things through a more critical lens and be the change makers that they are capable of being.

In some ways I think we have failed them, but am constantly reminded of their grace and forgiveness in allowing us, adults, to have another opportunity to teach them valuable lessons the next day and the next year. They are a resilient generation, and I do not take the opportunity to support and educate them lightly.

Here are some resources for those of you interested in having difficult conversations with students and need that extra hand to hold:

1. Responding to the Insurrection at the Capitol

• A few things that stood out to me as an educator:

  • Start with yourself. We often try to support others before ourselves, but until we understand and are comfortable with our thoughts and emotions, it is difficult to help students process their own.

  • Adapt. There is ALWAYS room for current events within our curriculum. There is always room for self-care within our curriculum. I am a teacher to my students first and content second.

  • Create a Safe Space. Safe spaces are cultivated through intentional relationship building and cannot be forced and most certainly cannot be rushed. Allowing yourself to be a HUMAN is also part of this process as students are the most adept and keen to seeing through fake people. Let the students know that you are human, and more importantly, let them see that you too are human.

2. Social Justice Standards for Teachers

• The Teaching Tolerance Anti-Bias Framework

• As an educator it is important to have difficult conversations often, as it helps students develop the ability to express emotions and find the right verbiage for processing and talking about difficult topics.

• Looking at implementing standards from Teaching Tolerance is always a really great start to being the change you want your students to bring to the world.

3. Explaining the News to our Kids

• Students are very observant and follow your every action.

• Be mindful of your emotions and actions as you respond to news yourself. Be critical in thinking and have real, thoughtful discussions with your students/kids about the things that are happening.

• Your students/kids absorb all the information you give, so be mindful of your language - your words and actions give them implicit bias and experiences that will influence their thoughts and ideas sometimes permanently!

4. Talking to Kids About the Violence at the U.S. Capitol

• Students often receive their news through Social Media, which is hard for adults to understand and process. Be mindful of this and keep yourself informed. Ask your students often what they see and help them identify bias within the things that they see. Help them understand the different sides - educating the youth helps them respond intellectually to current events, not emotionally. It allows for our students to make critical decisions when they interact with others to help make informed decisions and comments. Just because violence is used, does not mean we have to respond with violence.

• Make yourself human, talk about your feelings! But acknowledge they are your feelings and why you feel this way.

If you want to have more discussions around educating our youth or would like some recommendations on books and resources, please reach out! Being an educator is a privilege and having the ability to comb through resources for families to use is part of it! Cheers to a better 2021, we both deserve and need it.