Current Events, Politics, or Both?

So I wanted to address the current events happening in DC but based on my Twitter and Instagram it looked like it was already being addressed and teachers across the country were on it. Way to go teachers! 👏Thoughtful ways to address the events with students in safe and meaningful ways. Fast forward a week when I saw a picture of our troops camped out on landings and floors of the Capitol building.  I reached out to a couple of friends to see confirm that they were addressing these events with their students. Their repsonse? No. Their caution? Bringing politics into the classroom.

Where do we as teachers draw the line between current events and politics? Between history and politics?

As teachers we must be careful not to bring our political views into the classroom, especially if they will disrupt the learning environment. But I think there has to be a balance between not sharing our political views and not sharing anything at all.

Since I am not a social studies teacher and have only taught SS 3 years in elementary school, I started at the grade level state standards. The 8th grade standards, for example, cover the themes of: civic participation, cultural interactions, development of political ideas and institutions, economic decision making, and geographic relationships. More specifically the standards call on students to "demonstrate an understanding of the impact of world events on South Carolina and the United States from 1929 to present." The later indicators state that students should "analyze the continuities and changes in South Carolina’s identity resulting from the civic participation of different individuals and groups of South Carolinians" and "utilize a variety of primary and secondary sources to analyze multiple perspectives on the cultural changes in South Carolina and the U.S." These indicators are primarily geared at addressing the post-WWII era but I don't think we can abandon the more current history in these standards.

History is defined as past events and it is not specific for how far in the past.  We learn about history to realize how we got to where we are and to inform the future. There are many quotes about the purpose of learning about history - Nelson Mandela said it better than I can...

"The purpose of studying history is not to deride human action, nor to weep over it or to hate it, but to understand it. And hopefully....." pic.twitter.com/fsNsST3K3y

— NelsonMandela (@NelsonMandela) October 23, 2016

Now I COMPLETELY understand the hesitation on teachers' parts of addressing something that is surrounded by controversy and heat. 13 year olds are just beginning to gain their own voices but most of the time they repeat what they hear at home, on the news, and on social media. Teachers must build a community where open discussion grounded in evidence is welcomed and this cannot just happen overnight because of a life changing current event.

The New York Times offers a curriculum (and even free access to their journalism to students and teacher through Sept 2021!) with writing journal prompts and focused on conversations about current events.  In December 2019, students responded to if they thought the impeachment inquiry at the time was a teachable moment. Chloerose R. from NC said, "I feel that talking about such controversial topics has allowed us, students, to expand our thinking, strengthen our views, and learn how to understand other’s beliefs." Another student, Sofia S. from  MA said, "Though politics are very controversial, as long as students are being given unbiased information and all students are allowed to give their opinion, it seems like there are no problems …" "It is possible to discuss politics in a neutral way. Just don’t ask about what side people are on and if they think what is going on is good or bad or correct or incorrect. If you talk about politics in a more factual way, such as 'This is what is happening now' instead of 'The impeachment inquiry is a really good idea and who agrees,' stated Adah D. of PA.

This week I was listening to Cult of Pedgogy's podcast episode from January 10, 2021 on 6 EdTech Tools to Try in 2021 when I heard about AllSides.  AllSides provides a variety of resources. One of which is a current event summary (which they claim unbiased) followed by snippets from news sources from the right, center, and left. (Check out their post about the Capitol breach.) A mashup of AllSides and Parlay Ideas would be a great way to begin open discussions. (Check out Parlay Idea's Student Guide to Live RoundTables - great tips for students even if you're not using Parlay.)

I guess this babbling is just my thoughts that as teachers we cannot wait until a major current event to set up a classroom community built on respect, open dialogue, and evidence based opinions. Start now so your students have a safe place to intelligently discuss the things they are hearing about on their phones, tvs, and living rooms.  Current events might be political but they will have a place in history and must be addressed with our students as an authentic way to promote critical thinking and media literacy.

Thoughts? Opposing views? I'm open.