Social Justice in Education

When we talk about social justice in education, we are talking about the inequities students experience based upon their social group. We aren't just talking about prejudice and discrimination, but the dynamics of power. In schools, teachers and the bureaucracy we represent, have the upper hand in the power structure students face daily. It is so important that we be as completely honest with ourselves about our own opinions and preconceived ideas about other groups. It is also very important that we recognize how our own membership in a social group affects our students' learning experiences in our classrooms.



Early in my teaching career, I attended a three-day workshop entitled "Beyond Diversity." In the workshop, the presenter guided us as we explored our own prejudices and how they might affect our students. One of the "Aha!" moments was when I realized not only do I need to be aware of my own prejudices, but I need to understand that my students will come to me with their own set of prejudices. Taking one look at me may cause a student to come to opinions and put up walls based upon those opinions. There isn't anything I can do to change my age, gender, or race, but I can do a few things to take down those walls students may put up when I walk through the door.



In my search for resources for this blog, I came upon a couple of very helpful websites. The first is from the University of Massachusetts Amherst: Social Justice Education Concentration http://www.umass.edu/sje/ The site explains the university's graduate program in Social Justice. They analyze the systems of institutional structures and cultural practices and behavior. Their program is targeted at educational professionals, including counselors, administrators, special educators. The outline of their program is interesting to me because it outlines all the different areas of study under the umbrella of social justice.



Another really helpful website for teachers is http://www.edchange.org/. It provides many resources for teachers, from lesson plans to a list of 20 (Self-) Critical Things I Will Do to Be a More Equitable Educator. I've added this site to my favorites, and will track the articles and many features, and keep you posted!



The absolute, most important thing that I provide my students is safety. Before I teach them anything at all, it is my responsibility that a child is safe in my classroom. This includes physical, mental, and psychic safety. The environment is key to whether a child will choose to learn in my classroom. At the beginning of the year I think it's crucial to spend a good deal of time teaching children to care. There are many good books that focus on teaching children how to interact with each other in peaceful, respectful ways. One of my favorites is Teaching Children to Care, another is The Responsive Classroom. When you take the time at the beginning of the year it sometimes seems like you are starting way too slowly before you get into the curriculum. But if you don't take the time early in the year, you'll spend time all year long, correcting behavior. Social skills can be taught, and it's amazing how well children pick up on when and where they need to use particular social skills.

In the end, I would consider my life well spent, if children in my classes learned how to treat each other well, how to solve problems, and to know how valuable they are.