WHAT IS SOCIAL JUSTICE?
Social Justice - fair treatment of all people in a society, including respect for the rights of minorities and equitable distribution of resources among members of a community. (dictionary.com)
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HOW DOES SOCIAL INJUSTICE IMPACT STUDENTS IN POORER AREAS?
Students in poorly funded schools...
have less access to books, technology, and other resources...
have less qualified teachers, since those are who the school can afford...
are given less opportunities...
...than students in affluent areas.
Social Justice Belongs in our Schools
WHY IS SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPORTANT TO TEACH IN SCHOOLS?
The key to progress in a society is by educating children about these topics from a young age. As educators, we have influence on how the next generation perceives the world and different groups of people. We have a responsibility to raise students to be good people, better than the last generation, and to know the importance of treating everyone fairly and equitably, without preconceptions or judgements based on stereotypes. We can help eliminate stereotypes that are associated with certain groups of people.
Sydney Chaffee: "school has to be about teaching people (not subjects) to change the world for the better."
By setting a strong example of social justice in our classrooms, students will feel inspired to carry this act and use it in the outside world.
HOW DOES SOCIAL INJUSTICE IMPACT STUDENTS OF COLOR?
Black students...
are nearly two times as likely to be suspended without educational services, and are 3.8 times as likely to receive one or more out-of-school suspensions as white students. (The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2015: African American Students (uncf.org))
are often concentrated in schools with fewer resources (UnequalEduation.pdf (uncf.org) )
are half as likely to participate in gifted and talented programs (How Racism Affects Children of Color in Public Schools (thoughtco.com) )
...than white students.
HOW SHOULD A TEACHER ADDRESS SOCIAL JUSTICE IN CLASS?
Be respectful.
Let students know that your classroom is a safe space where they will be heard. Support their identities!
Honor and build-on the knowledge and experiences that your students already have
Support different learning styles (Cultivating an Anti-Racist English Classroom (k-12talk.com)
Make classwork relevant to real life - give context as to why you're teaching something.
Make resources accessible!!! - not everyone has access to the internet or the money to buy books.
HOW DOES SOCIAL INJUSTICE IMPACT LGBTQ STUDENTS?
According to a 2020-21 report called the National School Climate Survey by the research and advocacy group GLSEN...
"Seventy-six percent of LGBTQ students were verbally harassed because of their identity; 31 percent were physically harassed"
"Nearly all LGBTQ students—97 percent—heard “gay” used in a negative way at school. Almost 90 percent heard other types of homophobic slurs"
"40 percent of LGBTQ students said they avoided school bathrooms, locker rooms, and physical education or gym classes due to bullying and harassment"
"More than 71 percent of survey respondents said their classes did not include any LGBTQ topics."
Why it's so hard to talk about the N-word
When we see the N-word used in books (such as Huck Finn, it is an opportunity to acknowledge the history behind the word and why it is so inappropriate to use today. As Pryor said in the TED Talk, when the word is said out loud in a classroom environment, it poisons the whole room. "Students across the country talk about switching majors and dropping classes because of poor teaching around the N-word." This is why having open and honest conversations about the word is so important - to avoid students being uncomfortable - especially in an English classroom.
WHAT MAKES AN ENGLISH CLASSROOM AN EFFECTIVE PLACE TO TEACH SOCIAL JUSTICE?
Since a large part of teaching English often involves reading and analyzing literature, teachers can use this to their advantage. We can ensure that the content being read is diverse and from perspectives other than the students'. Although there are often several required readings by straight white men in the curriculum, we can offer counter-perspectives when the class analyzes these books. The importance of other perspectives should be acknowledged in class and students should know that their is value in reading "the classics" and new, more diverse, literature.
As mentioned in the Edutopia article, several of the classic novels "(To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, and The House on Mango Street) centered on the experiences of BIPOC, people living in poverty, and differently abled people. This literature offered students a chance to read about the experiences of marginalized people and explore systems of oppression. To prepare my students, I built background knowledge and exposed them to the concepts of diversity, prejudice, bias, discrimination, privilege, and systems of oppression" (Alexander).
WHAT RESOURCES ARE THERE FOR TEACHING SOCIAL JUSTICE THROUGH LITERATURE?
From https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/using-literature-teach-social-justice :
Lawrence Hill - So What Are You Anyway?: discusses the theme of racism and social perception of bi-racial ethnicities.
Kate Chopin - The Story of An Hour: gender roles, gender identity and gender in/equality in our society.
Eudora Welty - A Worn Path: underlying themes of the story: racism, ageism, sacrifice and hope.
Kate Chopin - Desiree’s Baby: discusses issues of racism slavery, it also works to discuss gender roles implicitly through the representation of the main character’s marriage.
Jamaica Kincaid - Girl: The focus here is mainly gender, but also the impact culture has on the shaping of our identities and our gender roles.
HOW CAN TEACHING SOCIAL JUSTICE BE INCORPORATED INTO EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES IN AN ENGLISH CLASSROOM?
Include books from a variety of authors (black, LGBTQ, latinx, indigenous authors, women, etc...). (the Daring English Teacher)
Ask students to write from a different person's perspective. (the Daring English Teacher)
Encourage students to find a social justice topic that they are particularly passionate about. (the Daring English Teacher)
Interpret requirements in the curriculum as opportunities to teach about different cultures or current world events.
Encourage students to form opinions on laws/policies, and be able to see both sides in writing/reading activities.
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