Four Hash Marks, Weapons of Mass Discussion -- Blog 8

Christina Torres wrote the article “Why Teaching About Social Justice Matters,” in which she discusses why social justice is an important topic to talk about in the classroom. She pointed out that when asked to write about stereotypes, 40% of her students wrote about racial stereotypes and 20% wrote about gender stereotypes that they faced. Without fully understanding the social justice buzzwords, her students wrote their essays about micro-aggressions that they faced and the negative and/or damaging expectations that were thrust upon them. The topics and ideas that the subject of social justice invokes are the struggles and tribulations that our students face every day. These are the ideas that our students are passionate about, that they wrote about on Twitter and Tumblr, that they make memes about on Reddit and Instagram. Someone once said that: “Movies are made by the rich, for the poor; opera is made by the rich, for the rich; theatre is made by the poor, for the rich; but memes, memes are made by the poor, for the poor.” Whether the memes or the hashtagged posts or the whatever form of expression our students are using is for or against social justice, these topics still spark discussion between our students.

While it is clear that these issues resonate with our students, being a teacher then begs the question: Is it our job to teach them social justice? Torres says that “this is not just a job; it is a privilege. Being able to teach with and learn from our students is a gift.” That statement resonated with me. Many teachers simply teach the subject that they are given and nothing more, but the good teachers, the great teachers, the teachers that will have a constant and profound impact on their students are the ones who are will to push the bounds a bit, just enough to show their students what their world is really like… and hopefully, keep their jobs.

Torres, Christina. “Why Teaching About Social Justice Matters.” Teaching Tolerance, Southern Poverty Law Center, 5 Mar. 2015, www.tolerance.org/magazine/why-teaching-about-social-justice-matters.

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