Teaching Tolerance

"America is woven of many strands. I would recognize them and let it so remain. Our fate is to become one, and yet many. This is not prophecy, but description." - Ralph Ellison



Each year - before we begin to "dig in" to history - I ask my students to think about WHY we study history.

I get the typical:
*Because we have to...
*Because you said so...
the occasional:
*Because it teaches us about where we come from...
*Because we can learn from the past....

I think that we study history because it's a road map for how people can become the best version of themselves. Coupled with the horrors of slavery we have the bravery of abolition. The horrible exploitation of industrialization elicited the compassion of the Progressive Movement. Years of segregation gave birth to the Civil Rights Movement. It's easy to become mired down in examining the negative of history and there's a place for bringing these truths to light. It's important to also value the absolute beautiful bravery of those who time and again refused to give up or give in to this negativity.


Check out Teaching Tolerance - this magazine and the supporting materials made available online are supported by the Southern Poverty Law Center. (The Ralph Ellison quote above is included in a set of posters I have from this organization....a quote which I discussed with some students today -- reminding me why I love history and my job.)

Current Events

Keeping my opinionated mouth closed is one of the biggest challenges I face in teaching students about current events. It's a difficult balance to strike - to teach students all sides of a topic and not editorialize the information. Social Studies teachers are given the task not of teaching our students what to think - but of guiding them towards developing the skills necessary for them to become analytical, disciplined thinkers. Teaching a man to fish..and all that...

*CNN Student News is a great resource. It's a daily 10 minute newscast geared towards JrHigh/High School Students. They cover a little bit of everything - this year they've placed particular emphasis on our nations economic issues - each episode comes with discussion questions and comprehension activities (I make little use of these materials - my kids run with the ideas on their own). This newscast is available for streaming online (the link I provided) and for free daily download on itunes as a podcast (this is I highly recommend for those of you who have issues with Internet speed at your schools).

*Scholastic News is also pretty awesome. This is a resource that is appropriate for a wider range of students. They have free leveled news stories available for download and printing. Many stories are accompanied by a skill builder activity that reinforces reading skills and comprehension.

*Channel One is another resource I've heard good things about. I am less familiar with it than CNN Student News - but it serves the same function. The only drawback I've seen in my limited experience is that it isn't available for download - only live streaming.