by Sara Viveiros, Middle School Humanities Teacher at St. Andrew’s School in Barrington Rhode Island
If you are reading this blog from the United States, chances are you are experiencing some degree of tension in either your workplace, family, or social settings around the current political climate. Being a (somewhat) new resident of the country, I have noticed the continuously growing partisan sentiments from the right, left, and everyone in between. Many are feeling anxious heading into family dinner because they know that their beliefs might not align with those sitting around the table with them. We’ve all seen the memes about dreading family events. When you’re an educator, discussing politics becomes even more precarious. As teachers, we want to facilitate meaningful discussions and learning, avoid hostility, promote civil discourse, stay away from stereotyping, and remind students about empathy, kindness, and curiosity– a tall order. Recently, amid the growing tensions, I have had to seriously consider what I want my classroom to look like. I have thought long and hard about what wisdom and skills I can impart to my students that will serve them well throughout their lifetime. I’ve thought about the lessons I wish I received in school but didn’t.
After much reflection, I realized that there are two things that I value most in my classroom. I want my students to be critical thinkers and I want them to lead with empathy. I don’t want my classroom to be a place where we shy away from having difficult conversations, even when that would be the easier route. I am a firm believer that we can still feel safe while feeling uncomfortable. This happens when we are confronted with an idea that challenges our way of thinking. But, shutting that idea out, labeling it as wrong before even considering it, or ignoring it altogether doesn’t broaden our understanding. It does absolutely nothing to open our minds. Quality education is to question our assumptions about the world. Good teachers have us wondering, Why do I think this way? What sources do I rely on? And is there another way to view this? Civil discourse is essential in a society that thrives on collaboration, and the ability to engage with those who see the world differently starts in our schools.
One of the ways that we can ground ourselves is by having a set of guiding principles. Class norms are essential in establishing what our values are as a community. Fortunately, my school has a set of standards that lend themselves beautifully to critical thinking and leading with empathy. Norms like, “disagreement is a learning opportunity” articulate the hopes I have for my students. But norms are not just about what I want for my students, or even what the school wants for them. They need to come from the students themselves.
Before setting expectations for our class, I introduced my middle schoolers to Tina Payne Bryson & Daniel Siegel’s Four Ss– Safe, Seen, Soothed, and Secure. These four words guide the students in considering what they want our shared space to be like. Among the list of class norms that my learners have come up with are, “Respect yourself and others,” “Let every voice be heard” and my personal favourite, “Don’t yuck someone else’s yum.” As a teacher, these are some guidelines I can work with! This is the kind of stuff that can combat divisiveness.
We come back to our norms often. Every one of our Leadership Workshop classes begins with reviewing these expectations that we have established together. There are times when conversations become heated and classmates are interrupting each other. Sometimes we are “listening” as we wait to speak instead of listening to understand. These moments are when our norms come in handy. They ground us. We can stop, take a breath, check ourselves, and continue.
The norms have many purposes, one of which is to encourage learners to challenge their preconceived notions. This doesn’t mean that students will, or should, change their minds after hearing an opposing perspective. Convictions are a good thing, and I want my learners to stay true to what they feel is right. But our convictions shouldn’t come from a place of ignorance or an unwillingness to understand those who are different from us. It’s ok to change your beliefs after learning more. It’s also ok not to change them.
Ultimately, we want our kids to become leaders who are empathetic and want to understand others.
It seems that as of late, every decision we make has become a statement about where we stand politically. From the music and podcasts we listen to and the places we buy groceries, to the causes we empathize with –everything has become a branding of who we are. It seems that we are losing our ability to see each other as complex beings. Multiple things can be true at the same time. Homemakers can be feminists, conservatives can be environmentalists, and scientists can go to church. Complexities are what make us human, but it seems like every statement we make lately becomes a line in the sand separating the “us” from the “them”.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
As a Language Arts teacher, I am always searching for novels with complex protagonists that challenge stereotypes. In 7th grade, we read the classic coming-of-age novel The Outsiders. As I was scouring teacher resources online, one educator shared an activity around the use of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Ted Talk, The Danger of a Single Story. Essentially, Adichie brilliantly explains how dangerous it can be if we only hear or seek out one perspective about a person or a country. In many ways, this is what we are doing as a society. We are bombarded with messaging that labels individuals and groups of people– painting them with a broad brush. We have become comfortable in our echo chambers, accepting the negative characterizations of those different from us as facts. It feels like we are being conditioned to fixate on our differences and see another’s differences as their shortcomings. Teaching the adolescents in my room about the dangers of a “single story” has been a game changer. You can, in fact, be both a greaser and a hero.
Ultimately, we want our kids to be aware of the dangers of assumptions, of failing to ask questions, and of ignoring the humanity behind the headlines. If we want our students to lead in a way that allows for a less divisive, more collaborative future, then we should be encouraging them to be curious about the perspectives that are different from their own. We need to start by giving them the space to disagree respectfully, be curious, think critically, and practice empathy.
Links:
The Power of Showing Up and the Four S’s
“The Outsiders, Novel” by Susan Eloise Hinton (Britannica)
The Danger of a Single Story (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, TED Talk)
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Sara Viveiros is a faculty member in the Humanities Department at St. Andrew’s School in Barrington, Rhode Island. She also facilitates the Leadership Workshop, a class that helps middle school students navigate social situations, develop self-awareness and critical thinking skills, and foster leadership skills grounded in empathy. Sara attended the gcLi Leadership Lab in 2023, and was the recipient of the gcLi Leadership Grant. She recently earned a Master’s Degree in School Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.