SAPON-SHAVIN’S BOOK: CHAPTER 7

SPEAKING THE TRUTH

AND

ACTING POWERFULLY

THE VISION:

IN COMMUNITY, PEOPLE DISCOVER THEIR COLLECTIVE POWER.

•NOTICING (THAT’S SOMETHING WRONG)

•COURAGE (TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE)

•STRATEGIES (TO BRING ABOUT CHANGE)

THE VISION (GOAL) FOR STUDENTS:

• STUDENTS SHOULD BE INFORMED AND AWARE OF ISSUES AND PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD. THEY SHOULD APPROACH THE WORLD WITH EYES WIDE OPEN, NOTICING THINGS THAT ARE WRONG OR UNFAIR, ALERT TO INJUSTICES AND INEQUITES. [NOTICING]

• STUDENTS SHOULD FEEL A COMMITMENT TO MAKING A DIFFRENCE. THEY SHOULD HAVE A SENSE THAT WHAT THEY DO MATTERS, THAT THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, AND THAT THEY MUST BE WILLING TO EXPEND THE ENERGY AND TIME TO DO SO. [COURAGE]

• STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE THE SKILLS AND STRATEGIES THEY NEED IN ORDER TO TAKE ON PROBLEMS AND ISSUES. THEY MUST HAVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS (TALKING TO OTHERS, ASKING QUESTIONS, AND LISTENING), INFORMATION GATHERING SKILLS (READING, DATA GATHERING, AND WAYS TO SORT THROUGH CONFUSING AND CONFLICTING INFORMATION), CONFLICT RESOLUTION SKILLS (WHAT TO DO WHEN PEOPLE DON’T AGREE OR ARE GETTING ANGRY), AND SKILLS IN BRINGING ABOUT CHANGE (LETTER WRITING, LOBBYING, AND ADVOCACY). [STRATEGIES]

THE VISION (GOALS) FOR TEACHERS:

• TEACHERS MUST FIND WAYS OF TEACHING STUDENTS ABOUT COMMUNITY AND GLOBAL PROBLEMS THAT ARE AGE APPROPRIATE AND DEVELOMENTALLY APPROPRIATE, NEITHER TALKING DOWN TO STUDENTS NOR OVERWHELMING THEM WITH INFORMATION AND FEELINGS THAT OVERPOWER THEM. [NOTICING]

• TEACHERS MUST IDENTIFY STRATEGIES FOR HELPING STUDENTS TO LOOK AT “BIG ISSUES” WITHOUT FEELING POWERLESS OR SUNK…. COUNTERACT DESPAIR AND HOPELESSNESS IN THEIR STUDENTS (AND THEMSELVES). [COURAGE]

• TEACHERS MUST HELP STUDENTS ACQUIRE THE SKILLS AND ATTITUDES THEY NEED TO ACT POWERFULLY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE. [STRATEGIES]

SOME OF THE ISSUES

OPPRESSIONS:

• SEXISM

• RACISM

• HETEROSEXISM/HOMOPHOBIA

• CLASSISM

• ANTI-SEMITISM AND OTHER RELIGIOUS OPPRESSION

• ETHNIC CLEANSING

• HANDICAPISM/ABLEISM

INEQUITIES

•POVERTY

•HOMELESSNESS

•HUNGER

•ABUSE

TEACHERS CAN HELP STUDENTS OPERATIONALIZE THE IDEA OF TAKING SMALL (AND THEN BIGGER) STEPS TOWARD MAKING A DIFFERENCE BY TEACHING STUDENTS ABOUT THE FOLLOWING:

•RESISTANCE/TAKING ACTION.

•ALLIES.

CHALLENGES TO THE VISION

• “I’M NOT REALLY COMFORTABLE WITH THIS ISSUE MYSELF. SOMETIMES, I FEL PRETTY CONFUSED SO HOW COULD I TAKE IT ON WITH THE STUDENTS.”

• “I DON’T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THIS TOPIC MYSELF TO TEACH IT RIGHT; I MIGHT GET IT ALL WRONG.”

• “TALKING ABOUT AN ISSUE LIKE THIS COULD REALLY MAKE THINGS WORSE; WHYROCK THE BOAT?”

• “I DON’T DARE BRING UP A TOPIC LIKE THIS. I COULD GET IN TROUBLE WITH PARENTS (THE ADMINISTRATION, OTHER TEACHERS).”

• “I HAVE SO MUCH OF THE MANDATED CURRICULUM TO COVER, I SIMPLY DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS.”

IS THIS WORKING:

NOTICING:

• DO STUDENTS NOTICE PRACTICES OR POLICIES THAT ARE “UNFAIR” AND BRING THEM TO THE ATTENTION OF THE TEACHER AND THEIR CLASSMATES?

• DO STUDENTS IDENTIFY STEREOTYPES AND STEREOTYPICAL LANGUAGE IN BOOKS THEY ARE READING

• DO STUDENTS IDENTIFY STEREOTYPES AND INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE IN THE MEDIA?

• ARE STUDENTS ABLE TO IDENTIFY JOKES THAT ARE RACIST, SEXIST, OR HOMOPHOPIC?

• ARE STUDENTS CRITICAL ENOUGH OF THEIR OWN CURRICULUM TO NOTICE THAT WHAT THEIR TEXTBOOKS OR VIDEOS SAY MAY NOT BE THE WHOLE STORY, OR THE SAME STORY THAT OTHERS MIGHT TELL?