Racism

Racism is an ongoing issue in the world today. How can we abolish it forever?

The idea of racism has been around for centuries. While we like to tell ourselves it no longer exists in the United States, this is not true. Racism is just as much, if not more of a problem today than it ever has been. People are being treated differently just because of their skin color or ethnicity. Even further, we are discriminated against due to numerous other factors, such as gender, age, sexual preference, and social class. And it's not just adults committing this cruelty; children are making each other feel awful by discriminating based on their smallest differences. Where are they learning it? Is it a learned behavior from their parents? Do they see it on TV and in the movies? Regardless of where they learn it, it must stop. If we as educators can help put an end to racism in students' early academic years, perhaps the good behavior will carry on and have a ripple effect. We need to stress that when it comes down to it, we are all human. The things that make us different are the things that make us special and unique;  we should take the time to learn about each others' differences and embrace them, appreciate them, simply learn from each other and grow. Following are some ideas borrowed from Richard Morgan's article on Eliminating Racism in the Classroom (link follows)

1. "One tactic a teacher could utilize to remove racism from classrooms is to take a critical look at the materials which the students use to learn. Despite the recent trend of multicultural literature, many school texts remain monocultural in their presentation of knowledge. This may send serious messages about the inferiority of some and the superiority of others."

2. "Cooperative learning groups are not only an effective tool to stimulate academic growth through participation, but they may also be a successful vehicle to help eliminate racism. Through the creation of a team, a micro-society, educators can attempt to break down the superficial barriers that students may see when they are individuals."

3. "Other methods to help eliminate racism may include a variety of active learning strategies through different multi-sensory learning styles" (such as making posters, watching movies, contributing to relief funds, and joining anti-racism groups).

This is a great article that offers many helpful ideas on how to help get rid of racism in the classroom--> Find it here.

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