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2024年2月2日
2024年2月2日
在当今世界, there’s no avoiding the fact that controversial issues are going to come up in our classrooms—there’s just too much swirling around in the world our students and educators inhabit for such issues not to surface in school. 当他们这样做的时候,你能说什么才安全? 你提供什么样的材料才放心? 如果你对某项活动有具体的问题, 教训, 或者你正在计划的谈话, 最好先咨询一下你的UniServ主管或VEA代表. 提供一些一般的指导方针, 虽然, 这是来自国家教育协会的一些建议, 摘自2023年指南, 《教育者的权利:为公共教育和学生发声.”
这是联邦和州法律规定的, 公立学校有权控制员工在工作中的言论. 这是因为当一个教育者以他们的官方身份发言时, 人们可能会认为她或他代表学校发言. 州法律和法院判决赋予学校对学校言论的重大控制权. 此外,学校有兴趣控制自己的信息. 学校对高效运营也很感兴趣, 这意味着尽量减少干扰和社区担忧. 最后,学校可能希望在有争议的话题上保持中立. 因为这些原因, 当你在学校或在你的角色中参与倡导或处理有争议的话题时,你应该谨慎行事. 也就是说, 在这些限制的范围内,仍然有一些方法可以为你的学生辩护.
凤凰体育买球老师在课堂上说什么,没有放之四海而皆准的规则. 教育工作者讲授许多重要的历史和当代问题, 包括凤凰体育买球种族主义和LGBTQ+个人的讨论. 但是,如何教授某些主题可能是有限制的. 在这种情况下,你的自由将取决于你所在州、学校和学校部门制定的规则.
在课堂上讨论有争议的问题
还记得, instruction on many controversial issues is part of existing state content standards and teaching students to think critically about difficult issues and develop their own views is one of the overriding goals of public education. Keep this in mind when you’re developing a 教训 plan that engages with controversial issues to minimize the risk of any backlash from your school or community.
在一般情况下, 如果你计划讨论时事,可能会引起争议的问题, 确保你的课程是(1)适合年龄的, (2)符合国家标准, (3)与贵校以往的做法一致. 如果你预计你的课程将会引起争议,先让你的校长执行计划. 这将使您的管理员有机会提出更改建议或为社区的负面反应做好准备. Following these steps is particularly important in school districts that skew more conservative or that have been targeted by far-right activists. You should be aware that NEA and its affiliates have pushed back against extreme efforts by school administrators to censor instruction, 但这些案例可能很困难, 我们的努力并不总是成功的. 例如, 德克萨斯州的一个学区告诉老师们, 为了遵守他们的新法律, 他们将不得不教授大屠杀的“两面”. 该地区后来改变了方针,收回了指导方针,并道歉. 最近, a tenured Tennessee teacher was fired over his use of a Ta-Nehisi Coates essay and a spoken word poem called “White Privilege.” The district claimed that the issue was that the language in the works was inappropriate for high school students and that the teacher did not present varying viewpoints on the issue. 全国教育协会和田纳西州教育协会继续向这位教师施压,试图赢回他的工作, but during the initial steps of the process—a hearing before an independent hearing officer and the action of the school board in reviewing the hearing officer’s report—the school district has prevailed.
讨论暴力行为
在美国,暴力经常撕裂社区. 当这种情况发生时,学生可能会问你发生了什么. 作为一名教育者, 你想支持你的学生, 承认痛苦, 恐惧, 或者他们可能会感到愤怒, 并帮助那些有需要的人获得心理健康资源. 在这些事件之一之后, consider taking time at the start of your day to address recent events and allow students an opportunity to express their feelings. 在可能的情况下, 与你的学校或部门管理者协调,在整个学校得到一致的回应. 例如, 他们的社区黑人在一家杂货店遭到大规模枪击, the Buffalo Public Schools district requested that all principals start the day with counseling circle meetings for students and provide safe spaces and mental health resources for students and staff. 全国学校心理学家协会也为教师提供了与孩子谈论暴力的建议, and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network has guidance on assisting parents/caregivers in coping with collective traumas.
当种族主义和仇恨激发了暴力, 就像白人至上主义者的枪击事件一样, 或者当暴力暴露了我们社会中系统性的种族主义, 比如一名执法人员射杀了一名手无寸铁的黑人, 这些对话更加困难,但也更加重要. 一个有用的资源可能是反诽谤联盟(Anti-Defamation League)凤凰体育买球如何应对暴力和仇恨的课程. 一如既往地, 确保你们的谈话是适合年龄的,并且符合学校政策或州法律凤凰体育买球这些话题的规定.
选择教学和课堂材料
部门和学校通常会规定你的课程, 包括特定科目的教科书和教学材料. 教师用自己选择的材料补充课程的自由差别很大. 一些凤凰体育买球协议明确允许教师这样做, 而另一些则需要事先批准标准课程之外的任何材料.
Many educators also have classroom libraries where students can access books on topics that may or may not be related to course materials. 最近的州法律限制了诚实和包容的教学方式, school districts across the country have increased efforts to ban books touching on subjects of race and 性别 from school libraries and educators’ classroom libraries.
Make sure that curricular materials and other books in your classroom are age-appropriate and in line with school and division policy. 如果学校的管理人员指示你从教室里移走特定的书, 及时将书移走. But contact your local union if it is unclear what books are permitted or if the restrictions are being implemented in a way that disproportionately targets and removes books that cover topics of race or LGBTQ+ issues. 目前有几起诉讼正在审理中,这些诉讼挑战了在种族问题上对教学的各种限制, 性别, 以及性取向, 在图书馆或教室禁书的努力也引发了类似的问题. 例如, the ACLU of Missouri recently filed a lawsuit challenging a school district’s policy that resulted in the removal of a book with a non-binary character before a review process was completed.
Expanding the curriculum to ensure it is inclusive and makes all students feel respected and represented is an important tool for building student engagement and learning. Classroom libraries can also provide students with important opportunities to learn using materials that may powerfully engage them by reflecting the experiences of people and families that represent them or by helping them better understand people with different backgrounds and experiences. Talk to your principal about the importance of making sure that all students feel seen and supported in your school and classroom and ways that the school can make sure this happens.
邀请演讲嘉宾
演讲嘉宾是向学生介绍新思想和新观点的好方法. 现在邀请虚拟演讲嘉宾比以往任何时候都要容易. 但是你应该有良好的判断力,提前做好计划,这样你就能遵守学校或学校的规定. 学校可能会对邀请演讲嘉宾进行类似的控制,就像他们对教师的课程进行控制一样.
Many school divisions require teachers to seek prior written authorization from their school principal before a guest speaker’s appearance. 当演讲者可能引起争议时, schools may require teachers to notify parents in advance and provide opportunities for students to opt out of attending the appearance. 例如, 伊利诺斯州的一位高中老师请来了许多演讲嘉宾,开设了一门名为, 冲突与神秘.在他邀请一名Wiccan信徒谈论神秘之后,社区成员非常愤怒. 家长支持老师, 他注意到,他曾多次发出凤凰体育买球客座演讲者的通知,并要求学生获得家长的许可. 学校董事会取消了这门课程,然后又恢复了. 类似地,加州的一所中学也有计划生育组织开展性教育. 学校会提前通知家长,让他们复习课程, 如果他们选择, 他们的学生选择退出吗.
分享你对有争议问题的看法
学校可以禁止教师发表个人意见, 即使他们允许老师在课堂上讨论有争议的话题. 例如, 法院维持了学校董事会的决定,不再与一位告诉学生的老师续约, 回答一个学生的问题, 当她经过反对伊拉克战争的抗议者时,她确实按了喇叭, “按和平喇叭.”
如果你的工作受到凤凰体育买球协议的保护, 仔细阅读它,以确定你的地区允许和咨询你的工会代表. 一些cba特别禁止分享个人信仰. 例如, the Burgettstown (PA) Area CBA allows teachers to introduce controversial materials and opinions but requires those teachers to make it clear that he or she is not expressing a personal opinion and is not speaking on behalf of the school district. 其他的cba允许教师发表他们的个人观点,但也有一些限制. 例如, 在俄勒冈州三角湖学区, 教师可以表达他们的个人意见,但仅限于与他们的课程内容相关的事情. 此外, 该意见不得与既定的学校董事会政策和/或批准的课程相冲突. 最后, 教师必须解释他们是亲自发言, 无论如何都不能代表学校. 在马里兰州的蒙哥马利县, teachers may express their own opinions on controversial issues “provided that the total presentation is essentially balanced and fair” and that the teacher is not promoting their own political aims.
如果你的工作没有被CBA覆盖, check with your union and school administrators to see what is or is not allowed in terms of sharing your personal views about a controversial issue with students in class. 一般来说, 除非得到你的同意, 无论是直接的还是学校部门的政策或实践或CBA, 你不应该在课堂上与学生分享你对有争议问题的个人观点.
你可以在这里下载完整的“为公共教育和你的学生说话”指南 www.恩颐投资.org/advocacy-rights.
对课堂上有争议的言论或事件的一些看法, 德里克·博克教与学中心, 哈佛大学: