How Do We Talk About Issues that Matter
How Do We Talk About Issues that Matter?
As said in Fostering Civil Discourse, "engaging in civil discourse means bringing your mind, heart, and conscience to reflective conversations on topics that matter, in ways that allow you to extend your understanding in dialogue with others." We, as society need to work on being more mindful and understanding when talking to others. We need to put all of ourselves into conversations with people on topics that matter, so we can have honest communication and hopefully learn something from them. The exchanging of ideas, perspectives, and arguments is essential for democracies and for communities to run. There are many issues that don't seem to be talked about in school because people are scared or have a lack of knowledge. Some people also think that being colorblind is easier than facing the uncomfortable truth that you may hold unconscious biases because of your background. This is an ignorant way to think because in education that can impact your teaching and impact your students in a negative way. We should take a mindful approach when addressing race and as a whole should do more research, especially for teachers. Being a good role model, establishing clear guidelines, and moderating negative thinking can help make difficult conversations run smoother. Also, working on making your classroom feel like a safe space for your students is important if you want your students to participate in conversation and feel like they're being heard. It's important to stay on topic and resist straying too far because it can lead to confusion, or your students to stop paying attention. You matter and your opinions matter. It's just a matter of putting this into action in our everyday life and in education.
Tiyana, I agree with your viewpoints on this discussion. I agree that as an educator we want to create a classroom in which our students feel safe to speak freely on difficult discussions and feel valued for that opinion. As a teacher it is crucial to be mindful during difficult discussions on topics such as racism. We want to give our students respect and an open mind view on such topics. By creating a positive atmosphere we are promoting critical understanding instead of being ignorant to these difficult discussions. Which is important for the classroom. One big takeaway that I liked that you talked about was honest communication. Being honest with your students is so so important. We want to approach these topics in an honest way that is not to harsh but also not vague. Having an honest communication set up allows for the direction of the conversation to flow easier and will have a more effective outcome.
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