Many schools enjoy celebrating a non-religious "holiday season" but clearly favor Christmas in their traditions and decor. Moreover, important non-Christian holidays that don't occur in December are often overlooked completely. This edition of The Moment offers resources that can help your school community become more inclusive by reflecting on how and when holidays show up in your hallways, assemblies and classrooms.
Every fall, we’re excited to welcome new educators to the Teaching Tolerance community. In this edition of The Moment, we’ve collected a few of our favorite resources for social justice education. If you’ve been with us for a while, we hope you’ll enjoy reviewing these popular resources—and that you’ll pass them along. If you’re new to Teaching Tolerance, welcome! We’re glad you’re here.
This week, a Texas school district is making news for requiring a student to cut his locs before graduation. We’re heartened by how this student’s family and community are supporting him, but we must ask: How many other celebrations—and bodies—are still being regulated by discriminatory school policies? This is a conversation we should be having with students, colleagues and administrators. These resources can help.
Racial oppression plays a significant part in American history, and it’s critical our students learn about it. But this February, we're encouraging educators to reflect on their own practice and ensure that the Black history they’re teaching—this month and year-round—isn’t limited to narratives of trauma. To support that learning, this week we’ll be sharing some of our favorite resources for celebrating the diversity of Black history, identity and experience.
This week, we were disappointed to see wide circulation of the videos showing Ahmaud Arbery's and Sean Reed's shooting deaths. Educators have a responsibility to engage with students about this violence against Black men—and the white supremacist systems that allow it to continue. But they must do so without re-traumatizing Black students and with extra care for their mental health. These resources can help.
A pandemic rages on, police violence continues to affect Black communities, and this school year is like no other. We know anxiety and burnout have been commonplace this year, and we hope you can find time to pause to practice self-care. These resources can help you reflect, rest and refresh so that you can be present for yourself and your students in 2021.