Navigating Ethical Tensions
The topic for the discussion was if the “New Deal” was a failure or a success. The texts that the students were required to read for this discussion noted that it was only successful for specific groups of people. By the end of the discussion, the students did not seem to acknowledge the systemic racism perpetrated by the New Deal, so I continued to pose the question if they believed it was okay for certain groups to be excluded. Jamie, who had not previously contributed to this discussion, raised her hand and asked why I kept asking when the class appeared to disagree. I was tempted to respond, but I did not want to disclose my opinion or shut down the discussion.
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Sigal
10th Grade
US History
Second Year Teaching
- What is the teacher's dilemma? Consider the teacher's goals, possible actions, beliefs about the situation and the students, and their own self-perceptions.
- Complete or modify the following sentence in a way that captures the teacher's central tension in the situation: "While on the one hand, the teacher believed/wanted/felt/did __________, on the other hand, they believed/wanted/felt/did __________."
- Thinking about your own classroom, how do you navigate the tension between withholding your opinion on a topic while also wanting students to acknowledge particular aspects of historical events?