The Ties That Bind {Family Edition}

My classroom door: Family means all are welcome.

The thing is, I just LOVE being a teacher.  I love meeting new students, getting to know their families, decorating my classroom, and planning lessons.

But what I love the most is becoming family with these kids - learning to believe in each other, to inspire each other, tolerate bad moods, and laugh together.


But with the news of late from Charlottesville, I am more energized than ever to teach. Witnessing any resurgence of the beliefs espoused by the KKK and Neo-Nazis is terrifying for our society, and even more demoralizing for teachers of the social sciences.

The suspect accused of killing a counter protester in Charlottesville was recently described by (none other than) his high school history teacher, who said "This was something that was growing in him,” Weimer said. “I admit I failed. I tried my best. But this is definitely a teachable moment and something we need to be vigilant about, because this stuff is tearing up our country.”

Have we Are we failing our communities by not being more effective teachers of inclusivity?

Have we failed to reach the most vulnerable students among us?

The footsteps of the Selma to Montgomery March, Civil Rights memorial
AP History field trip, 2016

As many have said, it is a fact that these hateful beliefs have existed in our country for many, many decades. Our class trip to the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery AL was certainly a shocking confrontation of that truth for our students, and for us teachers.

And it also true that the rise of the internet has played an important role in allowing these hateful beliefs to fester, with like-minded people. This has helped create the false notion that hate is not a fringe concept, but more of a political stance. This is a lie.

I feel lucky that my primary curriculum is AP World History, as the entire course is about how it has taken the entire world to create what we are today.  And that the process continues, as we learn from one another.  But it is (obviously) not enough for me to simply retell my students historical events from around the globe. I must work harder to create an environment where diversity is an asset to us all, and hateful speech is never, never accepted.  

I believe in public education, and I believe that I can make a difference.  I am fired up, and ready to go.  Here's to a new year, creating our new family, and a new commitment to my class goal, which remains:

The goal of this class is multifaceted, but overall we will attempt to

develop a more complete understanding of world history by: Exploring the

Ties that bind ALL cultures together, igniting curiosity, and

encouraging individual creativity through the study of history