Name: 【TED】Liz Kleinrock: How to teach kids to talk about taboo topics (How to teach kids to talk about taboo topics | Liz Kleinrock)
Uploaded: 2019-03-15T18:35:41.000Z
Duration: 12 min 2 s
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Past continuous

I was beginning a new unit on race with my fourth-graders.

I like to begin by having all the students list everything they know about it,

And I had the type of moment that every teacher has nightmares about.

One of my students had just asked the question,

And another student, let's call her Abby,

had just raised her hand and volunteered:

\"Maybe some people don't like black people because their skin is the color of poop.\"

So, as if on cue, my entire class exploded.

Half of them immediately started laughing,

and the other half started yelling at Abby

\"Oh, my God, you can't say that, that's racist!\"

So just take a second to freeze this scene in your mind.

There's a class of nine- and ten-year-olds,

because they think Abby has said something wildly funny,

and the other half are yelling at her for saying something offensive.

And then you have Abby, sitting there completely bewildered

because, in her mind, she doesn't understand the weight of what she said

standing there in the corner, like, about to have a panic attack.

I have to make split-second decisions all the time.

I could fight by raising my voice and reprimanding her for her words.

and quickly start reaching for another subject,

like anything to get my students' minds off the word \"poop.\"

However, as we know, the right thing to do is often not the easy thing to do.

And as much as I wanted this moment to be over,

and that I knew both of these options would help me escape the situation,

I knew that this was far too important of a teachable moment to miss.

So after standing there for what felt like an eternity,

I unfroze and I turned to face my class, and I said,

And my students kind of looked at each other, all confused.

is because people with light skin have looked at people with dark skin

And even use this reason as an excuse to dehumanize them.

And the reason why we're learning about race and racism in the first place

And to understand why comments like this are hurtful,

and to make sure that people with dark skin

are always treated with respect and kindness.\"

Now, this was a truly terrifying teachable moment.

But as we moved forward in the conversation,

I noticed that both Abby and the rest of the kids

And as I watched the conversation really marinate with my students,

I began to wonder how many of my students have assumptions just like Abby.

And what happens when those assumptions go unnoticed and unaddressed,

But first, I think it's important to take a step back

and even consider what makes a topic taboo.

I don't remember receiving an official list of things

But I do remember hearing, over and over, growing up:

there are two things you do not talk about at family get-togethers.

And those two things are religion and politics.

And I always thought this was very curious

because religion and politics often are such huge influencing factors

over so many of our identities and beliefs.

is that feeling of discomfort that arises when these things come up in conversation.

But some people are extremely fluent in the language of equity,

or that their ignorance will show as soon as they open their mouths.

But I believe that the first step towards holding conversations

is to begin by building a common language.

And that actually starts with destigmatizing topics

Now, conversations around race, for example,

and students need to be fluent in this language

where students can feel free and comfortable

But, unfortunately, not all students feel that sense of security.

Now, I knew that day in front of my fourth-graders

that how I chose to respond could actually have life-long implications

not only for Abby, but for the rest of the students in my class.

the rest of the class could actually infer that this type of comment is acceptable.

and embarrassed her in front of all of her friends,

that feeling of shame associated with one of her first conversations on race

could actually prevent her from ever engaging on that topic again.

Now, teaching kids about equity in schools is not teaching them what to think.

It is about giving them the tools and strategies and language

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【TED】Liz Kleinrock: How to teach kids to talk about taboo topics (How to teach kids to talk about taboo topics | Liz Kleinrock)

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