Don't Matter How Raggly...Art to Drive Discussion of Current Events

If you are in a position as a teacher to facilitate a conversation about what is happening in the country, I have two suggestions: Art (for young and old) and Keep It Anonymous (for middle school and up.)
On January 7, 2021, my 8th-grade students were in a virtual learning environment. This meant that I watched the events of January 6, 2021, unfold in real time, and there was a good chance they did too. I've been thinking back to that moment as I am bombarded with images from Minneapolis. It's a rollercoaster of emotions that, as an adult, I struggle to process. Who knows how a developing mind makes sense of this barrage of news, images and violence.
On January 7, 2021, I knew that I needed to navigate the events of January 6 carefully. The political climate was tense in my suburban district, with masking mandates, Covid surges sending us back to virtual learning, and a lot of fear all around.
I used a PearDeck slide presentation focused on art, perspectives, and our earlier learning about Henry David Thoreau's civil disobedience. I also reconnected to our ongoing theme of citizens' rights and responsibilities.
This teaching tool worked in that moment because students from every side of the political spectrum could share their understanding and concerns with me, and I could keep their ideas private. Those I needed to have a follow-up conversation with could be emailed or messaged.
Many were scared. Some were confused. I look back at that moment as a time I rose to meet the challenge of the moment. My students did too.
I teach high school now, but I plan to adapt my slides for the start of my second-semester classes for freshmen and sophomores. We are about to study WWII in US History and the Enlightenment and Rights of Men in World History. I'll share what I come up with here.

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