Do not end the discussion of police brutality in African American Studies class at ELHS.
If we want to raise our children to be compassionate people who participate as responsible citizens in a democracy, we need to find ways to talk with them about the thorny issues that we struggle with as a country. Race, violence, systems of oppression, and African American history are a few of those issues. I don't think there is ever one conversation about such a big issue; I think we need to talk repeatedly about these tough issues on an ongoing basis. Because we as americans struggle with these issues, we will often find ourselves struggling to know how to talk to children about them. But that doesn't mean we don't have a responsibility to do so.
In our town of East Longmeadow we have a class at the high school "African American Studies" that approaches these issues, with the view of teaching kids how to think and not what to think, through open dialogue and honest conversation students learn from one another. Earlier in the week our African American studies class started our unit on police brutality. Due to backlash from the students and parents the unit has been removed by the teachers discretion. It is heartbreaking that this is a conversation we will no longer be able to have in the ideal setting to do so.
Suburban families often ignore the issue of racism because it makes us uncomfortable, and because we assume that it doesn't affect our children. We can only end racism by talking with all of our children about these topics that make us all uncomfortable.
Please sign this petition to show support for the importance of talking to our students about police brutality and how to progress into better policing practices and methods, by bringing back the unit.
Please do not allow the conversation to end here.
Updates
May 11, 2016
The momentum behind this petition highlights a collective desire to keep essential discussions alive within our classrooms. It is encouraging to see this many people affirm the importance of teaching critical history in our local schools.
13 Comments
Mr. Polk is presenting a fair and balanced approach to this subject. It's a shame that students who don't or can't follow what's going on in the classroom bring half of the information back home to their parents.
If you allow these uncomfortable ideas to be silenced by those who they make uncomfortable, you compromise the intellectual freedom of all of your students. If we as educators remain silent on this topic, we are teaching young people that this issue - possibly the central race issue of our current political climate - can not be discussed openly. Please, don't back down. If this class is worth teaching at all, it's worth doing it right.
After hearing the story of the incident, parents are over reacting and kids are just telling their parents half of the problem.
This is a very important discussion. Racism.was an issue not particularly addressed as a modern reality when I went to this school, it was taught as though it were something that had passed. I think that this needs to be kept in the light for the younger people that are currently going to this school. There is still racism from all races for all other races, and it needs to be exposed for the fallacy it is and brought to an end, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes us.
I feel that current issues are hidden from the public especially when they have an impact on our lives. I feel that issues like theses need to be discussed
agrreeeedd
we are all HUMAN!!!!
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Do not end the discussion of police brutality in African American Studies class at ELHS.
If we want to raise our children to be compassionate people who participate as responsible citizens in a democracy, we need to find ways to talk with them about the thorny issues that we struggle with as a country. Race, violence, systems of oppression, and African American history are a few of those issues. I don't think there is ever one conversation about such a big issue; I think we need to talk repeatedly about these tough issues on an ongoing basis. Because we as americans struggle with these issues, we will often find ourselves struggling to know how to talk to children about them. But that doesn't mean we don't have a responsibility to do so.
In our town of East Longmeadow we have a class at the high school "African American Studies" that approaches these issues, with the view of teaching kids how to think and not what to think, through open dialogue and honest conversation students learn from one another. Earlier in the week our African American studies class started our unit on police brutality. Due to backlash from the students and parents the unit has been removed by the teachers discretion. It is heartbreaking that this is a conversation we will no longer be able to have in the ideal setting to do so.
Suburban families often ignore the issue of racism because it makes us uncomfortable, and because we assume that it doesn't affect our children. We can only end racism by talking with all of our children about these topics that make us all uncomfortable.
Please sign this petition to show support for the importance of talking to our students about police brutality and how to progress into better policing practices and methods, by bringing back the unit.
Please do not allow the conversation to end here.
Updates
May 11, 2016
The momentum behind this petition highlights a collective desire to keep essential discussions alive within our classrooms. It is encouraging to see this many people affirm the importance of teaching critical history in our local schools.
13 Comments
Excellent subject, it cannot be left out, it is so important for students to look at issues critically and holistically, this sets them up for success.
Mr. Polk is presenting a fair and balanced approach to this subject. It's a shame that students who don't or can't follow what's going on in the classroom bring half of the information back home to their parents.
If you allow these uncomfortable ideas to be silenced by those who they make uncomfortable, you compromise the intellectual freedom of all of your students. If we as educators remain silent on this topic, we are teaching young people that this issue - possibly the central race issue of our current political climate - can not be discussed openly. Please, don't back down. If this class is worth teaching at all, it's worth doing it right.
After hearing the story of the incident, parents are over reacting and kids are just telling their parents half of the problem.
This is a very important discussion. Racism.was an issue not particularly addressed as a modern reality when I went to this school, it was taught as though it were something that had passed. I think that this needs to be kept in the light for the younger people that are currently going to this school. There is still racism from all races for all other races, and it needs to be exposed for the fallacy it is and brought to an end, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes us.
I feel that current issues are hidden from the public especially when they have an impact on our lives. I feel that issues like theses need to be discussed
agrreeeedd
we are all HUMAN!!!!
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Excellent subject, it cannot be left out, it is so important for students to look at issues critically and holistically, this sets them up for success.