Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/515703
because you are not rushing to judgment. You look at all sides of the story." Stewart wants them to be critical think- ers, and asks them to obtain news from a variety of sources, including radio, Inter- net and TV — and listen to liberals and conservatives discuss events to understand different perspectives. Some students noticed Fox News was more focused on the property damage in Ferguson during riots than on the death of Michael Brown. "I'm hoping to foster discussion, not arguments. But I don't mind if people argue as long as it's done respectfully and everybody listens without name-calling. It's never too heated, because these kids like each other." Student Alyna Calzadillas is frustrated. "Why are we having all these conversa- tions about race and profiling if things are never going to change?" she asks. "When we walk out the door, people will still say 'Why are you acting black?' or 'Why are you acting white?'" An African American student questions why some students act in ways that perpetuate stereotypes. "We're never going to wipe racism off the face of the Earth, but we can try and diminish it as much as possi- ble," says Stewart, who reminds students most people thought it was impossible to elect a black president. At Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, Cat Burton-Tillson urges remedial students to reflect on the reasons that Latino students make up the majority of remedial classes and why white students are the major- ity in advanced classes. Is it prejudice? Motivation? Peer pressure? A combination? Students decide that sometimes they are prejudged by teachers and put into remedial classes — and other times they hold themselves back by making poor choices. "I don't want to provide them with the answers or lead them in the discussion. I want them to express how they feel," says Bur- ton-Tillson, Sequoia District Teachers Association. "Sometimes it's uncomfortable." The Latino students dis- cuss the word "ghetto" and say they don't like other students using it as an adjective about them. Boys say they're stereotyped as future dropouts and druggies. A girl named Jackie says she constantly fights the ste- reotype that Latinas get into fights, become pregnant and drop out. She shares that her mother gave birth to her in high school and dropped out, and regrets not earning a diploma. "I want a different story. I want to be the first in my family to graduate from high school." Eventually these discussions will lead to broader discussions about race, class and social justice, but for now this teacher is starting small and asking students to consider their own environment. "Part of having these conversations is to help them realize they have choices," Burton-Tillson says. "I want them to realize that with effort and dedication, they can be successful. They don't have to feel stuck. They are smart. They are overcoming obstacles. They deserve to be heard." To raise awareness and create dialogue about the problem of racial and ethnic profiling, NEA has teamed up with the NAACP, Not in Our Town/Not in Our School, Teaching Tolerance/Southern Poverty Law Center, The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the American Federation of Teachers, Human Rights Educators of the USA Network, and Facing History and Ourselves. To view curriculum guides, visit www.nea.org/home/52285.htm. More resources can be found at www.teachablemoment.org and www.facinghistory.org. RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS Aturi sim quam qui at. Ruptasp edissimi, consere mosam, ommoles rectur, omnienit fugit. Kaya Jones (left) talks about stereotypes in Scotty Stewart's class. Scotty Stewart Learning 45 V O L U M E 1 9 I S S U E 9