Not Light, but Fire

by Matthew R. Kay

English teachers deal in language. Language is bigger than novels. History teachers analyze the past. The past is bigger than dates and names. Let’s not put ourselves in boxes.

We want our students to consider our classrooms relevant to their world and responsive to their needs, so when world events dredge up new discussion needs, we shouldn’t inadvertently signal that students should save them for the hallway, the lunchroom, and their social media.

There’s no way I’m going to teach tomorrow. Morning came. I taught. Because it’s what we do.

“Kindness works the same way. There are ways to treat each other, and there are ways not to treat each other. If someone comes in here threatening, belittling, and stereotyping—they are wrong. No matter how passionately they think that such behavior has just been justified.”

And as we all know, teachers stand the greatest risk of losing their capital with students when we appear reactionary.