We have completed only two weeks of the school year, and I've already learned so much about my students. I'm always fascinated by how different they all are. Some are talented in ways I never imagined I could be. Some read a question and respond to it in a way I never would have considered. It's an amazing experience to see their unique traits and watch each student grow into their own person.
On the flip side, it's equally as fascinating to see what ideas students absorbed from their surroundings. There are some things I've already heard students say or seen them do that I'm certain they learned from someone around them. While it is true that they're growing into whole, independent people, they are still like little sponges. They hear something said by parents at home or see something reposted by friends and family on the internet, and they bring it into their schools. This is a process that is normal and totally understandable, but it also terrifies me. With the current state of our world, I believe it is crucial to teach students to not just accept something as truth because someone says it is, but to consider it and decide independently.
Hatred and intolerance are everywhere today--in our homes, on our televisions, on the internet, in our workplaces. We live in a world where it is no longer acceptable to quietly hold a different belief or opinion. We've taken to doing everything in our power to belittle those who hold views that differ from our own. We've tried to eradicate all of the "gray areas." Everything is black and white now. You either agree, or you're wrong. Your children see that, and they bring it into class with them.
If you do not give your child time to discuss common issues and come to their own opinions, they will simply mirror your beliefs.
When you say Colin Kaepernick is ungrateful and you hate him because he is choosing to sit during the national anthem, you are teaching your child to hate the student who asks if they are required to stand and say the pledge.
When you use derogatory language to address Muslims and preach blind intolerance towards someone's faith, you are teaching your child to hate the girl who comes into class wearing a hijab.
When you use bigoted terminology to talk about "illegals" and how they "don't belong here," you are teaching your child to hate the student who does not speak fluent English and just came to America.
We seem to have forgotten that it is possible to hold our own beliefs while respecting the differing beliefs of others, and that kind of toxicity has no place in a classroom.
On Friday of the first week of school, a 13 year old Las Vegas girl jumped off of a parking garage to her death instead of going to class. Police involved and the young girl's family did not know what specifically led her to suicide, but the immediate theory was that she was bullied. It is disgusting that we live in a world where hatred and bullying is so common, it's easy to assume that's why a child would choose to take her own life.
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite." - Nelson Mandela
Don't do yourself or your children the disservice of teaching blind hatred. Hold true to the beliefs you have formed, but trust your children to come to their own. Make the decision to stop giving power to the hate, and teach your children to love instead so they can grow to create a world they're proud to be a part of.
