November 19, 2019

How to Teach Thanksgiving Accurately and Responsibly 

As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s important to remember that some Indigenous communities observe the holiday as a day of mourning. We hope you’ll think about the ways you bring Thanksgiving into your classroom and consider how you can ensure every member of your school community feels respected and valued in the process. Here are a few resources to get you started.

Ned Blackhawk Q&A: Understanding Indigenous Enslavement // Monita K. Bell, Julia Delacroix

Black Educators, Black Students, Stonewall Jackson School // Dr. Gregg Suzanne Ferguson

Teaching Kindness Isn’t Enough // Bret Turner

Honor and Include Your Transgender Students 

Tomorrow is Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day honoring transgender people who have been victims of violence. In TT’s interview with Hazel Edwards, she describes how she was forced out of school for being transgender—and eventually crafted a district policy that serves trans students. Read Hazel’s advice for creating safer, trans-inclusive classrooms and schools.

#USvsHate: Join Us in the Fight Against Hate in Schools

Our new program #USvsHate aims to provide easy-to-implement curricula and action steps to support educators and students in resisting hate in their communities. Learn more about how this program got its start in San Diego, California, and how you can bring #USvsHate to your school. 

Advocate For Black Students’ Mental Health

As politicians and policymakers place long-overdue focus on the mental health of black children, educators and school leaders must ask themselves how they’re supporting every child in their care. Read TT Staff Writer Coshandra Dillard’s “Black Minds Matter”  to learn more about interrupting school practices that disregard the mental health of black youth.
Do You Want to Write for Teaching Tolerance?
We are seeking writers for our K–5 Teaching Hard History text library. If you have experience writing for younger readers and a deep understanding of Indigenous histories and cultures, we hope you’ll write for us! Please check out our call for writers and contact us with your ideas.

Check Out What We’re Reading

“The audit found that none of the districts surveyed had sufficiently trained staff to recognize homeless students. ‘This training would help to ensure that the staff are aware of important information, such as the definition of a youth experiencing homelessness and the key indicators to look for, that would help them identify the youth needing services,’ according to the report.”
The Sacramento Bee

“The plan ... would transfer 7,400 of the district’s 58,000 students to different schools in an effort to chip away at an uncomfortable truth: Some of the county’s campuses have become havens for rich students, while others serve large numbers of children whose families are struggling.”
The New York Times


“Sexual orientation is a highly individual and personal experience, and you alone have the right to define your sexual orientation in a way that makes the most sense for you. Sexual orientation is also a complex intersection made up of different forms of identity, behavior, and attraction.”
Dictionary.com

Have a comment, question or idea for Teaching Tolerance? Drop us a line at [email protected].
Help us avoid the spam filter! Add [email protected] to your address book.
            
Copyright © 2019 Teaching Tolerance, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
400 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104
334-956-8200 | tolerance.org

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can 
update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.