Talking to Students About The Riots at the Capitol

The events of 1/6/2021 are sure to come up in our classrooms. How can we talk with students about what happened? A colleague of mine penned these words to our staff, and with his permission, I share them with you.

“If you are watching any of the coverage of the violence at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., like me, you are likely saddened by the attack on our democratic institutions, disturbed by the violence, and concerned about the toxicity of our partisan politics.  A teacher asked me last night how to talk about these issues with students, and I am sharing a few ideas here.  These will obviously depend on your grade level, subject area, and rapport with your students, but we are all role models for our students and should be prepared for hard conversations when they happen.

 

-America is not, and has never been, perfect.  That imperfection, which includes our history of racist policies, naturally leads to a push and pull that sometimes bubbles over into violence.  Children are smart, and know that the world is flawed.  It’s okay to be honest with them about it and speak about it on their level.  I have seen many of you do this skillfully across all grade levels.

 

-Our democracy just held another sequence of successful elections.  No matter who you may have personally voted for, we are all Americans, and there are representatives from both major political parties at all levels of government working for us.

 

-Teach your students about peaceful protest vs. the use of violence to achieve political ends, there are plenty of historical examples. 

 

-Teach your students about the importance of information vs. misinformation and how to consume news.  Unfortunately, social media is full of misinformation.  One teacher uses a great CNN 10 minute clip of daily news that is aimed at middle-schoolers.  I’m sure that there are other credible news sources for youth, please share if you know of any.

 

-Feel free to refer students to a counselor if a conversation feels too heavy to handle.

 

-Listen.  What have your students seen?  What are their feelings and thoughts?  Don’t feel you have to have all the answers.”

I hope these words allow you to feel prepared for the conversations that will undoubtedly arise in your classroom.

-Maria