2020 Essays

Amid COVID and Racial Injustice, Teachers Matter More than Ever

Sabic-El-Rayess, Amra

Today, our students need the kind of teaching that fosters understanding and knowledge — not in a social, political, or emotional vacuum but instead, by doing the messy work of negotiating conflicts and compromises as we incorporate more of our lived experiences into our math, literature, history, and science lessons. As our youth process their experiences of this pandemic and of the public images of racist violence and public protest, we must make our post-COVID19 classrooms into physical “safe spaces” that allow them to confront their traumas, losses, and fears about their futures.