What makes a class good? That thought crossed my head frequently this semester. And it often happened under recurring circumstances, as I would walk out of a class that was quite frustrating to get through. Fifteen minutes after this class ended, one of my most thought provoking and important classes began, Contemporary Racism. The dichotomy of these two classes really got me in a comparative headspace, also due to the fact that both classes attempted to cover relatively similar subject matter. I do not think I have an answer on what makes classes in math, science, etc. a good class, but I can tell you what makes a class good and engaging when it covers important social justice topics.
My contemporary racism class covers a wide variety of different types of racism, how they operate, and why they have contributed to America’s foundation. However, that is not the thing that makes it a spectacular class (although very important and integral). The thing that made this class stand apart was the communication, respect, curiosity, and openness that was shared in the space. It is crucial for educators to know how impactful this subject matter is, and how difficult it can be to talk about for some students. Many of the conversations that could happen will be difficult or scary to get through, therefore there must be a nurturing environment in which individuals are protected. It is also imperative that the educator has a grasp on the topic at hand. Portraying blissful ignorance or an innate desire to remain comfortable is not a trait that someone who is teaching racism should have. Those are all traits of someone who is unfit to be teaching such an important topic.
My class before contemporary racism was not met with as much respect and care. While we did not exclusively have discussions of racism, it was a frequent topic. Whatever subject matter was being approached in this class was not done so with care for the students. For example, I had a very strong reaction to one of the topics we were focusing on in a class period; a reaction that, if the topic was discussed in a more careful setting, could have been avoided. It was difficult and triggering to attempt to get back to class the following period knowing that my mental health wasn’t necessarily prioritized. There is a way to discuss or analyze difficult subject matter without causing students to have a visceral reaction. This class also put the professor above us, not allowing us to have any structure of our own. We were told to stand in as black characters of a play (most of us being white students), and upon multiple students’ hesitation to do so, the professor essentially gave us no choice. I refused.
With all that being said, how can we encourage places of education to have healthy and strong relationships to such important material? Students and teachers have to listen to one another, especially at a college level education, and educators have to know the level at which their impact matters. How can institutions of education attempt to incorporate such important topics, while also ensuring that students and teachers alike are truly cared for?
I agree – I think part of what made this class impactful were the people creating the environment. I am sorry about the experience you had in your other class, I definitely think there are ways to discuss difficult topics without creating such reactions so I really do apologize for that. I think that is something I admired about our class – we were able to navigate through difficult conversations but also respect each other.
I absolutely agree with you that our class was so amazing because of the community we as people built within it. I applaud everyone for sticking it out as Contemporary had us discuss hard topics, but everyone was able to understand and speak on them without being afraid to be criticized or discussed against. I hate to hear you had a hard time in the class before but I am relieved that you were able to find a way to speak to us as classmates and feel comfortable enough to enjoy the class. To answer your question, I think the best way to have health and strong relationships in a class setting is establishing rules and goals in the beginning just as we did at the beginning of the year!