The Concept of Social Justice in the Classroom

"How do we build awareness in the classroom?"

I really enjoyed the "Art Show by SS#" activity in this morning's session, and this is a strategy that I would like to use in my own classroom to assist in teaching writing. The form of the activity was anonymous so that we could get at understanding one another's ideas without knowing whose idea we were reading/evaluating/commenting upon. Having said that, I found myself in agreement with Agents 125 and 081 (whoever they were):

Agent 125 suggested that "awareness is key." I wish I had the time to have carefully noted his/her total quip, but my take their stance was that, "Anything and everything we do helps us to increase awareness and understanding of any given value - if we just open ourselves up to that experience", and I believe that is what education is all about.

Similarly, I was also impressed with Agent 081's thoughts, which evoked this response in me: "I absolutely agree! Given common knowledge on an issue (any issue) helps us to present ideas on WHAT WE CAN WRITE ABOUT and helps to put every participant on an even footing. Even students who fear writing, who may say, "but I don't know WHAT to write about" - that common knowledge presented and shared on a subject helps each of us to get at good dialogue on any given issue, and with that [we hope] comes understanding.

I believe that awareness (or the raising of awareness - of any issue) is the main ingredient in the process of educating our youth. Be the awareness as simple as what "homework assignment is due when" or the in-depth examination of a particular unit of study or even a major concept of a research paper/project. Without awareness, how can there be any education at all? Too often today too many people exist as automatons. They simply aren't "aware" at all. Now, then, how to build awareness? Comedians use sarcasm or satire, but to us, as teachers, we can raise awareness in the classroom through active engagement and discussion. Most especially, in writing.

I believe that the concept of social justice helps to build awareness in the classroom, and by choosing to study literature - and in making an attempt to actively respond to that literature (or concept within the literature) that we are helping our students to learn to take a pro-active stance to deliberately and consciously interact with their thoughts and ideas that they may have never before considered. By selecting issues in social justice, we are helping to pave the way for even the most reclusive student to have an equal footing on sharing his/her thoughts on a given issue.