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Tools & Strategies

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Beyond Blaming and Shaming: How to Learn From Our Digital Mistakes

Tools and Strategies
Annoyed Student Pointing Finger
Rosalind's Classroom Conversations, February 2016 For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers By Rosalind Wiseman What would high school be without photographs? Smiling couples at the homecoming dance, athletes racing down fields to win games, actors performing in the spring play. It’s ironic that as much as people describe the awkwardness, drama and sometimes misery of high school, the official school pictures only show the best and happiest of moments. Official…
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Definitions Related to Bias, Injustice and Bullying

Tools and Strategies
For Elementary Age Children For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers | K-5The following definitions include words relating to bias, diversity, bullying and social justice concepts and are written for elementary-age children. Aggressor Someone who says or does hurtful things. Ally Someone who helps or stands up for someone who is being bullied or the target of prejudice. Bias A preference either for or against an individual or group that affects fair judgment. …
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Jokes, Excuses and Why Words Matter

Tools and Strategies
Teenage Students and Teacher in a Class Debate
Rosalind's Classroom Conversations, January 2016 For Educators By Rosalind Wiseman Words matter. Our words can comfort and express that we understand or that we “see” the other person in front of us. And of course, our words can do the opposite: they can hurt, isolate and make someone feel insignificant. For better and for worse, our words signal our values and beliefs. For the past several years, I’ve been hearing students use the word “terrorist” to…
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It's Not a Transaction—It's a Relationship

Tools and Strategies
Male High School Student Talking to Teacher by Lockers
Rosalind's Classroom Conversations, December 2015 For Educators By Rosalind Wiseman Lately I’ve been thinking about the impact of the small, fleeting moments that happen between students and teachers countless times a day. It can be in the hallway, right before or after class, walking between buildings and in the cafeteria. Small moments between children and adults that seem to be insignificant but actually may be the foundation for maintaining the inclusive and respectful…
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The Unspoken Messages of Dress Codes: Uncovering Bias and Power

Tools and Strategies
People Vector Illustration
Rosalind's Classroom Conversations, September 2014 For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers A few days before I started sixth grade at a private school, I went with my mother to buy uniforms. While she beamed, I miserably pulled the green and white striped dress over my head. I clearly remember the looks from people when I wore that uniform in “public.” It felt like I had a sign above my head that said, “I’m rich and a snob.” My mother, like many…
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Gun Violence and Mass Shootings

Tools and Strategies
A Sandy Hook Elementary School makeshift memorial on Berkshire Road in Newtown, CT 12 days after shooting of 26 people who were killed, twenty were children.
Table Talk: Family Conversations About Current Events For Parents, Families, and Caregivers | 12 and up Talking with Children about Gun Violence The issue of gun violence and mass shootings is in the news frequently. Young people are usually aware of what is happening and will want to talk about it. However, it is a sensitive, scary, and potentially painful topic. Before raising the matter with young people, consider your child’s personality. To what extent will the…
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Sports, Mascots and Bias

Tools and Strategies
Sports Mascots and Bias
Table Talk: Family Conversations About Current Events For Parents, Families, and Caregivers | 10 and upUpdated July 2020 The decades-old controversy over the Washington Redskins name is in the news again. In early July 2020, FedEx, Nike and other major sponsors of the N.F.L. football team asked the team to change its name, which is considered a racist slur against Native American people. In addition, several Native American leaders and organizations wrote to N.F.L…
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Teenagers and Technology

Tools and Strategies
Group of Students at Laptop Computer
Table Talk: Family Conversations About Current Events For Parents, Families, and Caregivers | 11 and upTopic Summary According to a new study from the Pew Research Center, 24% of teenagers (ages 13–17) are online “almost constantly.” The intense way in which young people are connected is enabled largely by the use of smartphones. Nearly 75% of teens have access to a smartphone and 30% have a basic phone. These phones and other mobile devices have become a primary driver…
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Kids Can Make a Difference

Tools and Strategies
Young Students Lunchtime
Table Talk: Family Conversations About Current Events For Parents, Families, and Caregivers | 7 and upTopic Summary In Spring 2015, two fourth grade students, Henry and Henriet James (boy/girl twins) who attend North Elementary in Somerset, MA, decided it was time to do something about their school’s lunch policy that required boys and girls to sit at separate tables on opposite sides of the school cafeteria. Henry and Henriet wrote an article in their school’s newspaper…
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Recursos educativos en español

Tools and Strategies
Word web concept of learning Spanish
Para fomentar escuelas y aulas respetuosas, inclusivas y equitativas, es importante reconocer la lengua que hablan los alumnos y sus familias. Esas lenguas reflejan y afirman su origen étnico, su cultura y su herencia. Según datos recientes del Censo, 63,7 millones de personas (o el 19,1% del total de la población) que viven en Estados Unidos se identifican como hispanos/latinoamericanos. Además, la mayoría de los hispanos (75%) afirman ser capaces de…
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Welcome to High School: We Hate You

Tools and Strategies
High School Hallway
Rosalind's Classroom Conversations, August 2015 For Educators By Rosalind Wiseman In the upcoming weeks, welcome banners will be hung on high school walls around the country. A few days later, before the official first day of school, administrators and volunteer students from the senior and junior classes will enthusiastically greet the new ninth grade students. They’ll tour them around the school, play name games with them, do some ice-breakers and send them home hopefully a little…
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Race Talk: Engaging Young People in Conversations about Race and Racism

Tools and Strategies
High School Students Taking Part in Group Discussion Circle
For Educators As a society, public discussions about race and racism have increased in volume and intensity. Educators feel a sense of responsibility to bring these topics into their classrooms—because young people want to be part of the conversation and should be.  If handled effectively, these discussions provide opportunities for timely learning. From police-involved deaths of Black people to everyday racism to Confederate flag controversy, with sports figures and…
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Do No Harm: How to Intervene Without Making it Worse

Tools and Strategies
Boy Bullied in School Stairs
Rosalind's Classroom Conversations, June/July 2015 For Educators By Rosalind Wiseman For this edition of Rosalind’s Classroom Conversations, I asked ADL education staff across the country what issues they were hearing about from teachers and students to address in my next essay. Not surprisingly, I received many thought provoking questions. The subject I chose for this article is a topic I have struggled with myself: When you see a young person mistreated by their peers, how do you…
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How Do I Ensure My Language Is Inclusive?

Tools and Strategies
Early Childhood Question Corner For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers To assist you in using inclusive language, keep in mind the following information and tips: Be aware of the power of your words. Some words you use can casually perpetuate stereotypical notions. Do you describe children as acting like a bunch of “wild Indians”? Do you ever call children by saying, “Come on guys,” even if you are talking to both boys and girls? Try to use…
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How Do I Respond to Children's Bias?

Tools and Strategies
Early Childhood Question Corner For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers In responding to children’s bias, keep the following tips in mind: Young children may say or do things that appear biased. These words and actions stem from children’s natural curiosity and bluntness. Try to be prepared with the appropriate responses to use at these times so that you can react in a calm manner. Children take their cues from you—if you seem flustered or uncomfortable,…
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How Do I Limit Children’s Exposure to Bias in Media?

Tools and Strategies
Early Childhood Question Corner For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers Media, such as television, movies, videos, DVDs, CD-ROMs and websites, can have a powerful influence on your child. Children are drawn to the sights, sounds and colors that appear on the television screen or computer monitor. Media can provide exciting and unique learning opportunities. Learning from and about media works best when you and your child watch and learn together and talk about what you are…
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How Should I Respond When Children Notice Differences in Others?

Tools and Strategies
Early Childhood Question Corner For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers Young children can be blunt and direct as they notice and talk about the differences they notice among people. That can sometimes make t heir parent or caregiver feel uncomfortable, especially in public settings. Remember that young children’s initial observations about difference do not intend to be hurtful; instead, it shows their developing curiosity and awareness of the diversity in the world in…
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Should I Initiate Conversations About Differences?

Tools and Strategies
Early Childhood Question Corner For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers There is no need to wait until children ask questions about differences to begin conversations. However, these discussions will have the greatest impact when they follow from children’s interests, and when they are appropriate in length, frequency and content relative to children’s intellectual and emotional capacity. Louise Derman-Sparks (1989) writes that awareness of, and talking about,…
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Won't Discussing Differences Promote Prejudice?

Tools and Strategies
Early Childhood Question Corner For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers Many adults think that talking with children about our differences teaches prejudice. In Anti-Bias Curriculum, Louise Derman-Sparks (1989) debunks that myth and writes that talking about differences does not increase prejudice in children. Whether or not adults discuss differences with children, all children eventually begin to notice differences among people as part of their natural development. It is the…
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