Where is the line between promoting inclusion and social justice?

I think education continues to be a leading driver in the world of inclusion, as it should be.  But are teachers expected to do more, and be pushing social justice issues toward our students?  That is a tough call, and unfortunately, many teachers try to avoid causing any conflicts with families and communities by avoiding pushing a social justice agenda.

There is becoming a larger divide in society and their views on certain issues.  Some want to battle these issues head-on, while others avoid these issues and concentrate more on how they can make their own lives better.  This is a selfish way of living, and unless you are self-sufficient enough that you do not need to rely on any outside help, you are a member of a community, and your goal should be to help build everyone in that community.

The word equity is thrown around a lot, and some may feel it is overused, but unfortunately, we have some who don’t understand the true meaning behind it.  We have all seen the image of the three kids watching the baseball game, and while it does encompass the meaning, it still doesn’t get through to some people.  Equity is about giving to those in need, in order for them to live a better life.  And just because they are getting something, or enjoying their life more, does not mean that you need to enjoy your life any less.  And that is the point that many people miss with equity.

But back to social justice issues.  What are social justice issues?  A quick Google search will tell you that they are the mistreatment of certain groups of people, based on prejudices such as

• Race
• Gender
• Age
• Sexual Orientation
• Religion
• Nationality
• Education
• Mental or Physical Ability

I think that when we see this list, we have witnessed most if not all of these groups being mistreated, and there have been growing movements to help support these communities.  However, for each growth or positive stride, we take forward, there always seems to be a backlash against it.  And this is the main reason that educators feel hesitant of promoting these issues, as we don’t know how they will be perceived by our school community, and it may cause more strain on the issue we are trying to promote and support.

The NHL has been in the news lately, as they attempt to create a more inclusive environment with the LGBTQI2SA+ community.  One way they hoped to do that was to host a Pride Night, where teams would wear special warm-up jerseys, and other activities.  However, a small number of players have refused to participate, leading their respective teams to scrap the idea.

So, if we take this situation, and compare it to a classroom, if it was only one player from a team, that is comparible just one student or family in our classroom.  So, do we as teachers, attempt to push these issues, knowing what happened with Pride Nights in the NHL?

I 100% support social justice movements, and attempt to be a supporter in my personal life, however, teachers and educators are viewed and expected to be impartial and simply deliver the curriculum without their opinion.  I truly believe that we as educators need to do a better job at discussing the issues, but rather than having us give our opinion, this offers a great teaching and learning experience, where students can look up the issues, and gather more information than what they currently have.

So, I’m not saying we need to keep these talks outside the classroom, but we can try and support our students to become aware of these issues, and be understanding of these situations.  And if we can get a small percent of students, who previously did not engage in these situations to take action, while the rest are at least aware of the issue, I think that is a good start.