“We believe we are creators of culture and by learning about and committing to social justice, we believe we can create a more just, inclusive and equitable society for our children a little at a time.”

–Wendy Cole, Director of Maple Street School

This week, I visited Maple Street School, a preschool committed to honest conversations about gender, race, gentrification and social justice. On this weeks episode of Teachers Inspired, Wendy and I discussed the importance of teaching social justice in schools and how to start the conversation with young students.

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Social Justice is a concept of fair and just relations between the individual and society. Day to day, our students experience and/or observe injustices in our society but they are hardly given the chance to express their thoughts about them. We pressure students to focus on standards and tests without addressing the most fundamental problems in our society. Some students go to school and don’t feel a connection between their education and their reality. This is a shame, as teaching social justice can open the door for student engagement and connection. It creates bonds in the classroom, builds trust and empathy, and can be a real platform for change outside of school.

Something important to remember: “When our students walk into our classrooms, they bring their identities with them. Everything they experience in our room is bound up in historical context, so if we insist that education happens in a vacuum, we do our students a disservice” – Sydney Chaffee, Social Justice Belongs in Our Schools, TEDx

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THIS WEEK ON TEACHERS INSPIRED:

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I sat down with Wendy Cole from Maple Street School. We spoke about:

• How to discuss social justice with young students
• Encouraging “problematizing” in class (reflecting questions back to the student)
• The Maple Street School tuition assistance program
• Being a co-op school
• Celebrating diversity
• Supporting families, students and teachers

LISTEN TO OUR EPISODE ON SPOTIFY or scroll down and listen on this post!

Want to support Maple Street School’s Tuition Assistance/ Scholarship program??? Your donation will provide financial assistance to our preschool through our scholarship fund, which provides support for 30% of Maple Street Families.

Thanks for visiting!!!
Check out our Instagram (@teachers.inspired) and our podcast at Teachers Inspired on Spotify!