Social Justice in the Classroom

               When I am teaching my future classroom, I want the concept of respect to be highly valued by every student present in the class. This means that every student is respectful of everyone else, whether it comes in the form of letting one speak till conclusion or staying silent when unkind thoughts enter one’s head. In my classroom, every student is equal and is to be treat with equality. The study “Social Justice in the Classroom” by Jacqueline Grennon Brooks and Eustace G. Thompson summarizes that with respect, students can create a safer and more productive learning environment for themselves. Now I know the old saying “respect is earned, not provided,” but in my class respect is already present and by no means can it be taken away. By coming to and participating in class, students have already earned their respect right out of the gate. Every student in the classroom comes from a different background. In my field experience school I am at right now, there are students that come from all walks of life, but yet they are able to get along just fine and treat each other with equal respect. Now I am not saying that we should ignore our differences and simply pretend that we are all the same, because we are not. In fact, our differences should be utilized and, in a way, celebrated because that is what makes the classroom diverse. Equality in the face of diversity can be a challenging topic, but when everyone has respect for everyone else, equality is possible. Let us use those differences to enrich our learning and gain multiple perspectives on critical thinking topics and issues. A diverse but respectful classroom may possibly be the safest, best learning environment for all students, regardless of their backgrounds or shortcomings.