How to teach kids to talk about taboo topics | Liz Kleinrock

Prevodilac: Ivana Krivokuća Lektor: Kristina Radosavljević

So, a few years ago,

Pre nekoliko godina

I was beginning a new unit on race with my fourth-graders.

započinjala sam novu lekciju sa svojim đacima četvrtog razreda.

And whenever we start a new unit,

Kad god započnemo novu lekciju,

I like to begin by having all the students list everything they know about it,

volim da krenem tako što učenici navedu sve što znaju o toj temi,

and then we also list questions we have.

a potom i zabeležimo koja pitanja imaju.

And I had the type of moment that every teacher has nightmares about.

Desio mi se trenutak koji je košmar svakog učitelja.

One of my students had just asked the question,

Jedan od mojih učenika je postavio pitanje:

"Why are some people racist?"

„Zašto su neki ljudi rasisti?“

And another student, let's call her Abby,

A druga učenica, zvaćemo je Abi,

had just raised her hand and volunteered:

podigla je ruku i ponudila odgovor:

"Maybe some people don't like black people because their skin is the color of poop."

„Možda neki ljudi ne vole crnce jer je njihova koža boje kake.“

Yeah, I know.

Da, znam.

So, as if on cue, my entire class exploded.

U tom času je čitav razred eksplodirao.

Half of them immediately started laughing,

Polovina njih je odmah počela da se smeje,

and the other half started yelling at Abby

a druga polovina je počela da viče na Abi

and shouting things like,

i da uzvikuje, na primer:

"Oh, my God, you can't say that, that's racist!"

„O bože, ne smeš to da govoriš, to je rasistički!“

So just take a second to freeze this scene in your mind.

Hajde, na trenutak zamislite ovu scenu u svojoj glavi.

There's a class of nine- and ten-year-olds,

Imate razred dece od devet i 10 godina

and half of them are in hysterics

i polovina njih je upala u histeriju

because they think Abby has said something wildly funny,

jer misle da je Abi rekla nešto što je nenormalno smešno,

and the other half are yelling at her for saying something offensive.

a druga polovina viče na nju jer je rekla nešto uvredljivo.

And then you have Abby, sitting there completely bewildered

A zatim imate Abi koja sedi sasvim zbunjena

because, in her mind, she doesn't understand the weight of what she said

jer u svojoj glavi ne razume težinu svojih reči

and why everybody is reacting this way.

i zašto svi tako reaguju.

And then you have me, the teacher,

A tu sam i ja, učiteljica koja stoji u ćošku

standing there in the corner, like, about to have a panic attack.

i samo što ne dobije napad panike.

So as a classroom teacher,

Kao učiteljica,

I have to make split-second decisions all the time.

stalno moram da donosim brze odluke.

And I knew I needed to react, but how?

Znala sam da moram da reagujem, ali kako?

Consider your fight-or-flight instincts.

Uzmite u obzir svoje instinkte „bori se ili beži“.

I could fight by raising my voice and reprimanding her for her words.

Mogla sam da se borim

tako što bih povisila ton i izgrdila je zbog njenih reči.

Or flight -- just change the subject

Ili da pobegnem - prosto promenim temu

and quickly start reaching for another subject,

i brzo pređem na nešto drugo,

like anything to get my students' minds off the word "poop."

bilo šta što bi učenicima skrenulo pažnju sa reči „kaka“.

However, as we know, the right thing to do is often not the easy thing to do.

Međutim, kao što znamo, često nije lako uraditi pravu stvar.

And as much as I wanted this moment to be over,

Koliko god da sam želela da se taj trenutak završi,

and that I knew both of these options would help me escape the situation,

i znala da bi mi obe opcije pomogle da pobegnem iz situacije,

I knew that this was far too important of a teachable moment to miss.

bila sam svesna da je ovaj trenutak

previše važan za učenje da bih ga propustila.

So after standing there for what felt like an eternity,

Nakon izvesnog perioda stajanja koji se činio kao večnost,

I unfroze and I turned to face my class, and I said,

otkočila sam se, okrenula se ka razredu i rekla:

"Actually, Abby makes a point."

„U stvari, ima smisla ono što je rekla Abi.“

And my students kind of looked at each other, all confused.

Moji učenici su se zbunjeno pogledali međusobno.

And I continued,

Nastavila sam:

"One reason why racism exists

„Jedan od razloga zašto rasizam postoji

is because people with light skin have looked at people with dark skin

je taj što su ljudi sa svetlom kožom gledali ljude sa tamnom kožom

and said that their skin was ugly.

i rekli da je njihova koža ružna.

And even use this reason as an excuse to dehumanize them.

Čak koriste taj razlog kao izgovor da ih dehumanizuju.

And the reason why we're learning about race and racism in the first place

A razlog zašto uopšte učimo o rasi i rasizmu

is to educate ourselves to know better.

je da bismo se obrazovali i da bismo znali da postupamo bolje,

And to understand why comments like this are hurtful,

da bismo razumeli zašto su ovakvi komentari bolni,

and to make sure that people with dark skin

i da se postaramo da ljude sa tamnom kožom

are always treated with respect and kindness."

uvek tretiramo sa poštovanjem i ljubaznošću.“

Now, this was a truly terrifying teachable moment.

Ovo je bio zaista zastrašujući trenutak za učenje.

But as we moved forward in the conversation,

Ali kako smo nastavili sa razgovorom,

I noticed that both Abby and the rest of the kids

primetila sam da su Abi i ostala deca

were still willing to engage.

i dalje bila voljna da se uključe.

And as I watched the conversation really marinate with my students,

Dok sam posmatrala kako učenici tonu u razgovor,

I began to wonder how many of my students have assumptions just like Abby.

počela sam da se pitam koliko učenika ima pretpostavke kao Abi.

And what happens when those assumptions go unnoticed and unaddressed,

Šta se desi kada te pretpostavke prođu neprimećene i nerazrešene,

as they so often do?

kao što se često dešava?

But first, I think it's important to take a step back

Ali najpre, mislim da je važno da se vratimo unazad

and even consider what makes a topic taboo.

i da razmislimo zbog čega je neka tema tabu.

I don't remember receiving an official list of things

Ne sećam da sam dobila zvaničnu listu stvari

you're not supposed to talk about.

o kojima ne treba govoriti.

But I do remember hearing, over and over, growing up:

Ali se sećam da sam tokom odrastanja uvek iznova slušala

there are two things you do not talk about at family get-togethers.

da postoje dve stvari o kojima na treba govoriti na porodičnim okupljanjima,

And those two things are religion and politics.

a to su religija i politika.

And I always thought this was very curious

Oduvek sam mislila da je to baš čudno

because religion and politics often are such huge influencing factors

jer su religija i politika obično faktori od snažnog uticaja

over so many of our identities and beliefs.

na veliki deo našeg identiteta i uverenja.

But what makes a topic taboo

Ali ono zbog čega je neka tema tabu

is that feeling of discomfort that arises when these things come up in conversation.

jeste taj osećaj neprijatnosti kada se ona javi u razgovoru.

But some people are extremely fluent in the language of equity,

Ali neki ljudi izuzetno dobro poznaju jezik pravičnosti,

while other people fear being PC-shamed

dok se drugi boje da će ih posramiti jer nisu politički korektni

or that their ignorance will show as soon as they open their mouths.

ili da će se videti njihovo neznanje čim otvore usta.

But I believe that the first step towards holding conversations

Smatram da je prvi korak ka vođenju razgovora

about things like equity

o nečemu kao što je pravičnost

is to begin by building a common language.

početi stvaranjem zajedničkog jezika.

And that actually starts with destigmatizing topics

To zapravo počinje uklanjanjem stigme sa tema

that are typically deemed taboo.

koje se obično smatraju tabuom.

Now, conversations around race, for example,

Razgovori o rasi, na primer,

have their own specific language

imaju svoj specifičan jezik

and students need to be fluent in this language

i potrebno je da učenici poznaju taj jezik

in order to have these conversations.

kako bi vodili ove razgovore.

Now, schools are often the only place

Škole su često jedino mesto

where students can feel free and comfortable

gde se učenici mogu osećati slobodno i opušteno

to ask questions and make mistakes.

da bi postavljali pitanja i pravili greške.

But, unfortunately, not all students feel that sense of security.

Ali, nažalost, nemaju svi učenici taj osećaj sigurnosti.

Now, I knew that day in front of my fourth-graders

Tog dana sam pred učenicima četvrtog razreda znala

that how I chose to respond could actually have life-long implications

da način na koji odaberem da odgovorim može imati životne posledice

not only for Abby, but for the rest of the students in my class.

ne samo za Abi, već i za ostale učenike u mom razredu.

If I had brushed her words aside,

Da sam odbacila njene reči,

the rest of the class could actually infer that this type of comment is acceptable.

ostatak razreda mogao je da zaključi da je ovaj tip komentara prihvatljiv.

But if I had yelled at Abby

Ali da sam vikala na Abi

and embarrassed her in front of all of her friends,

i osramotila je pred svim njenim prijateljima,

that feeling of shame associated with one of her first conversations on race

taj osećaj sramote vezan za jedan od prvih razgovora o rasi

could actually prevent her from ever engaging on that topic again.

mogao bi je sprečiti da se ponovo angažuje u razgovorima na tu temu.

Now, teaching kids about equity in schools is not teaching them what to think.

No, podučavanje dece pravičnosti u školama ne uči ih šta da misle.

It is about giving them the tools and strategies and language

Ne radi se o tome da im daje sredstva, strategije, jezik

and opportunities to practice how to think.

i prilike da vežbaju kako da razmišljaju.

For example, think about how we teach kids how to read.

Na primer, razmislite o tome kako učimo decu da čitaju.

Ne počinjemo tako što im damo knjige.

We don't start by giving them books.

We start by breaking down words into letters and sounds

Počinjemo tako što rastavimo reči na slova i zvukove

and we encourage them to practice their fluency by reading every single day,

i podstičemo ih da vežbaju znanje svakodnevnim čitanjem,

with a partner or with their friends.

sa partnerom ili sa prijateljima.

And we give them lots of comprehension questions

Postavljamo im mnoga pitanja vezana za razumevanje

to make sure that they're understanding what they're reading.

da bismo se uverili da razumeju ono šta čitaju.

And I believe that teaching kids about equity

Smatram da podučavanju dece pravičnosti

should be approached in the exact same way.

treba pristupiti na potpuno isti način.

I like to start by giving my students a survey every year,

Volim da započnem tako što učenicima zadajem anketu svake godine

about different issues around equity and inclusion.

o različitim pitanjima vezanim za pravičnost i uključivanje.

And this is a sample survey from one of my kids,

Ovo je primer ankete jednog od moje dece,

and as you can see, there's some humor in here.

i kao što vidite, prisutan je humor.

For under the question, "What is race?"

Na pitanje: „Šta je rasa?“

she has written, "When two or more cars, people and animals

odgovorila je „Kada dva ili više automobila, čoveka ili životinje

run to see who is fastest and who wins."

trče da vide ko je najbrži i ko će pobediti.“

However, if you look at her question, "What is racism?"

Međutim, ako pogledate njen odgovor na pitanje: „Šta je rasizam?“,

it says, "When somebody says or calls someone dark-skinned a mean name."

kaže: „Kada neko ružno govori ili naziva ružnim imenom nekog ko je tamne kože.“

So, she's young, but she's showing that she's beginning to understand.

Dakle, mlada je, ali pokazuje da počinje da razume.

And when we act

A kada se ponašamo

like our students aren't capable of having these conversations,

kao da naši učenici nisu sposobni da vode takve razgovore,

we actually do them such a disservice.

zapravo im činimo medveđu uslugu.

Now, I also know that these types of conversations

Takođe znam da ovakvi razgovori

can seem really, really intimidating with our students,

našim učenicima mogu delovati veoma zastrašujuće,

especially with young learners.

naročito osnovcima.

But I have taught first through fifth grades,

Ali ja sam predavala od prvog do petog razreda

and I can tell you, for example,

i mogu vam reći, na primer,

that I'm not going to walk into a first-grade classroom

da neću ući u prvi razred

and start talking about things like mass incarceration.

i početi da govorim o stvarima kao što je masovno stavljanje u zatvor.

But even a six-year-old first-grader can understand the difference

Ali čak i prvak od šest godina može da razume razliku

between what is fair -- people getting what they need.

između onog što je pravedno - ljudi dobijaju ono što im treba.

We identified a lot of these things in class together.

Zajedno smo u razredu prepoznali mnogo ovakvih stvari.

And the difference between fair and equal --

Razlika između pravednosti i jednakosti -

when everybody gets the same thing,

kada svi dobiju isto,

especially goody bags at birthday parties.

pogotovo poklončiće za goste na rođendanskim žurkama.

Now, first-graders can also understand the difference

Prvaci obično mogu da razumeju razliku

between a punishment and a consequence.

između kazne i posledice.

And all of these things are foundational concepts

Sve ove stvari su osnovni koncepti

that anyone needs to understand

koje osoba mora da razume

before having a conversation

pre nego što uđe u razgovor

about mass incarceration in the United States.

o masovnom zatvaranju u Sjedinjenim Državama.

Some people might think that kindergarteners or first-graders

Neki će možda pomisliti da su predškolci i prvaci

are too young to have conversations around racism,

previše mladi da bi razgovarali o rasizmu,

but also tell you that young kids

ali će vam takođe reći da tako mala deca

understand that there are many different components

razumeju da postoji mnogo različitih komponenti

od kojih je sačinjen naš identitet,

that make up our identities

and how people are similar and different,

kako su ljudi slični i različiti

and what it means to have power when other people don't.

i šta znači imati moć kada je drugi ljudi nemaju.

When we have these conversations with students at a young age,

Kada vodimo ovakve razgovore sa učenicima mlađeg uzrasta,

it actually takes away some of that taboo feeling

to zapravo uklanja deo osećaja o tabuu

when those topics come up at a later age.

kada te teme iskrsnu na starijim uzrastima.

I also know that teaching about these things in schools

Takođe znam da podučavanje ovim stvarima u školama

can feel like navigating a minefield.

može delovati kao šetnja kroz minsko polje.

For example, what happens if parents or families

Na primer, šta se dešava kada se roditelji ili porodice

aren't on board with having these conversations in schools?

ne slažu da takve razgovore treba voditi u školama?

But to these people, I can say:

Ali tim ljudima mogu reći

these are some examples of things that students have said to me

da postoje primeri stvari koje su mi učenici rekli

and brought to my attention.

i koje su mi stavili do znanja.

For example, I had a student come in and whisper to me,

Na primer, jedan učenik je došao i šapnuo mi:

"I've heard all these people use the term LGBTQ,

„Čuo sam da mnogi ljudi koriste termin LGBTQ,

but I don't know what it means and I'm too embarrassed to admit it."

ali ne znam šta to znači i previše me je sramota da priznam.“

I had a student come in over a weekend and come up to me and say,

Jedan učenik je došao preko vikenda, prišao mi i rekao:

"You know, I just watched this movie about Australia,

„Znate, upravo sam gledao film o Australiji

and it made me wonder if they have racism there, too."

i zapitao sam se da li i tamo postoji rasizam.“

And I always want my students to be comfortable having these conversations

Uvek želim da mojim učenicima bude ugodno da vode ove razgovore,

because when they're comfortable talking about it and asking questions,

jer kada im je ugodno da govore o tome i postavljaju pitanja,

they also build comfort in bringing in their own lives and experiences

takođe im postaje prijatnije da iznesu svoje životne priče i iskustva

in how they relate to these big topics.

u smislu toga u kakvom su odnosu sa ovim velikim temama.

Also, some teachers might be kind of nervous

Takođe, neki učitelji se mogu unervoziti

if a student brings up a topic or asks a question

ako učenik iznese temu ili postavi pitanje,

and they don't know the answer to it.

a oni ne znaju odgovor na njega.

But if a student ever brings something to my attention

Ali ako učenik nekada iznese nešto pred mene

and I don't know the answer,

a ja ne znam odgovor,

I will always admit it and own it

uvek to priznam i prihvatim,

because I'm not going to pretend to be an expert in something

jer se neću pretvarati da sam stručnjak za nešto

u čemu nemam iskustvo ili autoritet.

that I don't have experience in or I'm not an authority on.

That same year, I had a student come in

Iste te godine, učenik je došao

and ask a question about the LGBTQ community.

i postavio pitanje o zajednici LGBTQ,

And I just didn't know enough to give them an appropriate answer.

a ja jednostavno nisam dovoljno znala da bih dala odgovarajući odgovor.

So instead, I encouraged that student

Tako da sam umesto toga podstakla tog učenika

to reach out and ask that question to a representative of a nonprofit

da uspostavi kontakt i postavi pitanje predstavnici neprofitne organizacije

who had come to speak to our class about that very same issue.

koja je došla da govori našem razredu upravo o tom problemu.

When we admit to our students that we don't have all the answers,

Kada priznamo svojim učenicima da nemamo sve odgovore,

not only does it humanize us to them,

ne samo da nam to pred njima pripisuje ljudskost,

it also shows them that adults have a long way to go, too,

već im takođe pokazuje da i odrasli treba da pređu dug put

when it comes to learning about issues of equity.

kada se radi o učenju o temama pravičnosti.

Now, a little while back, I wrote a lesson about consent.

Nedavno sam napisala lekciju o saglasnosti.

And, to some people, this was very exciting

Za neke ljude je to bilo vrlo uzbudljivo

because I took this topic that seemed very taboo and scary

jer sam uzela tu temu, koja je delovala kao tabu i zastrašujuće,

and I broke it down into a way that was accessible for young learners.

i razložila je na način koji je bio pristupačan za osnovce.

However, to other people,

Međutim, za druge ljude,

the idea of consent is so strongly tied to sex,

ideja o saglasnosti je snažno vezana za seks,

and sex is often considered a taboo subject,

a seks se često smatra tabu temom,

that it made them very uncomfortable.

pa im je zbog toga bilo vrlo neprijatno.

But my students are third-graders,

Ali moji učenici su trećaci,

so we're not talking about sex in class.

pa mi ne govorimo o seksu na časovima.

Rather, I wanted them to understand

Umesto toga, htela sam da shvate

that everybody has different physical boundaries

da svako ima različite fizičke granice

that make them feel comfortable.

sa kojima im je ugodno.

And the social and emotional intelligence it takes

Društvena i emocionalna inteligencija

koja je potrebna da bi se protumačile nečije reči, ton i jezik tela

to read somebody's words and tone and body language

are skills that often need to be explicitly taught,

su veštine koje često treba eksplicitno podučavati,

the same way we teach things like reading and math.

isto kao što učimo stvari kao što su čitanje i matematika.

And this lesson is not reserved for students of one single demographic.

Ova lekcija nije rezervisana za učenike samo jednog dela populacije.

Things like questioning and making observations

Stvari poput preispitivanja, primećivanja i kritičkog promišljanja

and critical thinking

are things that any student of any race or ethnicity

su nešto što svi učenici, bilo koje rase, etničke pripadnosti,

or background or language or income or zip code should be learning in schools.

porekla, jezika, prihoda i mesta boravka treba da uče u školama.

Also, deliberate avoidance of these conversations

Takođe, namerno izbegavanje ovih tema

speaks volumes to our students

mnogo toga govori našim učenicima

because kids notice when their teachers, when their textbooks

jer deca primećuju kada njihovi učitelji i udžbenici

leave out the voices and experiences of people like women or people of color.

izostavljaju mišljenja i iskustva ljudi kao što su žene ili ljudi obojene kože.

Silence speaks volumes.

Tišina mnogo govori.

I recently asked my class of third-graders

Nedavno sam upitala razred trećaka

what they would say to adults who think they're too young

šta bi rekli odraslima koji misle da su oni previše mladi

to learn about issues of equity.

da bi učili o problemima pravičnosti.

And while this is a small sample of my 25 students,

Mada je u pitanju mali uzorak od mojih 25 učenika,

all of them agreed

svi su se složili

that not only are they capable of having these conversations,

da ne samo da su sposobni da vode ove razgovore,

but they view it, the right to learn it, as a right and not as a privilege.

već učenje o tome vide kao pravo, a ne privilegiju.

And, in their words:

Njihovim rečima:

"We're big enough to know about these things

„Dovoljno smo veliki da znamo za ove stvari

because these problems are happening where we live.

jer se ti problemi dešavaju tamo gde mi živimo.

And we have the right to talk about them

Imamo pravo da govorimo o njima

because it will be our life in the future."

jer će to biti naš život u budućnosti.“

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)