Classrooms shall make a legitimate effort at having courageous conversations

The mention of courageous conversations should not end with Superintendent Rick Doll’s speech before the rivalry game. Students and teachers need to take the initiative to have class conversations about things like race, gender and class.

Whole-hearted sincerity is necessary for the effectiveness of conversation

It’s not hard for students to get alienated when speaking about serious topics, but that is not an excuse to joke about the topic. Making jokes about the topic can offend your classmates, and they won’t always speak up when they’re offended.

Conversations shall, in the context of a classroom, be from current events

The vandalism is only one example. There are plenty of current events that can be tied in with prevalent, controversial issues, and having discussions within the context of the real world can give students an opportunity to voice their opinions while also getting a better understanding of the world around them.

It is the right of the students to be allotted with the proper amount of time for discussion

Courageous conversations can’t be held in five minutes. If everyone is participating and elaborating on their opinions and ideas, the conversation should take a considerable amount of time. That time needs to be allowed for an effective discussion to take place.

No person shall be held to answer for the masses

It needs to be widely acknowledged that the one girl in the discussion can’t give you the opinion of the entire female population, and the one black student cannot give you the opinion of the entire black population. Assuming that someone can be representative of the entire demographic that they are in will put that person in an uncomfortable place. Belonging to a group does not ultimately determine a person’s opinion about something.

In courageous conversations participants should be supplied with historical context

Using historical events as examples gives students the opportunity to make connections between the ideas introduced and events they’ve studied in class.

All persons shall be held to keeping themselves informed

Cell phones and computers make it incredibly easy to keep up with the times. News sources are at almost everyone’s fingertips, so make use of them and know what is going on around you. It makes discussions a lot more meaningful

Excessive suspension of lesson plans shall not be required; fit discussions to topics of study

Especially in social studies classes, there are plenty of places in the regular curriculum where conversations can arise. Plan for discussions to take place. Maybe students will stay more involved if they can state their input for once.

Conversations shall not be limited to a narrow set of topics

While the official Courageous Conversations program focuses on racial disparities, our focus must be broader. Discrimination based on gender identity, gender, socio-economic status and religion remain significant issues in our society and demand examination. We can only address these disparities if we allow ourselves to discuss them.

Participants shall enter conversations openly

Listening to others’ ideas can give you a better perspective of what they believe. If you don’t agree, there is an opportunity to speak up and explain why you disagree and ask questions. Going into a discussion with a strong opinion could close you off to other viewpoints.