In a time of political change and uncertainty, students are anxious and afraid, and we want them to feel powerful. We want to build awareness of histories and patterns of injustice, so they can make sense of and resist injustice as it happens today. Educators need resources to support classroom discussions around making a difference, so kids feel able to be part of a change.
#TeachResistance was designed to support a Teach In on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2017, but the work is bigger than one day, and it is bigger than all of us. Today, it is an ongoing collaboration between educators, parents, and all those who want to prepare children to be an active part of our democracy.
The goal of the #TeachResistance toolkit is to share stories of resistance from the past and teach strategies for resistance in the present. Students will learn about ways that young people have fought back against injustice in different times and different places.
Through age appropriate read alouds and suggested activities, we will introduce students to stories of communities coming together to make a difference.
Who are we?
We are a group of parents and educators based in NYC who have come together around a set of central questions:
- What does it look like to identify patterns of injustice as they are happening now, and what can we do to collectively resist them?
- How can we support our students and children as they make sense of a political world that can be scary and confusing?
#TeachResistance is part of the national movement to protect the rights of children and all people in the United States in the face of rising hatred and violence.