Responding to Pushback

Tips and Resources for Responding to Pushback from Families or Administrators

We know there is so much you want to discuss with students, but you might have concerns about pushback, resistance, complaints or worse. I realized we give general advice often when writing about a specific topic, but have never written a post about it. So here it is! Hope it is helpful.

When I was most recently teaching full time, my go to response to parents who worried that topics were too “scary/political/polarized/controversial etc” was, “We/I totally agree this is a complex topic that must be addressed thoughtfully and with intention. Here is a resource to help you as we work together to keep answering your child/student’s questions. Thanks for your partnership in this important work!” I also noted how rigorous asking and answering critical questions about the world is and how students are practicing media literacy.

However, at my most recent school, I had the backing of my administration and was teaching at a school with a social justice mission. I also had amazing co-teachers so I was not facing these confrontations alone. Many teachers are in very different positions and may have students who do not wish to discuss the election or politics in general for a variety of reasons. Do what feels right for you and your students. You always know best. If you decide to go ahead with these discussions and do receive pushback, try to make it about the students when you respond. Go back to the questions and concerns they had and how you were trying to answer them (which is your job, after all). The news was and is troubling, but ignoring it won’t make it go away or reassure your students. 

General Tips:

• Know where you stand with administration. This can be at the level of your individual school or team and/or at a school board or district level. If you know where you stand, you know where to go for help and where to avoid at all costs! 

• Find your allies. Even if your administration is not supportive, you might be able to find another teacher in a similar situation or an administrative assistant who can give you a heads up. If you cannot find anyone at your school, seek community elsewhere.

• Know your rights. These resources from the NEA about teachers’ rights can help with that. The FAQ has an option of searching by state.

• Teach Truth: Know Your Rights FAQ | NEA

• Educator Rights

• Go back to the standards or any other written requirements about what you are supposed to teach.

• Refer to the school or district’s mission (if applicable and helpful) or any communication from the school (administration, DEI, counselor, etc) and suggest you are following these mandates and questions about that can be answered by that person or department.

• If the concern continues, offering a time in the future to meet about it in person will sometimes give the complainer time to reflect. They may be less comfortable saying certain things to your face and it will give you time to try and find backup for the meeting (someone you trust to be there with you). 

*All of this advice is situation dependent. You know what is best and most importantly, you know if you feel safe or not. When in doubt, take precautions and always try to bring things back to the students and their questions and concerns. 

Talking to students about Ukraine

If your household is anything like mine, the news has been on A LOT lately. Or you’ve been reading on your phone. Or both. I have a toddler so I try to watch the news when he is asleep and he can’t read what I’m looking at on my phone (and doesn’t let me look at my phone when he is around!), but I imagine it’s harder with older kids. One thing I’ve learned from teaching elementary school is that kids are aware of much more than we think and pick up everything we are thinking and feeling. So they know something is happening in Ukraine and it’s something that adults have been talking about a lot. They might come to school with facts to share, unanswered questions, misconceptions or incomplete information, or a combination of all of these. It’s hard to know where to begin and how to approach such a complex topic especially with younger students.

It’s pretty much always a good idea to start with a read aloud. Ask students what connections they can make to the story. Can they make text to self connections? Model by thinking of a time you yourself were homesick or scared or missed someone. What about text to world connections? How does the story connect to events happening in the world today?

I had a hard time finding read alouds about Ukraine or set in Ukraine (although The Mitten by Jan Brett is set in Ukraine!). There are some very compelling picture books about war here. You can also learn more about Ukraine with your class here.

The Journey by Francesca Sanna is about a family who must leave their home and country to escape war and hopefully find safety. After you read it (warning, it is emotional!), talk about what the word “refugee” means. You can find more ideas for relevant picture books here. Naturally, there are many more out there- please comment below with your suggestions!

Discussion Ideas

Make sure you start with a map (or multiple maps!) so students know where you are discussing. The example above might help students with clear reference points, but I would start with a world map and go from there. Then, talk about the news. I like to start with an image and a table for responses with two columns: "I think"and "I wonder." You can do this on a large whiteboard or piece of chart paper, or individually (or in small groups) with handouts. It helps less confident students feel ready to share their thoughts and provides you with a way to find out what misconceptions versus accurate information students have and understand. The "I wonder" column also gives you a better sense of where to go to answer all of their questions and prompts them to ASK questions, which is always an excellent place to begin. You know best what image might be most impactful and appropriate for your students, but here is one of a teacher and her students (something kids can relate to on some level) or here is an article with images from protests around the world (including one in New York City). Students often respond well to images of other children.

Newsela articles are also a great way to give students a chance to learn more about a situation on their own time and inclination. This way, they can read and re-read, underline, ask questions, or just take time to process without having to hear it from you. It’s also an excellent way for students to practice media literacy and read an article to understand a situation in the world better. I’ve offered articles as an option and had most students choose to read them or given one to each student with choices to read in small groups, pairs, or independently, and come together again for questions or share at the end.

Remember, vocabulary instruction is (always) key! Make sure you define any words students might be unfamiliar with or have heard but not completely understand.

*If you are worried about backlash or concern from families: 

My go to response to parents who worry that topics are too “scary” is, “We totally agree this is a complex topic that must be addressed thoughtfully and with intention. Here is a resource to help you as we work together to keep answering your child/student’s questions. Thanks for your partnership in this important work!” I also note how rigorous asking and answering critical questions about the world is and how students are practicing media literacy.

However, I have the backing of my administration and I teach at a school with a social justice mission. I also have an amazing co-teacher so I am not facing these confrontations alone. Many teachers are in very different positions and may have students who do not wish to discuss the war in Ukraine for a variety of reasons. Do what feels right for you and your students. You always know best. If you decide to go ahead with these discussions and do receive pushback, try to make it about the students when you respond. Go back to the questions and concerns they had and how you were trying to answer them (which is your job, after all). The news was and is scary, but ignoring it won’t make it go away or reassure your students.

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