Discussing Baltimore during advisory time

During my advisory period, my students and I had so much to talk about Baltimore and police brutality in general. First of all, I was FURIOUS because of what is happening to country to the point where I brought it up to my students. They were able to relate and shared stories about THEIR own experiences with racial profiling. Before I continue this blog, let me tell you that within this advisory, ALL my students are either African American or Dominican Americans (dark skinned). These kids are only 12 to 13 years old and they have gotten stopped by the police because of "suspicious activities".

We talked more about the Baltimore case and many shares their anger and also their thoughts about the situation. First of all, one students said it was about police being racist, while other said it was about taking advantage of their power. Students were very mature about the situation and shared things like: "if we want justice, we need to do it differently... they are missing the point, violence just creates more violence". I was touched by these words and their understanding of such problems within our society.

I am happy we have created such environment in which all of us feel comfortable and able to share our thoughts. Although the blog started by comparing two events that involve police brutality, their understanding of the situation and their thoughts made me proud since they are aware of this problem that affects people of color living in economically challenged areas.

Any thoughts?


- Ms. G