Social Justice in the Classroom.

When the assignment this week was to explore the idea of social justice in the classroom I thought the best place to start would be the actual definition of social justice which is: the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within a society. I think I am not alone in feeling this definition is extremely vague in describing social justice in reality. The next step in my discovery was to find an article or blog about social justice and I found one written by Becky Ropers-Huilman a professor at Lousiana State University, titled Social Justice in the Classroom: Understanding the Implications of Interlocking Oppressions; which explored how each of us has experienced different forms of oppression that affect us differently. 

For example, I am a caucasian, upper middle class, straight, christian, American born citizen and am not part of the oppressed groups relating to race, class, sexual orientation, religion or immigration status. However, I am also a conservative, female who looks like I am part of a minority group and am therefore a part of oppression based on gender, political opinions, and skin color. My experience with these identifiers are different then someone with all the same identifiers let alone someone who is different. 

In her, article Ropers-Huilman shares an experience she had in her classroom discussion sexual orientation. There was a situation between two students one an African-American woman who was not in support of same-sex relationships and a white male student who identified as an ally. These two students could not have been more polarized and as a white feminist professor, Ropers-Heilman's had to balance her personal opinions with treating all her students with equal respect. 

As a teacher, you have to put your students first even if that means putting your opinions aside to refined a students right to free speech and equal opportunities in the classroom. Social Justice is something that we each deal with in our own ways, and it should be discussed and taught in our classrooms. I think the best way to teach that is to model it, which means you are aware of your own advantages and disadvantages in life and help other students to become aware of their personal experiences while not negating the experiences of other students. If I had to redefine social justice I would define it as: Promoting tolerance, freedom, and equality for all people regardless of race, sex, orientation, national origin, handicap, etc... (Urban Dictionary). 

Here is a link to the article: http://www.engl.niu.edu/audience/Social%20Justice%20in%20the%20Classroom.pdf