Do’s and Don’ts of Teaching Black History | Teaching Tolerance

Teaching the contextual nuances of history can be extremely difficult especially in isolation during a thirty-day period. Yet, each year, we ask teachers to breathe life and give shape to the cultural, political, and social landscape of history during a very small window of time.

Given this important task, I believe it is vital to approach the study of the different heritage months the same way you would any topic/theme in the classroom (with deep thought and careful planning). In 2007, the folks at Teaching Tolerance published a useful list of do’s and don’ts for teaching during Black History month. The list was adapted from material by Pat Russo of the Curriculum & Instruction Department at SUNY Oswego, and I believe it is a useful resource tool to help teachers plan their lessons during black history month or any other heritage month. tlb

DO…

Incorporate black history (or any other heritage month) year-round into the curriculum
Continue learning (provide in-depth, continuous, and thorough understanding of the subject/theme)
Reinforce to students that “black” or “women’s” history is American history
Relate lessons to other parts of the curriculum
Connect issues in the past to current issues to make history relevant to the lives of all students
Include the political and social context of the community’s struggle for social justice

DO NOT…

Stop your “regular” curriculum
Decontextualize heroes or holidays
Focus on superficial cultural traits based on stereotypes
Talk about black history (or any other heritage month) in solely “feel-good” language
Teach with little or inaccurate information
Shy away from controversial, ambiguous, or unresolved issues

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