Discussing the Discomfort With Comfort In Classrooms

“Who knows , he may grow up to be President someday, unless they hang him first!" -Aunt Polly about Tom Sawyer. (Mark Twain,The Adventures of Tom Sawyer)

On a dewy morning of  January,2017; I attended a lecture by American Professor Ellen Handler Spitz on American Classic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Before delving into the depths of prejudice, conformity, autocracy, slavery and freedom; we discussed a newspaper article published in one of leading dailies of New York. A black boy getting injured over a play date by scuffle with White classmate. We all had drawn this conclusion; racism is not over nor the ‘N’ word.

Cut to a windy afternoon in October, 2019. I was teaching Constitutional Design to my students of Class 9. When I started explaining verbose terms like Segregation, Apartheid, Racism, I saw the amused smiles and doubts in their eyes. They somewhat accepted the fact that all these are history and we live in better times now. Our times are for the people,of the people and by the people.

A short leap to dull ,gloomy hot day in May,2020. "I can't breathe" is no nCovid sufferer's cry. Perhaps the cry of freedom, the constitutional design that I, my students and thousands of people place faith upon ,when racism choked 46 year old African-American George Floyd to death.
Should I be worried of showing false hopes to my students or re-evaluate where our textbooks go wrong in portraying the truth? Why are we not comfort enough to discuss the discomfort in classrooms? Should our textbooks be more updated than just portraying racism and casteism are things of past ?

A new study has revealed that NCERT books are furthering gender disparity by showing women as weak individuals. The analysis of textbooks of Classes 2 to 4 for Hindi, Maths, English and Environmental Science revealed that they encouraged men to do outdoor activities, while women were shown to be confined to domestic spheres.

The textbooks projected women to be ideal for domestic work like cooking and child rearing. Nearly all money-lenders, shopkeepers, doctors, scientists, and soldiers illustrated for explanatory purposes in the textbooks are men.

The women were portrayed largely as teachers, always clad in saris. Even the animals were spared from this disparity, as most of them were referred to in the masculine. The analysis of the class five English textbook revealed that 56% of the illustrations featured only men and boys, while women were shown in just 20.6%. The remaining diagrams showed both men and women together.

What’s surprising? The guidelines that have been set for these textbooks are completely contrary to what is being reflected in real.

In an interview to the Times Of India, researcher Leclere said, "The guidelines are very gender-progressive, with the objective being to reach 'equality of outcome', and not just 'equality of opportunity'. Use of gender-sensitive language is also emphasized. But content in some of these textbooks fails to match this ideal."

The study has raised concerns over how such demarcation between professions portrayed in textbooks could only reinforce gender stereotypes.

These things are very easily sidelined by teachers while discussing in classrooms. Gender stereotypes, Social prejudices are more of chapters of discomfort for teachers to explain in details. While the chapters on Racism, Gender disparity, Casteism seem difficult topics to coach the students for Social Science teachers; Reproductive Health awareness is another sensitive chapter for Biology teachers. English textbooks of most of the educational boards do not contain any slave narrative classics.

These are some of the major and common topics that seem discomforting for both parents and teachers to discuss in details with the children. Most of the times these chapters are ‘hush-hush’ matters. However, curtailing the chapters as pure discomfort ;lead to growing ignorance about reproductive hygiene, the gender struggle between men and women, cyber sexual assaults and many more. It’s important for us to discuss why Tom Sawyer might be hung ;than having the freedom and liberty to be President someday, the privilege that comes easily to White netizens.

Winston Churchill said- “History is written by victors’’. After reading Harriet Stowe, Frederic Douglass,Harriet Jacobs, Tony Morrison to Sharyn Mc Crumb; I can say History is written by powerful literates.

The fact that slave narratives do not simply function as tales of endurance and survival, but utilise a distinctive authorial voice which contributes to their persuasive power; which need to be discussed in classrooms. As African-American abolitionists, Douglass and Harriet Jacobs felt the dual pressures of remaining true to their slave backgrounds whilst presenting a voice which could gain the attention of and persuade white audiences. Both Douglass and Jacobs address the reader directly at certain points in their narratives, forcing them to imagine the suffering they could endure if they found themselves in the author’s position.

As 21st century readers, many find these narratives difficult, emotive but compelling reads. Hence students should be made to read and be engaged in discussions of these classics as they provide an unfiltered insight into perhaps the darkest chapter of American history. These narratives better fit to explain the lingering prejudices in American societies courtesy recent George Floyd’s murder.

Information on reproductive system, human reproduction and related issues and reproductive health are far from satisfactory and needs special attention amongst both students and teachers. Study pointed toward the need for information on reproductive system, and related concepts and issues and reproductive health for the students especially through curriculum as they form primary source of knowledge for them which is also easily accessible.

The biggest benefit of having open discussions regarding sensitive topics in classroom is how a teacher brings class together as whole, helps students to open up with each other and feel comfortable sharing their thoughts.It helps to understand the different sides of things, whereas at home students are taught to beleive in one sided perspectives.

Having classroom discussions help students to constantlyformulate own opinions and gain insight from other students about issues like gender, race and caste.

 All these topics need to be strengthened by capacity building of teachers to handle these topics and questions delicately. Textbooks like NCERT should be revised periodically and updated with examples from recent socio-political affairs.Teachers’ orientation about these sensitive yet utterly concerning topics and, improving their capacity to talk and explain these topics, within the framework of course-curriculum is also highly recommended.

P.S.: The opinions expressed in the article are personal views of the writer. Statistics are sourced from Internet.