I am sure that I’m not alone in feeling great sadness about yesterday’s events at our Capitol. Most of us never imagined we would be here. But here we are.

And we have classes and students this morning and throughout the days to come. Last night, we helped all of our teachers be prepared to address these historic events in age-appropriate ways in our diverse classrooms and community. I have great confidence that our wonderful teachers will do an excellent job of helping all of our children to process these events in ways that will keep every child safe while also meeting our goal of creating informed, engaged citizens.

Our guide-posts for faculty include the following:

Guide-Posts Our Upper Division History classes will be addressing and discussing the events for at least the rest of this week. Beyond that:

Lower Division and 5th/6th grade teachers will not be pro-active in bringing it up. If students do bring it up (at any level), teachers will respond organically to what happens in their classrooms. They will be sensitive to all students and student opinions. They will not allow students to be belittled by others. Many students may feel deeply unsettled by the events (I do!), and they may feel fear. Teachers will express confidence in our democracy and our system. They will be a voice of calm, and hope, and faith in our system. Yet, They will not hesitate to say that the actions of those who stormed and vandalized the Capitol (and with the intent to disrupt Congress’ business) broke the law. This was not an example of democratic protest. Teachers will stress that the rioters did not succeed in stopping Congress. Congress’ business went on according to our Constitution. The rioters did not stop our democratic system from working. Teachers will be empowering. They will encourage our students to be involved in our democracy by being aware of the news and by voting and volunteering to make things better for ourselves, our country, and the world. For example, “We are living through historic events. What’s happening today will help you to be better leaders for us as we move into our future.” Above all, teachers will maintain a positive climate in their classrooms. They are great at that!

By modeling how to talk about issues in a civil manner, including expressing stress and frustration productively while also maintaining a sense of community, teachers will provide students with a safe space to express themselves and feel reassured.

Some Guidance for Families Older elementary students will most likely be aware, but not fully understand the nuances of the situation. Families can help their children grow into citizenship by reinforcing at home some principles for productive civic engagement we instill at school. We encourage you to explore questions like

What can you do when you don’t agree with something or someone? What are safe and respectful ways to express your opinions? What kinds of things should you do before you act?

Please encourage students to gather accurate information, to listen to others, and to respond in respectful ways.

Because of yesterday’s events, it may also be appropriate to bring up the rights of all Americans to protest and exercise their freedom of speech. But these rights come with responsibilities and do not mean you can be violent, mean, or disrespectful.

If the waters our children swim in all serve to reinforce principles of civil, respectful engagement with the world and with each other, then we will be going a long way toward creating citizens who will use their voices to lead us with great wisdom and power.

I am optimistic that we can use yesterday’s awful event as a springboard to a better public discourse and a better America. Through our children, we can help our best days be those that are still in front of us.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to your division directors or to me.

Sincerely,

P.S. We had a “Happy New Year/Welcome Back/Coronavirus Update” communication set to go out yesterday afternoon, but we “pulled the plug” on it as the Capitol situation arose. We will send that message out tomorrow. Thank you for your indulgence.