What is social justice? Social Justice in education can be defined as “a way of approaching public education, and teacher education, that ensures that it will be as open and equitable as possible to all children, regardless of their identities, biologies, or experiences” (Alsup and Miller, 199). This means that as teachers we must acknowledge and support all students regardless of their individual perceptions of their world view.
The idea of social justice in classrooms is a fairly new concept. It might seem obvious that social justice is discussed in English classrooms because of the literature that is taught. Every story we read has some element of social justice or injustice, but it shouldn’t end with the literature we read. Each classroom has its own diverse mix of students who may see the world differently than their classmates. Social justice is also about fairness and equity for all students. Being a teacher is not just about the knowledge that we are teaching, but we are also teaching our students how to successfully navigate the world outside of school.
This article was helpful to me as a future teacher because I need to be aware that every student in every one of my classes will be different from others, and will require me to be able be aware that different students may need to do something differently than others in the class. Teacher candidates can benefit from classes and workshops about social justice as well as paying close attention to how the kids in the field study classes communicate and work together. New teachers need to develop a disposition towards social justice, and if we can develop a knowledge of social justice and injustice, we can help our students also adopt an acceptance and tolerance for people who might be different to them.
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