Social Justice

Social justice is a complex issue that prevails not only in the real world but also the bubble that often becomes school and the classroom. The issues that pertain to social justice can and often will impact students within the classroom, or students will find their inspiration in hearing about the problems in the world and wanting to help-out. The classroom is not a bubble, the outside world impacts the classroom and the students that are entering the classroom. The issues can also impact me as a person which in turn will impact my teaching and in turn possibly my composure within the classroom and with my students.

As a new teacher working to find a way to encourage students to look into social justice issues without throwing myself into those issues as well, will be a challenge. I find myself still looking for what I am passionate about, besides literature and teaching, which leaves me trying to find the social movements that are happening within the nation. But my role as an educator is to find neutral ground and to help students discover and explore their own social movements. Figuring myself out and what I am passionate about is something I have to do on my own time and focus on my students and not myself during class time.


Letting students discover their passions is one of the reasons that social justice is important in classrooms. The causes behind social injustices of all kinds are linked to all kinds of possible passions that students could have and be unaware of within their lives. The article discusses how one student became to impassioned about Ferguson’s water crisis that they created a project about it, this was a student that was previously unmotivated and uninterested in class projects. But this students became motivated and passionate about a social justice issue and thus about their learning and about who they are as a person. 

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