Teacher of the Year Creates Safe Classroom
San Diego, CA - Facing History and Ourselves is pleased to announce that Viana Rodriguez, a history teacher at Southwest High School in San Diego, California, was recently voted "Teacher of the Year" at her school. Rodriguez was selected for the honor by her colleagues at Southwest, a four-year high school three miles from the international border between the U.S. and Mexico. Rodriguez is making a difference by helping her students be academically successful and discover how they have the choice to become contributing and positive participants in their school community.
Walking in Each Other's Shoes
Rodriguez was recognized for her work with the Safe Schools Ambassadors Program which she introduced at Southwest last year. The program identifies socially influential youth who meet after school to explore ways to create safe school communities where bullying, exclusion, teasing and violence are prevented.
Last fall, Rodriguez had the chance to take the Safe Schools Ambassadors to the next level, by creating a special elective class. She knew that Facing History would be the perfect framework for the course. Since discovering Facing History in 2004, Rodriguez has been an enthusiastic participant in our seminars, attending Holocaust and Human Behavior, Race and Membership in American History and Crimes Against Humanity and Civilization: The Genocide of the Armenians.
In the class, students followed the Facing History journey, beginning with talking about identity and getting to know each other. Rodriguez said it helped the students develop empathy. "They realized it's hard to hate someone once you know their story, really get to know them," she said.
Listening to Student Voices
Students then explored what makes a safe community-where all students feel comfortable expressing their voices, and where different perspectives are respected. As they explored the factors that can hinder creating such communities-like stereotyping and inclusion and exclusion-- some students brought up stories where they thought their teachers had been insensitive.
Rodriguez arranged a meeting with students and faculty where students met in small groups with teachers and presented scenarios that highlighted the problem in a non-threatening way.
Students Teach the Teachers
"We prepared and practiced in class so the students would present as sensitively as possible-and so teachers would listen with open hearts and open minds. They said they weren't there to disrespect teachers but needed their help to create a safer campus," she said.
Rodriguez said the teachers were very receptive to the way the students brought their attention to the issue, and the principal came in the next day and praised the students for having the courage to speak up and make a difference.
