‘Being uncomfortable with the kids’: how high school history teachers talk about race in the classroom

Sanchez, Angelica Maria (2021) ‘Being uncomfortable with the kids’: how high school history teachers talk about race in the classroom. Masters thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

This thesis focuses on the experiences of high school history teachers discussing race within the classroom. Race has been at the forefront of the sociopolitical context of 2020, as the Black Lives Matter movement has brought attention to the racialized history of the United States. This study brings to light the ways teachers are managing potentially sensitive discussions of race within their classrooms. This paper outlines the strategies teachers use and the challenges they face. While it is important to think and discuss about race relations, it’s also important to study how we talk about race relations with young people. High school presents a unique setting, as these are important formative years in students’ lives. Something may work in theory, but unless we speak to the folks on the ground, who are doing the actual teaching, we will come away with only a partial understanding of how race and history are taught in classrooms. Throughout this project, I interviewed 10 high school history teachers to discuss their experiences discussing race in history classrooms. This paper outlines my findings.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	Education; High School; History; Race relations; Discrimination; Critical Race Theory
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1603 Secondary Education. High schools
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Social and Behavioral Science > Sociology and Social Work
Date Deposited:	07 Jul 2022 20:35
Last Modified:	07 Jul 2022 20:35
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/5814

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