Today's lesson was about political parties. I taught them the roles and how the two major political parties differ and showed them the political spectrum that we fall on. When we went over different issues and the different viewpoints of the political parties. I had some kids comment on the issues and how what one side thought was "stupid" or "dumb". I was a little dumbfounded but also thought about how much of an example we adults are to the future generation. I had to step on my soapbox for a minute and remind my students about how we should treat others who don't think the same way we do. I had to remind them that yes, we may not always agree with the issues or viewpoints of a particular political party, group, or person. BUT just because we don't after doesn't mean we have the right to put them down or tear them down because they don't think the same. I told my students that even if we disagree, we need to still respect others and we need to work together to move forward to make sure our country succeeds. We don't want to tear this nation apart when the people that built this country worked hard so we can have the freedom to think the way we want. I hope it was OK I told them that but I wanted to make sure they got that message. . . . Sigh . . . #lifeofateacher #historyteacher #politicalparties #worktogethernotagainsteachother https://www.instagram.com/p/BqJqlSpDjF1/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=m3oivnc0bv93

Really impressive. I am appalled at the pathetic, ignorant level of hate that is being perpetuated on conservative Republican side of politics at this point. I do not approve of all of the actions that have been carried out under the "Black Lives Matter" banner, such as the crime and destruction carried out in Baltimore by a segment of people during the riots. But the news didn't show how so many black people (sorry, I'm not going to be politically correct here because, quite frankly, doing so does more to divide us more often than bring us together) stood up along side police to bring calm and peace to a volatile situation. Countless black people stood up in solidarity and walked the violent streets together to bring calm and sense and perspective to a situation that got grossly out of control on many sides, but you didn't see any of that on the Television News because it didn't fit their lucrative continual coverage of chaos. The man at the Donald Trump rally did nothing but shout "Black Lives Matter" which, although it disrupted Trump's speech, it certainly did not require people in the audience to push, shove, punch and kick the man. And the fact that Trump didn't rebuke the people who did so and actually defended the people that did after the fact basically saying that the man asked for a beating is a sad, disgusting sign of how there is a level of blind, ignorant hate that is actually being cultivated by so many on the conservative side of politics at this point. The blind hatred of refugees and the ignorance of the fact that under the current system it could very well take up to 18 months of vetting and interrogation before they would be allowed into the country doesn't matter because nobody bothers to find out the facts, they only respond to the ignorant fear that the TV News channels perpetuate because fear and anger is what makes them money. This is a problem on both sides of the liberal and conservative media people need to open their minds and not just listen to what they want to hear. Take time and listen to the other side and other opinions. We all need to take time to listen to each other and work together or we are doomed to stay ignorant, angry, and uninformed. We will be responsible for cultivating the discord and division that future generations will get stuck trying to unravel, if they don't continue following in our own self-absorbed, ignorant hate of what we don't want to bother to work through and fix together.