 PBS 45 & 49 resources for tough times
by David Benson, Educational Technology Consultant ()
Many times I find myself turning to the news and current events for ideas when it comes to writing. These past few months have offered a lot more opportunities to pluck what is happening in the news than any others in recent years: record cold and snowfalls in some areas; soaring energy costs; people lost and people found; and, of course, a tense global political situation. I guess I'm finally old enough to say I've been through enough of these situations and have seen quite a few students asking questions, and I know this is one of those areas where many teachers really shine.
I can remember as a kid getting bombarded with all kinds of information. One person said this, another person said that and I became very confused as to who was right or wrong or whether anybody was really right or wrong. I did get perspective from home but that always came with its own bias. It was usually a teacher who would encourage me to look at an issue from both angles and then decide what I thought was the best choice in relation to my values. That's what I remember about some of my best teachers they didn't just offer an opinion; they offered the conflicting opinion as well, and they offered perspective.
As we move into some very difficult times I think many educators will find themselves with opportunities like this (if you haven't already). I encourage you to take advantage of the resources available from PBS 45 & 49. We have a link off of our web site at http://www.pbs4549.org/EDUCATE that addresses ways to cope with terrorism and teach tolerance (follow the Coping With Terrorism; Teaching Tolerance link). Use our ITV programs to extend the learning. For instance, we have a wonderful early elementary program on diversity called Different and the Same.
We're in for a rocky road ahead, but our strengths as educators lie in our abilities to help with understanding. PBS 45 & 49 can be a substantial resource to help you in the classroom to that end.
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