Donald Trump Challenges

As I enter into my third year of my teacher preparation program at Loyola University Chicago, I reminisce at all the amazing experiences I’ve been able to witness in just a short few years. As I continue my journey as a future social studies educator, I am continually thinking of the challenges that face me in my future occupation. One relevant contemporary issue is teaching about Donald Trump in the classroom. My first thought about the topic is looking at the responsibility of an educator. I feel that as a social studies educator, my job is composed of 2 goals. The first is to teach my students the social studies content but also, to prepare them to be active participants in our democratic system. It is my responsibility as an educator to inform my students about our current …show more content…
They would then use the evidence I provide to develop an argument. After, I would ask them to present their side to the class. Given that the topic of Donald Trump is one that can carry heavy emotional and personal ties, I would leave time at the end of the class or discussion to debrief so I don’t send my students off to their next class with anger or distress. Another approach I would take in teaching about Donald Trump would be to have my students look at his actions during the election and his actions so far in his presidency through various lenses. One lens would be looking at Donald Trump through a social justice lens. Another will be using the Declaration of Human Rights and take a human rights lens. These lenses provide my students with opportunities to critically think and analyze Donald Trump’s actions through diverse perspectives but also to provide them with skills that could be applied to other situations. In parallel to my Jesuit education at Loyola, I hope to prepare my students to live extraordinary lives so that they can set the world on