Shuman Pushes for Honesty, Holds His Ground

I had the pleasure of observing Matt Shuman's 8th grade Ethics class yesterday during a particularly risky lesson focusing on anti-gay bullying in schools. The students read a piece about Jamie Nabozny who was brutally harassed and bullied in middle school and high school and who now tours the country speaking about his experiences and advising schools and other organizations.

Mr. Shuman had clearly established a culture within his advisory that allows students to feel safe expressing honest opinions and asking sincere questions related to highly charged issues. One student--we'll call him Darryl--proposed that perhaps Jamie Nabozny had brought the harassment upon himself.

"If nobody knew he was gay, then he wouldn't have been bullied like that. Maybe if he wasn't so out in the open about it and just minded his own business, then people would leave him alone."

I was certainly tempted to call the foul: "That's blaming the victim! You can't blame the victim!" But, as an observer and not the teacher in this case, I suppressed the urge as well as I could.

Mr. Shuman didn't call the foul either. "That's an interesting point, Darryl." And then he turned to another student--we'll call her Julianna--whose hand had shot right up in response to Darryl.

"He shouldn't have to pretend he's something that he isn't!" Julianna protested. "He should just be able to be who he is."

There followed a lively discussion, which Mr. Shuman brought to a close with an analogy of his own.

"Here's the way I think about it," he began. "Javonne is Haitian, right?" He nodded towards Javonne who proudly displayed a Haiti wristband. A round of snaps followed, indicating enthusiastic solidarity from many in the group.

"Should Javonne stop being so Haitian?"

No, of course not, seemed to be the consensus. Even Darryl had to agree that Javonne had the right to be openly Haitian without fear of harassment.

"It might be easier for you to identify with being Haitian than being gay," Mr. Shuman acknowledged. "But it's really the same issue, right? There's something wrong if you have to hide who you are to avoid being beaten."

Darryl got it. The other students got it.

In this discussion, Mr. Shuman allowed himself a small but very effective soapbox moment. The timing of it was crucial. Had he chosen to shut Darryl down initially, he would have sent the message that the teacher's opinion is the only one that really matters. Students then feel pressure to say only what they think Mr. Shuman wants to hear. Or, Ethics Class becomes a weekly battleground, Mr. Shuman vs. his advisory. Either way, there is little potential for learning.

It was important that Mr. Shuman allowed Darryl to air his thoughts. It was equally important that Mr. Shuman aired his own. He wasn't contentious about it--"Here's the way I think about it..."--but he was clear about his conviction. Our students need us to weigh in, to reveal and justify our ethical beliefs, and to model adult ways of approaching difficult ethical problems. They need us to listen, but they also need us to lead.