Mid-Hudson Valley educators try to teach apolitically, compassionately about U.S. Capitol riots

Reactions ran the gamut among Fiona McKenna’s New Paltz high school English students on Thursday after they watched rioters storm the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

Some simply wanted to know why the riots occurred, others “had strong opinions, mostly the same opinions, horror and disbelief,” McKenna said. “They felt like they were in a dystopia, losing some hope. They felt sick.”

As Americans process Wednesday's events, teachers should make young people feel heard and emotionally supported, while apolitically teaching that Americans can be civil while disagreeing, local educators said on Thursday.

“Something that’s really important to me is that students in every way, shape and form need their voices to be heard,” McKenna said. “In order to do that, they also need to feel that their voices matter.”

“It’s very difficult right now, more difficult than in pre-Covid teaching” to counsel an emotional student, McKenna added. “I can’t just walk an upset kid down to the guidance department, though the guidance counselors and the school social worker are all as available as they can be” online.

Before teaching her regularly planned lessons on Thursday, McKenna asked her students what they knew about the U.S. Capitol riots, if they had questions, how they felt and what stood out to them. For those who needed more information, she sent coverage from USA Today and the Washington Post.

McKenna, like David Leach, superintendent of the Warwick Valley Central School District, recognizes the challenge of conveying information apolitically and being dispassionate without lacking compassion.

“We (educators) want to be neutral and accurate and more or less apolitical,” Leach said. “My social studies department once said to me that they ‘want the student guessing in terms of what a teacher’s true political beliefs are on a matter and that they don’t to want to be transparent on their personal views.’”

Critically, Wednesday’s riots offer a chance to “teach civility so we can be in a room and talk about these things,” Leach added.

MORE: Hudson Valley leaders condemn Capitol chaos

MORE: Capitol chaos: Rep. Maloney recalls experience

MORE: Anarchy in America: We the People cannot stand for it after U.S. Capitol riots

SUNY New Paltz education professor Kiersten Greene said students, particularly older children, often know more and have deeper opinions about societal discord and injustice than educators realize. Teachers, she added, should acknowledge what students say.

“I don’t think there’s any magic wand to wave to make sure every student understands what happened” on Wednesday, Greene said. “But I think we have to acknowledge that older children have thoughts, and many young people are more evolved in terms of understanding inequity in our society.”

Educators must take an age-appropriate approach to teaching about landmark events, from 9/11 to Wednesday’s riots, while recognizing even young children might be emotional or have opinions, said Susan Chambre, a Marist education professor.

“We don’t want to pooh-pooh it away and ignore it because that’s what we’d have done 50 years ago,” Chambre said.

At Middletown High School, administrators are trying to make the entire campus community feel emotionally supported, said Principal Tracey Sorrentino.

“Although the students are remote at this time, we are unpacking this with them now,” Sorrentino said of Wednesday's events. Middletown's educators see “this as an opportunity to bond with our students, support them and their families.”

daxelrod@th-record.com