“[W]e need to provide a chance for [students] to move beyond
their preexisting, common-sense ideas about what counts as fair and unfair and
toward consideration of a broader and more inclusive conception of justice”
(Barton and Levstik, Teaching History for
the Common Good, p. 99).
In this
passage, the authors argue for a new and different role for the social studies
teacher in presenting historical content. While at the elementary level
students are often taught to treat their peers and other adults with respect,
and to make sure they are respectful and fair with everyone, here we see the
introduction of a far more universal and complex concept – justice. Justice, as
it is referred to in this context, is a more universal idea expressing
adherence to and reverence for ideas central to democracy, namely that all
people are equal and that diverse communities should be respected under the
law. Furthermore, it posits that all humans are entitled to a certain level of
liberty and certain inalienable rights.
While this idea of justice is
seemingly a pillar of democracy, there exists no authoritative, widely accepted
definition. For this reason, in the classroom teaching about justice can lead
to ambiguity and certain misconceptions. In short, the ideas of fairness and
justice are connected, but they are by no means one and the same. Whereas
fairness concerns the actions of one entity being matched by those of another,
justice is an expansion of the idea of fairness, one that can help students to
begin thinking critically about historical events and issues. Justice is
all-encompassing, granted to all democratic citizens by birthright. If this
message is effectively communicated to students, they can go on to become more
productive citizens in the future.
As I previously
mentioned, while the teaching of justice is essential, it can often lead to a
problematic, if not outright dangerous, ambiguity. Students with different
ideas about morality may find it difficult to understand the nuances of the
idea of justice, or may develop ideas about it that are at odds with the
democratic ideal. This ties in to various issues about teaching morality. While
it goes without saying that a teacher should not impose his/her own moral
system on students, there is without a doubt a certain morality that we are
trying to teach, namely that democracy is a worthy political system and one
worth defending. The idea of social justice and the guarantees that all
citizens have is central to democratic thinking, so instructors must be very careful
about how they approach it.
Personally,
I believe that while certain ideas about justice can be taught as central to
the functioning of our system, it is ultimately up to students whether to
accept them or not. Being able to observe how well they work, most students
will probably choose to accept democracy and the idea of universal justice. I
do believe, however, that there are all-encompassing ideas about justice that
transcend politics and have their roots in the more elementary ideas of
fairness. These ideas are typically found in all ideologies and can be used by
a teacher to contextualize democracy, portraying it as encompassing the best of
human political development and advancing that as yet another reason for it to
be defended.
