Justice in the classroom

“[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           In this passage, the authors argue for a new and different role for the social studies teacher in presenting historical content.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.