Special Report
Teaching Opinion

‘People Can Only Hear When They’re Heard': Navigating Divisive Conversations

How curiosity can help
By Jaclyn Borowski & Elizabeth Rich — September 19, 2024 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

We all have personal biases; it comes with being human. When it comes to students, though, educators might feel challenged by how to help them understand what their biases are and keep an open mind in spite of them.

Journalist and author Mónica Guzmán says educators can help students overcome their biases, but doing so requires building a muscle of their own. There’s one tool at everyone’s disposal to help reduce the tendency to make assumptions about others. Guzmán, who wrote I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times, believes that building the skill of curiosity can help us get to a better place when it comes to addressing difficult conversations.

In this video, she talks about how to foster curiosity in ourselves and in students so that we can build greater understanding across divides.

Coverage of leadership, social and emotional learning, afterschool and summer learning, arts education, and equity is supported in part by a grant from The Wallace Foundation, at www.wallacefoundation.org. Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
Creating Resilient Schools with a Trauma-Responsive MTSS
Join us to learn how school leaders are building a trauma-responsive MTSS to support students & improve school outcomes.
School & District Management Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: We Can’t Engage Students If They Aren’t Here: Strategies to Address the Absenteeism Conundrum
Absenteeism rates are growing fast. Join Peter DeWitt and experts to learn how to re-engage students & families.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Opinion Educators Share Their Best Ideas for Unlocking Student Learning
Teachers need to look beyond perceived biases and low expectations to help students succeed.
9 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching March Madness-Themed Lessons for Any Classroom
Teachers online share creative ways they've used March Madness to enhance their lessons.
1 min read
Vector illustration of a basketball going into a hoop. Blue sky and clouds in the background
iStock/Getty
Teaching Teachers Reveal Their Most Memorable April Fools' Day Pranks

Educators on social media share their best pranks and jokes.

2 min read
Photograph of a group of diverse elementary school kids sitting on the floor and laughing at something their teacher is doing.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Schools Find New Ways to Celebrate Women’s History Month
March is Women’s History Month, a time dedicated to remembering the trailblazers who gave all women the right to vote and honoring women's many contributions to U.S. education, science, technology, policy, and more.
3 min read
Hope Benner holds her daughter Liberty Benner, 6, as President Donald Trump speaks at a reception celebrating Women's History Month in the East Room of the White House, March 26, 2025, in Washington.
Hope Benner holds her daughter Liberty Benner, 6, as President Donald Trump speaks at a reception celebrating Women's History Month in the East Room of the White House, March 26, 2025, in Washington.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP