NAVIGATING TENSIONS AND CONFRONTATIONS: Opportunities for Social Justice Dialogues in the Classroom

In this chapter, we utilize a trauma-informed framework for addressing tensions and confrontations around social justice dialogues in the classroom. Specifically, we explore how safety, trustworthiness, empowerment, collaboration, and choice are actualized in our spaces to address inquiries, promote consciousness, and foster liberation. Additionally, we see tensions and confrontations as opportunities to deepen our classroom communities and re-envision our pedagogy. Through this reframe, we invite educators to set an optimal tone early, build community, lean into conflict, promote wellness, and celebrate joy. We share our positionalities and pepper the chapter with poignant examples from our own teaching. We close with resources to embrace and foster cultural humility as well as 12 small teachings for transformative social justice gains.