Last week we read in a science book about volcanoes. The information spanned three pages with half the pages being text and half being pictures and graphics.  

That was a tiny introduction. Then I pulled out tons of materials about Mt. St. Helens—the geological history of the area going back millions of years, the blow-by-blow account of all the aspects of the eruption, and the effects from physical to economic.

As usual, even after giving my class the opportunity to study a subject in depth, students said they wanted to know more. They peppered me with additional questions.

I replied with my standard response. “If you want to know more, you can do additional research.”

As educators, we talk about wait time in terms of asking questions and then waiting for students to answer. I think we need to turn that around and institute wait time on our end too. When students ask questions, we need to have a wait time before we start to provide answers. Sometimes we need to direct them to find the answers on their own. (Of course, we also need to teach them how to research well.)

We need to let our students sit in their discomfort.

Which brings up a different kind of discomfort. My class recently read “The Power of Light” by Isaac Bashevis Singer, the true story of two Jewish teens who escaped the Warsaw ghetto during World War 2. After gaining help from local peasants and then Jewish partisans in the forests, they fled by boat to Israel where they settled and eventually married.

In their writing assessment on the story, my students had to write an essay answering the question, “Should all students in your grade level be required to read ‘The Power of Light’?”

The overwhelming majority said yes, citing the fact that it was a true story that taught valuable information about World War 2, the Nazis, and the Jews. Many appreciated the vocabulary and the imagery. Several thought the story was exciting.

A few said no. For a couple, the first reason they said no had to do with discomfort. They said some students might not feel comfortable reading about religious people or religious practices (like Shabbat or Hanukkah). Or they said some students might not feel comfortable reading about how badly the Nazis treated the Jews.

How familiar does that sound?

I absolutely believe we need to teach students about other religions and other cultures.

In the context of social studies.

I absolutely believe we need to teach students about how some groups of people have oppressed other groups of people.

In the context of history.

Of course it can be uncomfortable for children to learn about these things. But it is our job to present the facts of the world to our students—in an age-appropriate way.

We must let our students experience discomfort.

I just saw an interview with someone who had been with the CIA for decades. He said the Russians fought with misinformation and disinformation. On the other hand, he told how the CIA has a Bible quotation in their lobby: “And Ye Shall Know the Truth and the Truth Shall Make You Free” – John 8:32. 

In the end, truth is what will win.