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For me, the main activity of the first few days of 2011 has been the big “P.” Purge. Purge. Purge. Together, with my two children, we tossed “Baby Einstein” videotapes, Elmo board books and clothing for babies and for toddlers, into giant boxes destined for Goodwill. We filled an entire mini-van. And, I now feel lighter. A good cleansing can be so refreshing.

A year ago, we introduced a new curriculum, Civil Discourse in the Classroom and Beyond, citing the “pressing need to change the tenor of public debate from shouts and slurs to something more reasoned.” This weekend’s carnage in Tucson, with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords gravely injured, six people dead and 14 others wounded, is a terrible tragedy, not just for the victims and their families. It is a tragedy for a nation whose political process depends on people airing issues, managing conflict and confronting controversy in the public square.

Rosa Marcellino didn’t like being labeled “mentally retarded,” so she decided to let important people know.

Teaching Tolerance director Maureen Costello talks empathy as a means to move forward.

Our food supply depends on immigrant labor. Seven new Teaching Tolerance lessons bring this important message into the classroom.

Help your students choose a new role.

Any teacher looking to combat bullying should start with the Teaching Tolerance documentary Bullied: A Student, a School and a Case That Made History. This free movie includes a viewers guide with great anti-bullying

Educators who can work around obstacles and recognize the promise of new technologies are making a difference.

Twitter, Google Docs and their cousins shrink the spaces between cultures even as they expand the reach of a typical classroom. How can you use them to promote social justice?