Twenty Years After Columbine
This weekend marks the 20th anniversary of the massacre at Columbine High School. As this week’s threats on Denver schools make clear, the history of this shooting—and those that followed—affects all students, not just survivors. In this edition of The Moment, we share a teacher’s reflection on what it means to educate under the threat of violence, an interview with a survivor who has translated her grief into action and recommendations for recognizing and addressing trauma in your classroom.
![paper and pencil on desk in classroom](/sites/default/files/styles/article_thumbnail_s_m_l_xl/public/2017-07/Teaching%20Tolerance_school%20climate_02.jpg?itok=nBh2cIkU)
A Teacher’s Plea to America
![#MarshallStrong Protest | Marshall County, Kentucky | Ryan Hermens/Associated Press](/sites/default/files/styles/article_thumbnail_s_m_l_xl/public/2018-04/TT-Marshall-County-HS-1800x688-April2018.jpg?itok=voA8Lyrc)
Youth—United! #Enough in Marshall County, Kentucky
Responding to Trauma in Your Classroom
Teaching and Learning About Reconstruction
The PBS series Reconstruction: America After the Civil War has viewers across the country learning and talking about this critical period in U.S. history. These resources offer ways for educators to carry the lessons of Reconstruction into their schools and communities and a reminder of why we must be honest with students about the hard history of American slavery.
![Students and teachers pose outside the Freedmen's Bureau school in Beaufort, South Carolina.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_thumbnail_s_m_l_xl/public/2019-04/TT-Freedmens-School-Reconstruction-1800x1080.png?itok=qwA9dmsj)
An Intersectional Lesson From Reconstruction
![W.E.B. Dubois, Blanche Bruce, Frederick Douglas and Hiram Rhodes Revels](/sites/default/files/styles/article_thumbnail_s_m_l_xl/public/2018-05/TT59-Be-Your-Own-Historian-1800x1080.jpg?itok=jioLZZtt)
Be Your Own Historian
![Abolitionists William Still, Sojourner Truth, William Loyd Garrison, unidentified male and female slaves, and Black Union soldiers in front of American flag](/sites/default/files/styles/article_thumbnail_s_m_l_xl/public/2018-01/Teaching-Hard-History-American-Slavery-Main-1800x688.png?itok=ZATcJm5Z)
The Courage to Teach Hard History
Tackling the Stress of Testing Season
For many of our students, academic preparation isn't enough to ensure a smooth testing season. In this edition of The Moment, we offer tips for dealing with this stressful time of year—including resources for understanding and countering stereotype threat and affirming all your students.
![scantron with pencil](/sites/default/files/styles/article_thumbnail_s_m_l_xl/public/2017-07/Teaching%20Tolerance_teaching_11.jpg?itok=baoWSBHi)
Tips for Testing Season
![girl reading at library](/sites/default/files/styles/article_thumbnail_s_m_l_xl/public/2017-07/Teaching%20Tolerance_school%20climate_37.jpg?itok=20TWjSBU)
Testing, Testing: How Mindfulness Can Help
![Student with a startled expression on their face](/sites/default/files/styles/article_thumbnail_s_m_l_xl/public/2019-04/Teaching-Tolerance-bullying-068.jpg?itok=ePvRSMj3)
Countering Stereotype Threat
Teaching the Truth About Confederate History
Did you know that, in seven states, April is officially designated as Confederate History Month? Or that Confederate monuments can be found from Portland, Oregon, to the Bronx in New York? These resources can help you teach the real history behind the "Lost Cause" and public monuments in its honor—and explore how communities are challenging this false narrative.
!["Take It Down" sign.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_thumbnail_s_m_l_xl/public/2020-06/TT-Whose-Heritage-AP-931815943482-AP-Images-Rainier-Ehrhardt.png?itok=nuFB4dfR)
SPLC’s ‘Whose Heritage?’ Report: A Teaching Opportunity
![Illustration of students around a Confederate monument](/sites/default/files/styles/article_thumbnail_s_m_l_xl/public/2017-07/Teaching%20Tolerance_TT50_Name%20Changers_1800px.jpg?itok=3gPpoolW)
Name Changers
![Abolitionists William Still, Sojourner Truth, William Loyd Garrison, unidentified male and female slaves, and Black Union soldiers in front of American flag](/sites/default/files/styles/article_thumbnail_s_m_l_xl/public/2018-01/Teaching-Hard-History-American-Slavery-Main-1800x688.png?itok=ZATcJm5Z)
Teaching Hard History: American Slavery
Teaching Dr. King's Legacy Effectively
As we reflect on the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, we know that many people teach about his legacy in the context of a purely progressive view of history—devoid of regression, repression and missed opportunities. But that simply isn't true, and we do our students a disservice when we teach this way. These resources can help you teach history in a way that encourages students to see their role in it.
![Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. being detained and arrested by uniformed police officers.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_thumbnail_s_m_l_xl/public/2019-04/TT-Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Arrest-1800x1080.png?itok=dNICUkHr)
The Problem With the “Disney Version of History”
![Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. | Flip Schulke/Corbis via Getty Images](/sites/default/files/styles/article_thumbnail_s_m_l_xl/public/2018-04/TT-MLK-Anniversary-April2018.jpg?itok=yj1UBPfF)
Making King Real for Students Today
![Organizers march down a street](/sites/default/files/styles/article_thumbnail_s_m_l_xl/public/2017-07/Teaching%20Tolerance_civil%20rights%20movement_002.jpg?itok=4uHdOsxI)