The time my 7th graders caught me in a censorship debate got real awkward fast

So I was teaching a unit on banned books and I brought up the classic "Huckleberry Finn" debate about its language. I laid out both sides - some say it's a historical document that shows racism, others say it's harmful to use that word in classrooms today. Then one kid straight up asked me "Which side are you on, Ms. B?" and I froze for like 10 seconds because I didn't want to push my view on them. What I learned is that even trying to be neutral gets framed as taking a side, and I'm still not sure how to handle that. Has anyone else dealt with teaching controversial material where you felt stuck between honest discussion and influencing kids?

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gavin_clark12d ago

You ever try just owning it when they put you on the spot like that? I had a similar thing come up with a history unit on the Civil War, and I straight up told the kids, "Look, I'm here to help you think, not tell you what to think." Then I had them write down their own thoughts first before we talked as a group. That way they had to sit with their own take before they could look to me for the "right" answer. It didn't stop all the awkwardness, but it took a lot of heat off me being the voice in the room.