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RE: What's Your Hidden Curriculum?
I'm glad you encourage this kind of conversation in your classroom. Teachers are so concerned with maintaining "safe spaces" now that students with dissenting viewpoints don't often feel allowed to speak.
Did Thomas make it into Harvard?
Yes, that word gets thrown around a lot in the media right now. We need to define what we mean by "safe." If safe means "comfortable," "tame," and "inoffensive," no one will learn how to think for themselves! To me, a safe classroom environment means active listening, showing respect, honoring the multitude of viewpoints within the classroom, even (and especially) when you disagree. We have to encounter viewpoints other than our own if we want to learn anything.
Unfortunately, no, Thomas didn't get into Harvard. He made it to the one-on-one interview, but ultimately wasn't accepted. He's at UC Santa Cruz right now.