Events & Announcements
March 18, 2021
#StopAsianHate: Teaching Resources & Our Commitment to Anti-Racism
Pear Deck Team
Racism and discrimination have no place in our classrooms or our world.
We are heartbroken by the acts of violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. With the rise of hate and discrimination against AAPI individuals since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, more attention has been given to the harmful rhetoric and stereotypes that have long excluded and “othered” Americans of AAPI descent.
To our Asian colleagues, friends, educators, and students — we see you, we value you, and we stand with you.
As educators, we know none of us can thrive while some of us live in fear. We urge all members of our community to stand up and speak out against acts of racism inside and outside of our classrooms, and to teach our students to celebrate diversity and address injustice. We reaffirm our pledge to fight discrimination, racism, and hate, and commit to donating $50,000 to organizations working to build safer and more inclusive communities.
Below, we’ve collected some resources to help educators navigate current events with their students, build inclusive school culture, and take direct action to support AAPI communities.
TEMPLATE PACK
Templates for Discussing Hard Topics
Templates designed to help students feel more comfortable discussing scary or emotional events. Preview the slides here, then get your copy of either the Google Slides or PowerPoint file.
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PBS NEWSHOUR EXTRA
Asian Americans face a wave of discrimination during the pandemic
A recent string of attacks on elderly Asian Americans has brought attention to the rise of violence and harassment of Asian Americans. Just since the pandemic began, more than 3,000 anti-Asian “hate incidents” have been reported in the U.S., according to the group Stop AAPI Hate.
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BLOG POST
Professional Development for Good: Principles & First Steps for School-Wide Racial Justice
Antiracist advocate and former 6-8 English Language Arts and World Cultures teacher Maribel Valdez Gonzalez illustrates how “modeling good teaching practices by grounding all PD with tenets of culturally-responsive and relevant pedagogy” makes for “a focused adult learning community that translates to all classrooms, both in-person and virtual.”
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BLOG POST
Cultivating Culturally Responsive Ideals in Classrooms
In this guest blog post, STEM Integration Transformation Coach Victoria Thompson shares why “It has always been paramount for us to create classrooms that are culturally responsive…Now more than ever, we need to intentionally create classroom environments that promote and practice equity, anti-racist pedagogy, and safe spaces for our students to grow and flourish.”
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Resources from Trusted Content Providers
Facing History and Ourselves
George Takei on Standing Up to Racism, Then and Now
Acclaimed actor George Takei spoke about his experience surviving Japanese American incarceration and the lessons he subsequently learned from his father about the importance of relentless civic engagement.
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New Books on Asian and Pacific American History and Life
Amidst mounting discrimination and violence against Asian Americans, now is the perfect time to deepen our understanding of the richness of Asian American and Pacific Islander American history, as well as the community's immense resilience and creativity.
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Centering APIA Students in the Classroom: An Expert Interview
Dr. Guofang Li and Dr. Nicholas D. Hartlep, leading scholars in the field of Asian-American Education, discuss barriers to delivering quality education to Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) students today, as well as the “model minority myth.”
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Be Internet Awesome
Pear Deck is proud to have teamed up with Google on Be Internet Awesome, a free digital citizenship curriculum with everything teachers need to help kids learn to be safe, more confident explorers of the online world. Designed for use in the classroom, each presentation provides teachers with a simple way to introduce a concept related to digital literacy and guide students through related activities. These selected activities help guide students in becoming kind, empathetic, and brave digital citizens.
WHEN IN DOUBT, TALK IT OUT
When to get help
This activity helps students recognize that seeking help for oneself or others is a sign of strength and asks students to think out loud together about situations where talking it out can really help.
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Report it online, too
In this lesson, students develop an awareness of online tools for reporting abuse, consider when to use them, and talk about why and when to report behavior or individuals.
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What does it mean to be brave?
This lesson asks students to question the meaning of bravery, identify the concept’s origin, and learn the habit of asking: “What are they leaving out?
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IT’S COOL TO BE KIND
From bystanders to upstanders
Use this deck to help equip students with the tools and confidence they need to respond to bullying online, become an upstander against harassment, and Be Internet Kind.
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Upstander options
In this lesson, students learn that being an upstander is a choice and different ways to intervene and be an upstander, plus safe and appropriate ways to respond to bullying.
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Walking the walk
This activity asks students to reflect on the online behavior of adults and consider how adults model behavior for younger generations.
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Illustration by Remy Usman
Pear Deck Team
Helping teachers deliver powerful learning moments
Pear Deck
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