Concord Schools See Capitol Siege As Teachable Moment To Students

CONCORD, MA — Concord students and staff watched along with the rest of the world on Wednesday, as the U.S. Capitol Building was breached and desecrated by pro-Trump extremists. The protests-turned-riots led to at least four deaths, a delayed electoral count and a mountain of questions and anxiety surrounding our government.

With no answers and a day of lessons to fill, Concord educators saw an opportunity. The district will not shy away from discussing the siege of the Capitol Building, but rather use it as a way to help students understand U.S. government, which includes everything from the breadth of the Constitution to the electoral college process.

Concord Public Schools Director of Teaching and Learning Kristen Herbert told Patch that by Thursday morning, teachers and staff in the Concord Public Schools and Concord-Carlisle Regional School Districts had a loosely drafted list of suggestions on how to handle and discuss the events of the day before. They, like the legislators in the Capitol, worked through the night to have things ready by morning.

"Kids might have seen videos of the protests and riots yesterday at the Capitol, but they might not have known why the timing was chosen, that it was the votes from the electoral college that were being certified," Herbert said.

It presents teachers the opportunity to draw on current events and add context using the curriculum they've already been covering, Herbert explained. Grades 5, 8 and 10 have already covered their history unit on the U.S. Constitution but Herbert said teachers are taking this opportunity to draw from that knowledge and put it in practice.

"They have a chance to say 'Look, this is really that, in action, we're living history right now," Herbert said.

The guide stresses that teachers and staff are to focus on facts and not divulge their opinions during lessons. The decision not only avoids controversy and political debates in the classroom, but allows students the space to express their emotions and reactions about the events. It also gives teachers the opportunity to put Social Emotional Learning or SEL curriculum into play.

Through the Teaching Tolerance SEL curriculum, the district will encourage students to "give space and respect for safe conversations about hard topics," Herbert said, while maintaining a "business as usual" approach to the school day, to keep a stable routine.

The district had no illusions that the community and country felt one specific way about Wednesday's events in D.C.

"We know there are people who are going to have very different feelings on this from elated to devastated and everything in between," Herbert said. Which is why the district is emphasizing highlighting facts and teaching history rather than dwell on opinions.

Concord was far from a Trump stronghold in Massachusetts — just 1,972 Concordians voted for Trump this election out of the 12,365 votes cast — but support for the president did increase slightly in town.

Herbert noted that part of the SEL approach will acknowledge that the people who took part in the Capitol Siege were treated much differently than those who protested during Black Lives Matter rallies across the country this summer. Parents were sent a list of resources to help children and families experiencing trauma while watching the siege unfold.

Schools have been hybrid since they welcomed students back this year and Herbert said they haven't closed or delayed for COVID-19 related reasons yet. The district is emphasizing the continuance of the school routine to ground students during times of unrest. The hope is they will give way to a better understanding of the world around them.