Promoting Tolerance in Preservice Teachers

Judith A. Swearinton Wrote a remarkable article geared around tolerance. Her focus was the way she instructs tolerance in her classroom. She has her students conduct a 16 week tolerance unit. Through this they design and teach to others. She has her students learn through not only through the liberal arts aspect, but she focuses on social studies. She discusses ways to teacher tolerance and suggests further reading and research on tolerance. She stresses the fact that tolerance at any level is needed. It was clear through the article that the students in her classes were very interested in the class and its set up.

I think this article had some very good concepts and ideas in it. Hearing the way that he children reacted to her teachings opened up my eyes to some changes in could make in my life. Sometimes I think that diversity and tolerance is overlooked in the classroom, and that is just unacceptable. I know at the college level as a preservice teacher I am taught to teach tolerance in all of my education classes, and this is great. As I look back and try and think about the tolerance education I got as a student in young grades I am stuck with stereotypes. The books, the games we played all had one side, bias view. It has to still be in the school because you see it everywhere you tear. As a teacher I will make it my responsibility to teach the education part as well as the human and moral parts. They are both equally important. This article s one I would recommend to any preservice, or current teacher. As teachers we need to take in all that is around us, and tolerance and respect for diversity is a huge one.

...