As Texas is praised for/comes under scrutiny after its recent landmark #abortionban, I am reminded of a conversation between students talking about reproductive rights. They were on opposite sides of the abortion issue and yet, they acknowledged the validity of all arguments presented. They also agreed that it was wrong that men who fathered children were not held accountable, and that men should not be responsible for making laws about body parts they don't have. I was a fly on the wall. I asked for clarification here and there, but mostly, I just listened and let them know how proud I was of having students who could disagree about a heated topic with maturity, respect and civility. I may have said something about how they were way better at civil discourse than many adults. If I didn't, I should have. 

This year, that conversation or conversations like it, could be heavily scrutinized because of legislation passed to restrict conversations around race and gender discrimination. It could be scrutinized but I could not be penalized because I never offered my opinion. My goal as a teacher is to ensure that students learn to think and not parrot what they hear, even what they hear from me. 

This year, especially as laws around classroom conversations shift, ensure that you teach strong media literacy skills, critical thinking and ask, don't tell.

Use this infographic on the 6 types of socratic questions to help you craft strong questions and stay out of the way of student learning. 

Source: R. W. Paul, L. Elder: The Thinkers Guide to The Art of Socratic Questioning, 2007; via jamesbowman.me