Full of Fear

Today I taught a lesson that may seem controversial. It was a lesson I saw at the conference last weekend. I played "Nuestro himno" (Our Anthem)--a song in Spanish to the tune of the Star-Spangled Banner with new Spanish words-- written for the recent immigration protests. I asked the students many questions such as, how does this song show patriotism, and is it okay to change the song in this way, etc. We ended up talking about the issue of immigration for most of the period. I felt pretty good about it afterwards, because the students were really engaging with the material. Now, I am terribly afraid that because of the discussion we had in class, parents are going to complain, because they might feel it was an inappropriate topic to discuss with 5th graders. Can I lose my job over this? Is it worth it? I am full of fear, which is so wrong, because I feel like the students were really connecting to the music, understanding it in a deeper, more meaningful way. However, it is very obvious at my school, especially in the "basic" classes, that the students are not encouraged to think and question and engage with real issues.