Peer pressure is real. Whether out of fear of being different or just plain lack of confidence, students love to follow the crowd. It’s safe that way; they get the rewards of being liked without the risks of alienation. But then sometimes conforming to the group strips away an individual’s dignity and self-worth and, in the worst of cases, leads to destructive decisions. Deciding when to follow the group– and when to go at it alone– is an ongoing moral struggle that students must resolve in school and beyond.
“Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes often leaves students perplexed because the main character instantly forgives a young boy who tries to rob her. Before reading the story, I would introduce the theme of forgiveness with the conversation about Mahatma …
I am teaching journalistic writing and a theme I want to focus on is that of sacrifice. Using the present real world context as a research subject, students can write a journalism article which reports the sacrifices citizens have made …
Before reading The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, I could use the conversation on sacrifice by Mahatma Gandhi, which explores the idea that serving others is the best way to discover our true purpose. I could then focus on the …
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby, Gatsby puts himself in ruthless pursuit of wealth and love without regard to the cost. Although his ambition eventually leads to his own murder, it begs the reader to wonder about …
Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner” is a modern tale seen in classrooms more and more often. This epic story contains a major theme of forgiveness. When teaching this story, I would connect it to the conversation with Mahatma Gandhi on …
The little known Civil War set story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, pairs perfectly with the conversation on Sacrifice with Mahatma Gandhi. After reading this short story, and discussion the surprise ending, I would lead students in a discussion …
I’m studying World War II and want to look at the theme of sacrifice by exploring how the average citizen was made to contribute their heart and soul to defeat the enemy through volunteering, food rationing and the like. The …
I want to teach the Gettysburg Address and I think the Gandhi conversation on sacrifice would be a great conversation to have just before handing out this speech to get the kids appreciating the importance of thinking of others before …
Reconstruction is a great opportunity to explore the theme of forgiveness by considering when it is appropriate to use as a basis for punishment. The Mahatma Gandhi conversation would serve as a great bridge between the Civil War and the …
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter sheds an ironic light on Puritan hypocrisy and human tendency. Hester Prynn, guilty of adultery, is kind and humble. She does not expose Dimmesdale, who is blindly loved for his piety. The villagers mandate that …
Students know what it feels like to be hurt. When they are hurt, they have choices to make about how to treat the people who hurt them. These choices give them opportunities to demonstrate empathy and respect for others and to preserve relationships, or break them off. Forgiveness is a moral choice which strikes at the heart of ethical decision-making.