Teaching Tough Topics

Series produced by WBHM

Caption: History Professor John Neff, director of the Center for Civil War Research at the University of Mississippi, reading from the plinth erected in the center of the Confederate cemetery on the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) campus. , Credit: Sandra Knispel, Mississippi Public Broadcasting
Image by: Sandra Knispel, Mississippi Public Broadcasting 
History Professor John Neff, director of the Center for Civil War Research at the University of Mississippi, reading from the plinth erected in the center of the Confederate cemetery on the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) campus.  

Reporters throughout the South explore teaching the South's past and culture in the classroom.

The South has a rich history, steeped in tradition, pride, and faith … but there are darker sides to all of that, too. How do Southern educators handle these topics in the classroom? Do standards set by state education leaders allow time for teachers to help students understand these tough topics, which – whether they grasp it or not –affect their present-day schools, communities, and lives? This series of four radio stories, a video piece and video interstitial answers these questions through a detailed look at what’s happening in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and beyond.


4 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Part 3: Challenges Of Teaching Civil War History As Symbols Fall In Mississippi
From: WBHM
Series: Teaching Tough Topics
Caption: History Professor John Neff, director of the Center for Civil War Research at the University of Mississippi, reading from the plinth erected in the center of the Confederate cemetery on the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) campus. , Credit: Sandra Knispel, Mississippi Public Broadcasting
Mississippi educators face the challenge of teaching a history that stirs emotions.

Bought by Georgia Public Broadcasting, WRKF, and KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio


  • Added: Nov 30, 2015
  • Length: 03:59
  • Purchases: 3
Part 4: Teaching Beyond The Test
From: WBHM
Series: Teaching Tough Topics
Caption: Sarah Cannon helps her New Orleans students prepare for a debate about felon disenfranchisement, Credit: Mallory Falk
Teachers often face the challenge of teaching tough topics in Social Studies confined to a curriculum based on required tests. Is there room in cl...

Bought by WFSU, Georgia Public Broadcasting, and WRKF


  • Added: Nov 30, 2015
  • Length: 04:09
  • Purchases: 3
Part 2: Textbook Fight Riles Tennessee
From: WBHM
Series: Teaching Tough Topics
Caption: This textbook is used in some Tennessee Schools to teach students about Islam, Credit: Chas Sisk
What happens when school children are taught about Islam. Some parents and community residents get upset. Others say students need to know. Chas Si...

Bought by WFSU, Georgia Public Broadcasting, and WRKF


  • Added: Nov 30, 2015
  • Length: 03:28
  • Purchases: 3
Part 1: Race -- The Real History of the South
From: WBHM
Series: Teaching Tough Topics
Caption: Teacher John Mark Edwards uses flexibility in teaching his students at Phillips Academy in Birmingham, Alabama. , Credit: Dan Carsen, Southern Education Desk
This piece, set in Birmingham, Alabama, where many of the nation's greatest civil rights battles were fought, presents many of the issues educators...

Bought by KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio, WFSU, Georgia Public Broadcasting, WRKF, and Mississippi Public Broadcasting


  • Added: Nov 29, 2015
  • Length: 03:52
  • Purchases: 5