Ideas This Week
Ideas This Week is your hub for updates on all things Facing History—from announcements and featured press to expert interviews, impact stories, and essays on the ideas driving our work.
Trust Youth, Trust Educators
Facing History’s CEO discusses the importance of empowering teachers to create a safe learning space amidst growing polarization in the classroom.
![Desmond Blackburn and John Deasy speaking together on stage](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2024-04/Desmond%20Blackburn%20and%20John%20Deasy%20%28FH2204226%29.png?h=ca877ec0&itok=9bKW-unu)
Inclusive Leadership: Lean into Discomfort
Facing History’s President and CEO offers advice for school leaders on how to navigate polarizing moments with students, staff, and the communities you serve.
![Our President and CEO, Desmond K. Blackburn PhD addresses a crowd of educators, alums, students, and supporters in Memphis, TN](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-12/Desmond2.png?h=e9403ca4&itok=txkL8JvY)
How Historical Empathy Helps Students Understand the World Today
Developing historical empathy can help students engage with the past while understanding their own role in the world today.
![A group of students seated in a circle engaging in a discussion](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-09/SL_190522_0610_0.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=EW-j120a)
Teachers Share How They Are Ending the School Year with Intention
Members of our ELA educator Advisory Board highlight their favorite activities to help end the school year with care and celebration.
![Facing History students standing and talking](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-06/DSC_0652%20%281%29.jpg?h=c9f93661&itok=HsEg8Cmx)
Black Women Educators' Roundtable on Teaching and Current Events
What is the impact of racial violence and tensions on Black educators? We explore the challenges, joys, and opportunities in education with our panel of Black women educators.
![A black female educator smiles as her elementary school class writes at their desks.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2024-01/iStock-522138534.jpg?h=4362216e&itok=vgm7mdB0)
Sometimes Empathy is Hard for Teachers
The stresses of teaching can spread educators thin emotionally.
![Graphic image: woman sits at the computer and crying covering her face with her hands](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-08/WomanCryingAtDesk_Empathy_GraphicFH2187402.jpg?h=9e16a70f&itok=Z4bIGhGP)
Teaching LGBTQIA+ Students: Insights from Harvey Milk High School
In this interview, Harvey Milk High School staff discuss strategies for engaging with LGBTQIA+ students as an educator.
![LGBTQ pride flag on chalkboard.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/LGBTQPrideFlagChalkboard_iStock-929777058%20%281%29.jpeg?h=8e4088dc&itok=R2ov_E-w)
When Is Fake News Propaganda?
Facebook admits social media can be bad for democracy with the rise of fake news used to sway the 2016 presidential election. But when is fake news propaganda?
![Definition of propaganda on a poster: "Propaganda is the task of creating and directing public opinion"](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2024-07/PropagandaDefinitionR2.jpg?h=d1cb525d&itok=tJg54RUF)
The Myth of a Post-Racial Society After the Obama Presidency
Barack Obama's legacy as the first Black president of the US was shaped in part by the politics, race relations, and legacy of the Reconstruction era.
![Print shows head-and-shoulders portraits of Blanche Kelso Bruce, Frederick Douglass, and Hiram Rhoades Revels surrounded by scenes of African American life and portraits of John. R. Lynch, Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, Ulysses S. Grant, Joseph H. Rainey, Charles E. Nash, John Brown, and Robert Smalls.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2024-07/01619v.jpg?h=46c12aa3&itok=aNKcUyY9)