STAYING CONNECTED DURING AND AFTER CLASSROOM CRISES
Jane H. Aiken, Washington University
Robert S. Westley, Tulane University
Stephanie M. Wildman, Santa Clara University

What is the law professor’s role during and after a classroom crisis? Have moments occurred in your own teaching that have caused you to wonder how to handle the situation? Have conversations with students outside of class about their educational experience in other classes made you question your role as a teacher and colleague?

Consider these situations:

In a discussion of Bowers v. Hardwick, a woman student says "I can understand sex between women, but sex between men is disgusting. " You know there is a gay man in the class.

Two African-American students come to see you in your office and describe their experience in a class held by one of your colleagues. The central issue that day was race discrimination. Your colleague called upon the two students, the only African Americans in the class. They felt grilled by the instructor, who hadn’t called on them all semester for any other subject.

1. Does the race of the students and professors affect your response to these situations? Does gender? Does sexual orientation?

2. Is there a context in your classroom or law school that you can establish before these communications are made that would help your response to them?

3. What resources can you draw upon in responding?

4. Can events like these be turned into teaching/learning moments for the class that are transformative?