San Francisco classroom lesson plan helps kids deal with reality of a ‘racist and sexist’ president

A lesson plan provided to San Francisco educators describes President-elect Donald Trump as "racist and sexist."

In a newsletter last week, the United Educators of San Francisco offered teachers a way to help students deal with the "new reality" of a Trump presidency, the San Francisco Examinerreported on Wednesday

"The results of the November election are rightfully sending people to the streets, taking a stand against the vile hatred and intolerance that Donald Trump represents," the newsletter states. "His election has made all of us less safe in our lives, but particularly those who are immigrants, people of color, the LGBTQ community, the Muslim community, and women."

According to the union, educators "have a role to play" in helping students "make sense of the new reality, especially those who come from the communities who have been attacked by Trump, and who now face a very uncertain future."

Fakrah Shah, the author of the lesson plan, advises teachers to "put all lessons aside and talk to our students about what has happened and how they feel."

"Let them say what is on their minds, this is crucial for our school and our community," Shah writes in a forward to the lesson plan. "Let us please not sidestep the fact that a racist and sexist man has become the president of our country by pandering to a huge racist and sexist base."

The lesson plan says teachers should uplift and empower students to "say that we will not let anyone reign over us or have the power to dictate what we consider our basic human rights."

Tell them: We do not have to go anywhere, not Canada, not ‘back’ to any place we came from. We also do not have to give in to brutality, police or otherwise, verbal or physical. Ever. We have rights and we REFUSE TO BE DENIED. WE DEMAND JUSTICE AND EQUALITY. WE WILL KEEP ON FIGHTING. Please relate this to your students. Tomorrow and every day must be a day of empowerment. This is not a Peer Resources philosophy, this is an Anti-Racist, anti-sexist, anti-islamophobic & antihomophobic philosophy. This is a philosophy about upliftment, hope and justice.

SFUSD spokesperson Heidi Anderson pointed out that the resource was optional for educators.

"This lesson plan was shared as an optional resource with high school principals,” Anderson explained in a statement. “Educators are entrusted to create lessons that reflect the California standards, support students’ social and emotional well-being and foster inclusive and safe school communities.”