What does it mean to teach for social justice?

Teaching for social justice is a phrase relatively new to my vocabulary.  Before attending classes at Adelphi University I never thought about my past teachers teaching me what to think.  My first impression on the subject teaching social justice is it means teaching students not what to think about a reading or topic, but how to think critically about the topic.  It implies that we recognize critical literacy.  Students should be taught how to analyze, question, and identify bias in all types of literacy.  If we focus on this more than the content itself, it provides students with the tools to understand any subject area.  It also teaches students to think for themselves and form valid opinions and arguments instead of regurgitating information without ever questioning its validity.  When I initially thought of teaching social justice, it seemed obvious that all students should be treated equal. However after further thought I realized equity is not always equality in the classroom.  Fair does not always mean equal in terms of what we give our students.  Some students may require more attention than others to learn the same content.  Offering extra assistance or accommodations to students who require them is part of teaching for social justice.  Equality should be the outcome, but every student learns differently.  I think teaching for social justice also means creating a comfortable classroom climate of respect and kindness to try to put a stop to student bullying.  We need to challenge students’ ideas of stereotypes and superiority (or inferiority) and strive for educating students to choose to value diversity. (CC)