ABSTRACT
The impact of sociopolitical tension on what teachers do and say within the four walls of their classrooms has been a subject of research in many parts of the world. This chapter examines the practices of three teachers in public schools in New York City in the period following the election of Donald Trump. Specifically, the chapter focuses on teachers’ reaction to the current events in the country and how they impacted the way they viewed their professional roles as well as the practices that they used in their classrooms. Data from this study show that the teachers saw their classrooms not only as physical learning environments but also as spaces for power and healing in which students could gain a better understanding of who they were as citizens at a time of tension and change. Classrooms were seen as places to empower the unempowered due to socioeconomic background, refugee and immigration status or race, culture, and ethnicity. Classrooms were also seen as platforms to spread awareness of the need to work together to transform communities so that they accommodate everyone.
