Civil Discourse: Classroom Conversations for Stronger Communities

Build civil discourse with courage, understanding, belonging, and empathy.

Discomfort lies at the heart of all learning and growth, especially concerning discussions on difficult and complex topics like climate change, slavery, and police brutality. This book presents ways to help teachers become strong facilitators―not endorsers―of contentious conversations to promote a stronger sense of community.

There are four themes that arise when exploring civil discourse: courage, understanding, belonging, and empathy. This book is organized around these themes, each chapter providing resources for educators to teach the skills of discourse with:

• How-to tips for bringing work beyond the classroom
• Chapter checklists to guide progress and assess learning
• Exploration of different types of discourse (dialogue, discussion, debate) and when to use each
• Steps for preparing a classroom for contentious conversations
• Activities to practice discourse and disagreement

Addressing the problem of how to have politically and emotionally charged conversations in the classroom, this book guides 6-12 educators – particularly teachers of history, civics, ELA, and other social studies and humanities disciplines -- in facilitating discussions based on fact, intellectual reasoning, and mutual respect.

Joe Schmidt is the founder of Joe Schmidt Social Studies LLC where he provides support and professional development to educators and districts across Maine and the country. He is also a co-author of the 2022 book Civil Discourse: Classroom Conversations for Stronger Communities.

From teaching in the classroom to district, state, and national level leadership, Joe is proud of his work supporting educators that teach in grades from PK thru college. He strives to connect social studies educators regardless of grade level, content area, geographic location, or political leanings. He has worked with Colonial Williamsburg, Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance), the National Council for Geographic Education, ThinkerAnalytix, the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Finance, iCivics, National Geographic, Educating for American Democracy, and has taught Elementary Methods at the University of Maine.

Joe served as a high school social studies classroom teacher for nine years in rural Wisconsin before leaving the classroom to be the Social Studies Teacher Leader for the Madison Metropolitan School District for three years. He was the Social Studies Specialist for the Maine Department of Education for five years and is currently the Senior Director of Teacher Programs for the Bill of Rights Institute, a 501(c)3 non-profit based out of Arlington, Virginia.

Additionally, Joe is currently the Vice President for the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and will serve a one-year term as NCSS president starting on July 1, 2026. As a leader for NCSS he is currently or has served as chair or co-chair for the Government and Public Relations Committee, the Advocacy Task Force, the C3 Framework Task Force, the 2020 Summer Leadership Institute, the Task Force on Inquiry, the Task Force on Innovation, the Committees Review Task Force, the FASSE Committee, and the select subcommittee for the Social Education Journal. Joe has served on the state social studies council executive boards in Wisconsin and Maine.

As a speaker, Joe is a frequent presenter at state, regional, and national conferences with presentations focusing on civil discourse, disciplinary literacy, inquiry, assessment, and the use of primary sources among others. He has presented for or consulted with organizations and school districts in states representing more than half the country, including giving featured talks at conferences in Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. Joe has won awards for service to social studies education from the Middle States Council for the Social Studies and the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies.

Joe lives in Maine with his wife Peggy and is dad to two adult children and one teenager. He can be found on almost all social media @madisonteacher. Learn more about his work at joeschmidtsocialstudies.com.

Nichelle Pinkney has been a social studies educator for the past 16 years as a classroom teacher to a K-12 curriculum director. She has presented and trained teachers nationally and internationally. Nichelle holds a Masters of Art in Educational Administration from Lamar University and a Bachelor′s degree from Salem College in Sociology, Women’s Studies (minor). Nichelle has found passion in providing equitable education to every student. She has worked to revise curriculum to ensure that it is diverse, equitable and inclusive for all students and teachers.