When students unexpectedly bring up sensitive or controversial topics in class—such as questions about Bonnie Blue (a British adult content creator who recently became wildly infamous due to provocative activities and public notoriety), or other ignominious public figures, such as Andrew Tate—teachers may feel unprepared. How should we respond when children ask about such material?

• Check out my blog for teachers at https://richardjamesrogers.com/
• This podcast episode is accompanied by a blog post: https://richardjamesrogers.com/2025/02/23/responding-thoughtfully-when-students-ask-about-controversial-topics-the-example-of-bonnie-blue/

Bibliography and references

• CRLT (n.d.) Guidelines for Discussing Difficult or Controversial Topics. University of Michigan. Available at: https://crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tsd (Accessed: 23 February 2025).
• Harvard Graduate School of Education (2022) You Want to Teach What? Managing Controversial Topics in the Classroom. Harvard University. Available at: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/22/02/you-want-teach-what (Accessed: 23 February 2025).
• Teen Vogue (2021) Why Schools Should Teach Media Literacy to Combat Misinformation. Available at: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/media-literacy-schools-misinformation (Accessed: 23 February 2025).
• The Choices Program (n.d.) Teaching about Controversial Issues: A Resource Guide. Brown University. Available at: https://www.choices.edu/teaching-news-lesson/teaching-about-controversial-issues-a-resource-guide/ (Accessed: 23 February 2025).
• Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning (n.d.) Teaching Controversial Topics. Yale University. Available at: https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/teaching/ideas-teaching/teaching-controversial-topics (Accessed: 23 February 2025).