Originally published in TEACH Magazine, January/February 2022 Issue
By Kaila Ward
Serial killer documentaries, true crime podcasts, and dark tourism are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the recent proliferation of the morbid entertainment industry. While interest in the morbid has arguably always been around, the technological era has made this interest more accessible than ever. Real life horror is right there at our fingertips and many of those phones live in the hands of our students.
Of course, the new generation is not the culprit here. There are records dating back to the Jack the Ripper killings in 1888 that document locals touring the murder sites to feed their own interest. That same enthrallment can be seen among tourists today in Milwaukee, WI, as they stroll on a Jeffrey Dahmer tour. So, while our students’ morbid fascination is not unusual, their access to it is desensitizing.
Kaila Ward is an 11th and 12th grade ELA teacher at Greeley Central High School. Through her work with diverse student populations, she is an advocate for equity in the classroom and diversity in school curriculum.