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Morbid Fascination in the Classroom: Engaging or Inappropriate?

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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.

Beyond true crime, I have found that my students are generally morbidly curious. When a character dies in the novel we are reading, engagement increases. When we discuss dark history, like the Holocaust or the Salem Witch Trials, hands raise. Students often display a morbid curiosity that I feel I cannot ignore, but can I lean into it?

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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.

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Kaila Ward
Kaila Ward
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.

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