When early news reports spread this spring that Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett had banned Persepolis and asked that Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel be removed from libraries and classrooms, I decided that my sophomores needed to know what was happening.

In that moment, I felt fortunate not to teach in CPS. I teach in the Chicago suburbs and, since my students have spent all year reading and talking about banned books, I thought this was the perfect current event to discuss in the classroom. We would later learn the specifics of Byrd-Bennett’s concerns.

Satrapi's autobiographical novel, which tells the story of her childhood in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution, had been on the CPS seventh-grade reading list. As the story unfolded, Byrd-Bennett said the book’s “graphic language and images” were not suitable for seventh-graders and was reassessing the appropriate grade levels. But early reports had painted a broader picture of the ban.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, hearing about the initial ban excited my students. They wanted to read the book immediately. Our sophomore world literature class was at the end of one nine-week unit on tolerance and about to start a unit on gender. I thought it was the perfect time in our curriculum to introduce Persepolis to my students.

We read it in class, discussing issues that arose along the way. My honors students read the entire book. My college prep students only had time to read pieces of it. A common concern arose in all my classes: Why were women forced to wear the veil in Iran after the Islamic Revolution? We discussed culture and tradition.

Satrapi does a great job of explaining the impact of events. In one scene, when she and her parents are watching television, the newscaster says, “Women’s hair emanates rays that excite men. That’s why women should cover their hair!” This description led to rich discussions about whether women should wear the veil if they immigrate to countries not ruled by religious leaders. When I posed this question, my students brought up France’s “burqa ban.” All but a few students in every class thought the ban was unfair. Some felt a ban against the veil should be in place in every country to avert terrorism.

One student wisely argued, “Not all Muslims are terrorists. Muslim extremists are to Muslims what the Westboro Baptist Church is to Christians. Not all of us are like that, just like not all of them are like that.”

I thought this was a particularly mature statement from a sophomore in high school. I went with it, asking students whether they thought a ban on veils would prevent terrorism. Unanimously, the students said that it would not. In fact, they said that banning religious symbols like the veil could make some groups even angrier at Western countries and their intolerance of Muslims.

This discussion was a great way to start talking about the Muslim religion and various stereotypes my students believe. It was also an easy way to encourage them to remain tolerant citizens in the face of acts of terrorism like the Boston Marathon bombings. I was happy to see that my students were thinking in terms of choice and fairness, regardless of what they see in the media. Persepolis afforded me the opportunity to talk with my students about important issues. That experience makes a stronger case for these books being taught in schools, not banned from classrooms.

Samsa is a freelance writer and teaches high school English in the south suburbs of Chicago.

The news is sad but, unfortunately, not shocking.

Social scientists at the University of Michigan have determined that students in larger schools tend to self-segregate along racial lines.

According to the report, published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it’s not a conscious choice. The report’s authors, Siwei Cheng and Yu Xie, wrote that students are seeking a sense of community. They crave a bond with others. In small schools, finding friends who share interests happens more organically across racial lines. But Cheng and Xie found that, in larger schools, students fall more easily into racially homogenous friendships.

For years Teaching Tolerance has been concerned about students self-segregating—not only by race but by religion, socioeconomic status, ability and culture. And it doesn’t just happen at large schools.

The cafeteria is often the place where these separations are most evident. Students separate themselves into cliques. Misperceptions, stereotypes and unfounded fears about other groups persist and often make friendships outside the group impossible. Impossible, that is, unless deliberate efforts are made to tear down those artificial barriers and reveal that our similarities are greater than our differences.

As educators, we have an opportunity to redirect self-segregating students. Mix It Up at Lunch Day can help.

The concept is simple. During a lunch period, students sit with someone new and have a conversation. The conversation helps students understand what they have in common with others, even if they appear different.

This year, Mix It Up at Lunch Day is Oct. 29. Thousands of schools will plan fun and festive events. You can register your school today.

We hope that Oct. 29 will be just the start of your school’s Mix It Up activities, and that the conversations continue throughout the year.

As budget cuts, aging buildings and plummeting enrollment continue to lead to school consolidations, more students may find themselves attending larger schools. But even in these environments, we can foster a sense of community, increase understanding and engage students.

Williamson is associate editor for Teaching Tolerance.