With the academic year just a few short weeks away at college and university campuses nationwide, many are bracing for a reprise of last spring’s ugly protests, encampments and violent clashes among faculty, staff and students.

Many administrators seemed like deer caught in headlights, unable or unwilling to acknowledge how serious the problem was at their institutions. Their feeble public responses made matters worse.

This led some college and university presidents to rehearse their testimonies when called before congressional subcommittees. Still, others assumed the controversial role of mediators as they worked to reach settlements with those who had established illegal encampments and refused to vacate when requested.

In short, what seemed lost in the moment was the primary—and arguably most important—role that college and university presidents should play—that of educators.

In an era where the notion of a “teachable moment” is celebrated as a positive social good, the glaring lack of teachable moments here has been glaringly apparent. That needs to change.

It’s high time for college and university presidents to reclaim their responsibilities as educators regarding the boundaries of freedom of speech—particularly when trespassing, property destruction, specific threats of violence and outright violence are involved.

Alas, too little attention has been devoted to articulating how the exercise of free speech—a cherished constitutional value—includes peaceful civil disobedience but excludes much of the destructive campus behavior that took place.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is a leading national nonprofit organization involved in First Amendment advocacy and research. In a FIRE survey conducted in conjunction with College Pulse last year, only 37 percent of students think it is never acceptable to shout down a speaker. Only 55 percent think blocking other students from hearing the speaker is unacceptable. And a growing number—27 percent in that survey—think violence can be an acceptable way to stop a campus speech. These are alarming numbers.

Here’s a practical and impactful step that can be implemented at various higher education institutions right before classes begin. Remember teach-ins? This educational format became popular in the 1960s, as campuses brought all students together to learn about threats to the environment on what became known as Earth Day. Other teach-ins soon became popular, including those regarding the Vietnam War.

According to Yale’s Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, “Teach-ins empower students to learn about a specific topic or issue through multidisciplinary lenses and develop/evolve their perspectives by the end of the forum... Teach-ins allow us to connect and discuss important issues as a campus community.”

Organizing a successful teach-in on freedom of speech needs to be approached thoughtfully and supported by necessary resources from various academic units. It will require organizing a range of speakers and a defined agenda. Community outreach will also be necessary.

One critical element should be considered. The college or university president should marshal all required support for a freedom of speech teach-in and have all activities coordinated directly from his/her office. That will send a strong signal about its importance.

The president (or the provost serving as the chief academic officer), as a well-informed moderator and visible institutional leader, should preside over the teach-in. The teach-in can be livestreamed and archived online to be viewed throughout the year, including by alumni and others unable to attend.

Ideally, a freedom of speech teach-in should be held on the same grounds where the prior campus demonstrations or encampments took place. Using these open campus spaces for a truly educational purpose may strike some as ironic. However, in the long run, it can help reassert the vital role of teaching in higher education that many have forgotten. This essential mission needs to be reasserted forthrightly since widespread lessons about the First Amendment are timely and necessary.

Stuart N. Brotman is the author of “The First Amendment Lives On.” He is an endowed professor of journalism and electronic media at the University of Tennessee. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.