I'm frustrated today - about the way I was educated and the fact that our collective educational values have not changed. I read and discussed the children's book, Encounter by Jane Yolen with my 4th graders today. Encounter is a powerfully written realistic fiction narrative about Columbus' arrival on the shores of our beloved country. It's powerful because it is dramatically different from the story my kids have ever learned in the past. For the first time today, they heard about this impactful political and social event from the perspective of a young Native American boy rather than the perspective of the European Explorers. As I read, I watched their faces turn from enjoyment over a nicely written story, to confusion from new information, to shock about what they just heard. Their beloved Columbus' narrative was turned upside down as one insightful student remarked, "This is sad, and unfair. That boy was probably so scared because he didn't know who these people were. And then they just took him from his home on their boats? They changed their whole life. The Native Americans were here first. This is not fair at all. Columbus was a terrible person. Did this really happen?" They couldn't seem to reconcile this new perspective with the fun, light-hearted rhymes of blue oceans in 1492 and the over-glued crafts of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria of their past. We discussed perspective and how there are two sides to every story. We thought about how the story changes based on who's telling it, and likened this concept to having a disagreement with a sibling or friend. They both retell the same story but it sounds different based on who's telling it. What I don't understand is why I was never taught this perspective in elementary school. Why do we sanitize our history for children as if they can't handle it? Then we grow up and wonder why people are so ignorant. I have so much more to say about this but I'm not quite sure how to say it well just yet so, until next time...
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Author4th grade teacher. Writer. Justice-seeker. Encourager. CrossFitter. John 11:40. Archives
July 2017
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