As mentioned before, I grew up in an environment which mostly favored either whitewashed or misguided perspectives about history and people. Going forward, I hope to learn from the mistakes of my past teachers and create a more positive worldview for my students. I feel it is necessary to begin this process with an understanding of some of the misguided information presented to me over the years by presenting a list of what I hope to teach the truth about and the importance of each one.
3.) "Most African Americans arrived through immigration and are not the descendants of slaves."- 11th grade U.S. History teacher.
This is one of the more toxic perspectives I have seen over the course of my education. Though I have yet to discover a definitive and absolute counter for this, based on research I have done, I have discovered that voluntary immigration from Africa only began recently. Based on that information, I would venture to say that this idea is far from truthful. Even so, the problem which I have with this narrative is that it downplays the struggles of minorities in America. This was said in the context of countering the notion that African Americans today have no connection to the true struggles of old and should not be complaining about modern injustices. I would like to take away a perspective that struggle is always around and that all people have a connection to it in some way. This notion was, in my perspective a whitewash of history which I choose to counter to the best of my ability for the future.
2.) "The Civil War was fought over the issues of slavery, states' rights, and economic issues."-5th grade textbook.
I believe that this narrative is dying out among social studies teachers, but has yet to die out in certain education circles and textbooks. Knowledge of what truly happened and teaching it as such allows modern issues to be looked at more accurately. Arguing that states' rights was a main issue while omitting what state right was argued for completely disregards the cause of the war. With a misunderstanding of this, many modern problems are misconstrued to say the least. Giving a true understanding of an event as important as this builds a solid foundation for learning in the future.
1.) "We learn history so that we do not repeat it."- Common conception throughout school.
This may be my newest issue to work with, however I believe it is one of the most important. Understanding that history allows it's students to envision a brighter future should be the mission of such classes. Understanding what this knowledge can do fundamentally creates a more engaging environment which will set that course of a brighter history classroom.
3.) "Most African Americans arrived through immigration and are not the descendants of slaves."- 11th grade U.S. History teacher.
This is one of the more toxic perspectives I have seen over the course of my education. Though I have yet to discover a definitive and absolute counter for this, based on research I have done, I have discovered that voluntary immigration from Africa only began recently. Based on that information, I would venture to say that this idea is far from truthful. Even so, the problem which I have with this narrative is that it downplays the struggles of minorities in America. This was said in the context of countering the notion that African Americans today have no connection to the true struggles of old and should not be complaining about modern injustices. I would like to take away a perspective that struggle is always around and that all people have a connection to it in some way. This notion was, in my perspective a whitewash of history which I choose to counter to the best of my ability for the future.
2.) "The Civil War was fought over the issues of slavery, states' rights, and economic issues."-5th grade textbook.
I believe that this narrative is dying out among social studies teachers, but has yet to die out in certain education circles and textbooks. Knowledge of what truly happened and teaching it as such allows modern issues to be looked at more accurately. Arguing that states' rights was a main issue while omitting what state right was argued for completely disregards the cause of the war. With a misunderstanding of this, many modern problems are misconstrued to say the least. Giving a true understanding of an event as important as this builds a solid foundation for learning in the future.
1.) "We learn history so that we do not repeat it."- Common conception throughout school.
This may be my newest issue to work with, however I believe it is one of the most important. Understanding that history allows it's students to envision a brighter future should be the mission of such classes. Understanding what this knowledge can do fundamentally creates a more engaging environment which will set that course of a brighter history classroom.
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