Whose are told and whose remain in the margins?
Whose are told:
For as long as I can remember when learning "History" in my Kinder through 12th grade education, I remember hearing the same stories every year, but they would add a little bit more information with each time it was mentioned. In my opinion, the History we have been learning is very exclusive to many different cultures, races, identities, and backgrounds. We have heard the "successful" stories and the individuals who were on the "winning" side of the argument, law, and wars but not the ones on the other side of it. Much of the information we learn is dealing with a straight white middle/high class man in the power position, whereas females, people of color, individuals with disabilities, sexual orientation (besides being straight) were the individuals who were seen as less and had less freedom than the “majority.”
Who remains:
From the very start of time, people of color have not been portrayed in the best way. It has been historically written that marginalized students are judged by their race, gender, identity, social class, etc. I’ve been reading this book called, “Revolutionary Love” by a handful of educators where they discuss how these prejudices formed early on and how we, as teachers, can teach all our students with open arms. For example, when we are choosing books for our classroom library grabbing books that represent all cultures, races, genders, jobs, social class, families, etc. will give your students the opportunity to feel heard and seen in their classroom.
Hey Lindzie! I completely agree, I continued to hear all the same stories over again, and for the longest time didn't know there were so many different stories we never got exposed to in school. I think it is extremely important to not only show the side of the story that we would like to remember or the winning side, but the side of the story that we don't like or the never gets talked about. Allowing students to see all sides helps them understand what happened and in some cases understand what went wrong so some of history doesn't repeat itself. As teachers we will have to share all side of the story and hear stories from marginalized groups. Doing so may also help students feel connected to some of the people who are similar to themselves. I also agree that teachers should be showing students all different types of cultures, races, and sexual orientations throughout their classrooms. Creating a space that is welcoming for students, and showing them people who look similar and different to themselves can help our classrooms be more inclusive.
ReplyDeleteHello Chandler, it’s unfortunate to think about all the information we weren’t taught and are just learning about today. It’s my goal to learn something new, just because of finding this out. It is my hope as a future educator to teach my students every side of every story. This is important because it gives them the entire picture and informs them of all the information they need. History needs to be taught in depth to provide the stories and points of views of all the people involved. Like you said, "doing so may also help students feel connected" and this is the goal to make all our students feel involved, seen, and heard in the classroom. Our classroom, curriculum and lesson plans should be inclusive to all our students to build a welcoming class environment. When students feel like their classroom is a safe space your class will have wonderful discussions, they will feel comfortable asking questions, and they will be encouraged to learn each day.
DeleteHi Lindzie, thank you for sharing your thoughts on Stories: Whose are told and whose remains in the margins! I like how you formatted your blog by answering both questions most people did not organize it this way. It is true that we tend to hear the same stories over and over again, but I have also found some stories get left out between elementary and high school history. In my anthropology class the professor stated that the culture that wins is the one with the most power and this is clearly shown throughout our history and what we learn about it. The ones with all the power dictate what we learn in our schools. The book you mention sounds interesting and a useful source of information for educators which is important for us as future teachers. Again, thank you for allowing me to read your thoughts on this matter, they were very enlightening.
ReplyDeleteHello Bailey, thank you for your response to my blog. I appreciate your feedback. I also believe there are some stories that are being left out, for example from this week's module we learned about the "National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition" where it told the story of the U.S. Indian boarding schools and how they would mentally/physically abuse and starve them if they spoke their Native Language. This is just one of many stories that have been left out in our history books, but this is just as important as any other event/war/protest/law we've learned about. Our students deserve to be taught everything about each race, gender, religion, etc. not just what the books show and tell us about. Like I stated in my blog, the stories have been told repeatedly, so it has become the “norm” in history, but this unfair and biased towards all marginalized groups. It is our job as teachers to be completely unbiased, to be honest, teach our students, and make sure that we’re setting them up for success.
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