Dc's ps is teaching inaccurate Thanksgiving unit.

[BabyBre]

I was making copies for ds6's 1st grade teacher today and, as I like to do, read through what I was copying for the kiddos. It was a very brief description of the Pilgrims' journey to America and the events that lead up to the first Thanksgiving feast.

 

My first "hmphf!" came when the reason for the Pilgrims leaving Europe was given as simply that a "mean king wouldn't let them do what they wanted to do", which is technically true, but religious freedom isn't even mentioned as a factor. We're in public school here, so I look past this.

 

The next thing was stated, "The Indians lived in teepees." Now, someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but the Wampanoag lived in huts or wigwams, not "teepees."

 

And, lastly, the Pilgrims were so thankful to the Indians for their survival that they held a great feast. Again, no mention of God, and we're talking about Puritans here.

 

So, one mother at the school has cautioned me not to say anything to the teacher, but I'm not sure I can do that! My only hesitation is that this is this teacher's 32nd and final year teaching and I don't really think she'll change anything at this point. Should I just let it go and make sure ds knows the real story?

[Danestress]

Don't get on the teacher about it. You won't make things better in the class that way. Your interest is in making sure your kids know the truth, so tell them.

 

My father delighted in undermining what my teachers taught in school. He could always spot the nonsense, and he always pointed it out to me, and I was always greatful that he didn't feel the need to go correct the teachers (even though it was a private school and he was paying a fortune for this misinformation). He was truthful with me and gentlemanly with them.

 

I always tell my children that you don't need to correct someone unless someone's honor is at stake. In other words, you counter gossip and ugly rumors, but not mistakes of fact.

[melhouse]

[

I always tell my children that you don't need to correct someone unless someone's honor is at stake. In other words, you counter gossip and ugly rumors, but not mistakes of fact.

 

What great advice! I will definitely use this with my children!

 

Thanks,

Melissa

[OHGrandma]

The teacher may not like it any better than you. Many school boards are under the mistaken idea they are not allowed to mention anything about God or Christians, and dictate what the teacher is allowed to give the children.

 

I'd feel out the teacher to see what she thinks about the material, then take it up with the principal and the school board. Hopefully the teacher will be supportive of your efforts to have history presented factually.

[Tami]

I hear ya on not wanting to make waves. I understand wanting to avoid being a pain in the neck. On the other hand, doesn't this give the schools a free pass to teach revisionist history? If they know parents are too wimpy to say anything, doesn't that embolden them to go further and further away from accuracy? I mean, teachers aren't infallible, they are on YOUR payroll and should be accountable for what is taught. Schools need to be accountable to parents.

 

This would really bug me, and I would wonder about the rest of the curriculum.

[texascamps]

Something simila happened to me this past week. My daughter came home and told us about Columbus.

 

She told us that the Catholics were mean and the Ottoman Empire was nice, the Muslims were nice and loved all the people regardless of their religion. Catholics would kill you or kick you out if you were not Catholic. Then she talked all about the Ottoman Empire.

 

Now, we are not Catholic, and we are not Muslim either but I knew this was being presented poorly. Its always wrong to describe the Catholic religion in terms of the Inquisition. I didn't say anything to her other than to tell her father. (Mr. History, never forgets facts, knows obscure history as well as known history, particularly Ancient through well......today.) So he sort of gave her the "skinny" on all of it.

 

Then she came home talking about Erik the Red, straight from Wikipedia, which is not always right....somewhat revisionist about some things.

 

I tend to believe that the closer in time you are to the facts the more likely you are to be correct. Modern historians, I feel are more prone to interject their views and write accordingly.... Diaries and historical documents are more to be trusted.

 

It alwasy irks me at Thanksgiving when schools completely overlook God. My kids say that the Pilgrims were saying thanks to the Indians. God is totally out of the picture.

 

 

Sheryl

[BabyBre]

She told us that the Catholics were mean and the Ottoman Empire was nice, the Muslims were nice and loved all the people regardless of their religion. Catholics would kill you or kick you out if you were not Catholic.

 

:blink: Wow.

 

Well, so far I haven't said anything to the teacher, mainly because I haven't had the oportunity. I'm afraid it may be too late by the time I do and she will have already presented the information.

 

In the meantime, I read the chapter on the first Thanksgiving in James Loewen's "Lies My Teacher Told Me". Very enlightening! Maybe I should make a book recommendation to ds's teacher!

[Danestress]

.

[Blue Hen]

You just described my DS's Thanksgiving Unit when he was in 1st and 2nd grade. Sad too. The year was '97. On top of that we lived in Massachusetts at the time. LOL! If the folks there can't get it right who in the PS can? My dear college roommate who works in PS said that they could not mention God or religious freedom and she was sure that the Pilgrims were thankful to for the Indians help so at least part of their story was correct. Shame isn't it.

 

Carole

[BabyBre]

That book might make a fun Xmas present for a teacher! .

 

 

LOL! I mentioned "Lies My Teacher Told Me" in our very full staff room during lunch the other day (I work the lunch hour at dc's school), and you should have seen the teachers' faces and reactions just to the title! Interestingly enough, I mentioned it because one of the student teachers was talking about how ethnocentric our understanding of history is and how it's really been presented incorrectly for generations. It was a very interesting (and entertaining) lunch!

 

Well, I think I did miss my oportunity to correct the teacher before she presented the information to the kids. Ds told me they did cover that (and he didn't correct her!) I feel it was wrong to let it go, but frankly, I forgot! Anyway, I don't think there will be any lasting damage done to the 1st graders who learned this week that the Wampanoag lived in "teepees." They're not role playing it or anything (like I remember doing), maybe just drawing a picture or something. We'll have to see what comes home, I guess.

 

Sorry, America.

[littlefamily]

Unfortunately, the text books that our children are using in schools perpetuate many of these inaccuracies. Many of our teachers today have been taught from the same inaccurate text books while going to school themselves.

 

What is so lacking in our educational system today is teaching children to question ideas. They are taught that if it is in a textbook it is correct and even to a certain extent that if a teacher teaches it, it must be true. Being able to evaluate a source to determine its credibility is especially important in this day and age of the internet. Wikipedia is a perfect example of this.

 

I think the best gift you can give to your child is to teach them curiosity and the ability to question (in an appropriate way) the accuracy. And to teach them when it is appropriate/important to correct and when it is best to keep it to yourself! I know that I have learned so much when my children question something and we research it.

[mcconnellboys]

Pass the bean dip and tell your child the real story, by all means!

[JennifersLost]

I think there are always going to be issues whenever you try to explain complex happenings to small children, right?

 

I understand what the person is saying about the Ottomans vs. Catholics - it's grossly oversimplified, but I think the point trying to be made was that at that time the Ottoman government didn't try to make everyone be muslim, whereas in Spain the Catholics DID try to make everyone Catholic (and their brand of Catholic).

 

That's not the only thing Catholics ever did, nor have muslims always been tolerant (obviously). But the Ottoman empire was certainly a more cosmopolitan entity in many ways than Catholic Spain was later.

[texascamps]

I think there are always going to be issues whenever you try to explain complex happenings to small children, right?

 

I understand what the person is saying about the Ottomans vs. Catholics - it's grossly oversimplified, but I think the point trying to be made was that at that time the Ottoman government didn't try to make everyone be muslim, whereas in Spain the Catholics DID try to make everyone Catholic (and their brand of Catholic).

 

That's not the only thing Catholics ever did, nor have muslims always been tolerant (obviously). But the Ottoman empire was certainly a more cosmopolitan entity in many ways than Catholic Spain was later.

 

I agree somewhat...however, young minds who don't have any frame of reference hear one thing, Catholics bad, Muslims good...

 

We explained a little further the hows and whys of the Ottoman Empire. What is irksome is that they can't really learn Catholic or Christian History which is the foundation of our Western thinking, they can only learn snippets.