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Stories: Whose are told and whose remain in the margins?

 This is something that I have not thought that much about so I am glad it is one of our topics. History was probably one of my least favorite classes in school, because of the environment. Hearing stories in history class it seemed like the white men were always doing something good and the black people were there to make their lives easier. I rarely heard stories about hispanics and definitely not many about Asians or Pacific Islander, if any. I believe students should hear about the history behind all cultures because of how different everyone lived. It is important that students know that there was more going on than just what the people they are familiar with were doing. There are many important people in every culture and we should not limit students to the popular historical people. I believe students should see how the world has changed and how some things are still the same. It is harder for them to see the change when they are not able to see or hear about what has gone on in the past with other cultures. Children should know that what they consider to be the norm others may not. I also believe telling more stories about different cultures can improve the classroom environment. Not leaving certain groups out will make all students feel welcomed, and like their cultures past matters too. Making sure that all of my students are comfortable in my class is something that I find very important. 

Comments

  1. Christel GrallFebruary 23, 2022 at 9:52 PM

    Shalondra, thank you for sharing your thoughts and perspective on this subject. This module provided a really an eye-opening lesson for me. History has never been my favorite subject either. It is hard to engage in something that feels incomplete or biased. I believe more students would be excited to learn history if more cultures were fairly represented in the lessons. I know there is so much history outside of what we are taught in school, and it is awful to know that we only get to learn a tiny portion of it. I don’t remember many stories about many other historical figures from other cultures either. I agree that ensuring we don’t leave out any cultural groups in a history lesson will make everyone feel represented, fostering a more inclusive environment, resulting in students that are excited to learn. This lesson also made me realize how important it is to recognize different styles of learning, such as collaboration for problem-solving vs. the norm in America, individual or delegation in group learning.

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    1. Shalondra HayesFebruary 27, 2022 at 7:10 PM

      Hi Christel! I like how you pointed out how this lesson is pointing to different styles of learning. Being able to recognize how important these different learning styles are will help teachers help their students more efficiently.

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  2. TXST TeacherMarch 10, 2022 at 11:37 AM

    Hey Shalondra!
    Believe it or not, I know where East Bernard is! I have gone through there with family on our way to Waller to visit Jellystone Park. I agree with you as History was also my least favorite class, but I just plain out did not like it. It never grasped my attention, and I think it was because we seemed to learn the same things just a new aspect of each one. I with we learned about different things like you said Hispanic and Pacific Islander heroes and important figures. I think learning new people, dates, and just new history in general would keep students engaged more. Like you mentioned, I only know of like 4 African American leaders, and they are Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and Ulysses Grant, and Barak Obama would be a recent important figure in history.

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