Teachers emphasize the Native American side

[Alonzo]

Teacher Bill Morgan walks into his third-grade class wearing a black Pilgrim hat made of construction paper and begins snatching up pencils, backpacks and glue sticks from his pupils. He tells them the items now belong to him because he "discovered" them. The reaction is exactly what Morgan expects: The kids get angry and want their things back.

Morgan is among elementary school teachers who have ditched the traditional Thanksgiving lesson, in which children dress up like Indians and Pilgrims and act out a romanticized version of their first meetings.

He has replaced it with a more realistic look at the complex relationship between Indians and white settlers.

Morgan said he still wants his pupils at Cleveland Elementary School in San Francisco to celebrate Thanksgiving. But "what I am trying to portray is a different point of view."

Others see Morgan and teachers like him as too extreme.

"I think that is very sad," said Janice Shaw Crouse, a former college dean and public high school teacher and now a spokeswoman for Concerned Women for America, a conservative organization. "He is teaching his students to hate their country. That is a very distorted view of history, a distorted view of Thanksgiving."

Even American Indians are divided on how to approach a holiday that some believe symbolizes the start of a hostile takeover of their lands.

Chuck Narcho, a member of the Maricopa and Tohono O'odham tribes who works as a substitute teacher in Los Angeles, said younger children should not be burdened with all the gory details of American history.

"If you are going to teach, you need to keep it positive," he said. "They can learn about the truths when they grow up. Caring, sharing and giving — that is what was originally intended."

Adam McMullin, a member of the Seminole tribe of Oklahoma and a spokesman for the National Congress of American Indians, said schoolchildren should get an accurate historical account.

"You can't just throw an Indian costume on a child," he said. "That stuff is not taken lightly. That's where educators need to be very careful."

Becky Wyatt, a teacher at Kettering Elementary School in Long Beach, decided to alter the costumes for the annual Thanksgiving play a few years ago after local Indians spoke out against students wearing feathers, which are sacred in their culture. Now children wear simple headbands.

"We have many mixed cultures in Long Beach, so we try to be sensitive," Wyatt said. "What you teach little children is important."

Laverne Villalobos, a member of the Omaha tribe in Nebraska who now lives in the coastal town of Pacifica near San Francisco, considers Thanksgiving a day of mourning.

She went before the school board last week and asked for a ban on Thanksgiving re-enactments and students dressing up as Indians. She also complained about November's lunch menu that pictured a caricature of an Indian boy.

The mother of four said the traditional Thanksgiving celebrations in schools instill "a false sense of what really happened before and after the feast. It wasn't all warm and fuzzy."

After she complained, it was decided that pupils at her children's school will not wear Indian costumes this year.

James Loewen, a former history professor at the University of Vermont and author of "Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your High School History Textbook Got Wrong," said that during the first Thanksgiving, the Wampanoag Indians and the pilgrims had been living in relative peace, even though the tribe suspected the settlers of robbing Indian graves to steal food buried with the dead.

"Relations were strained, but yet the holiday worked. Folks got along. After that, bad things happened," Loewen said, referring to the bloody warfare that broke out later during the 17th century.

Morgan, a teacher for more than 35 years, said that after conducting his own research, he changed his approach to teaching about Thanksgiving. He tells teachers at his school this is a good way to nurture critical thinking, but he acknowledged not all are receptive: "It's kind of an uphill struggle."




http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061121/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

[lily]

"I think that is very sad," said Janice Shaw Crouse, a former college dean and public high school teacher and now a spokeswoman for Concerned Women for America, a conservative organization. "He is teaching his students to hate their country. That is a very distorted view of history, a distorted view of Thanksgiving."

You know........I've had it up to here with these conservative organizations. Say anything different........it doesn't matter what, and you automaticcaly get labeled as hating this country. The fact is, we did come here and take away from them. We were starving and they fed us.

[underdawg]

I love this country for what it could be. I love our constitution and the bill of rights. I think we are pretty unique in that area. I also realize that this country did many bad things to many people throughout our history. I think it is important to teach the truth whether it be favorable or unfavorable to our reputation. It is important that we know these things hopefully so we do not ever repeat the bad things we did in the past.

[CheesyMuslim]

Sorry bout that,

1. But this teacher should be run out of town on a rail!
2. He does not have a right to cast USA in a bad light with children.
3. He raped these kids.
4. He is no worse than a child molester.
5. He has betrayed their trust.
6. Should be fired on the spot!
7. He should also move abroad.

Regards,
SirJamesofTexas

[dgridley]

Very well said!

Anyone recall the Thanksgiving Day play scene from the movie, Addam's Family Values.. that was a hoot!



I love this country for what it could be. I love our constitution and the bill of rights. I think we are pretty unique in that area. I also realize that this country did many bad things to many people throughout our history. I think it is important to teach the truth whether it be favorable or unfavorable to our reputation. It is important that we know these things hopefully so we do not ever repeat the bad things we did in the past.

[underdawg]

CWN it seems to me that countries like the old USSR, China and North Korea change the history books to put their countries in a favorable light with their citizens. I think we are better than that. The citizens need to know the truth whether it is good or bad publicity for your country. And where better to learn US history than in school. Maybe the extreme method of teaching may be in question, but the message that our country was not always the good guy seems right to me.

[bobbylien]

Face the facts CWN, this country did some absolutely horrible things to the native americans. You can either admit that or go on in denial. Ignoring history will only doom us to repeat it. Let it be a lesson to us and make sure nothing like it happens again.

[Elrathin]

1. But this teacher should be run out of town on a rail!
2. He does not have a right to cast USA in a bad light with children.
3. He raped these kids.
4. He is no worse than a child molester.
5. He has betrayed their trust.
6. Should be fired on the spot!
7. He should also move abroad.


If you think we didn't do anything wrong to the Native Americans that were here at the time Chess, you have NO CLUE on history then.

This teacher did not "rape" or betray these kids, this teacher told the truth. Sounds like you want to re-write history or just plain ignore it.

[CheesyMuslim]

Sorry bout that,

1. But when we Europeans came to New England, we just about died from exposure that first winter.
2. The Indians were not all pissed to see us, we were like another Indian tribe that showed up.
3. They shared with us food and drinks, and showed us how to gather foods from America.
4. At time we clashed with them and at time they clashed with us.
5. On particular Indian came forth with spoke broken english and adopted the New Americans.
6. He translated for us Europeans, and taught us to plant and use corn.
7. Indians at the time didn't have the concept of property ownership, so they owned nothing, but just used the land as they saw fit, they were also Nomads, and like the birds migrated from up north to southern climates, to avoid freezing to death.
8. Indians did catch some new illnesses and that was a bummer for them.
9. But what they received in return far outweighed what the gave or lost by The New Americans arrival.
10. They received Christianity, which is a far better deal, than anyone who had nothing, to have such a wonderful gift of Eternal Life.

Regards,
SirJamesofTexas

[Elrathin]

2. The Indians were not all pissed to see us, we were like another Indian tribe that showed up.
3. They shared with us food and drinks, and showed us how to gather foods from America.
4. At time we clashed with them and at time they clashed with us.
5. On particular Indian came forth with spoke broken english and adopted the New Americans.

They welcomed us as GUESTS not as PERMANENT RESIDENTS of ALL their Lands.


10. They received Christianity, which is a far better deal, than anyone who had nothing, to have such a wonderful gift of Eternal Life.


Oh BS it was FORCED on them Chess. That is no excuse for what we did and you know it. Christians at that time were no better than the Radical Muslims are now in wanting to force their religion on others. You are RE-WRITING history.

[bobbylien]

Sorry bout that,

1. But when we Europeans came to New England, we just about died from exposure that first winter.
2. The Indians were not all pissed to see us, we were like another Indian tribe that showed up.
3. They shared with us food and drinks, and showed us how to gather foods from America.
4. At time we clashed with them and at time they clashed with us.
5. On particular Indian came forth with spoke broken english and adopted the New Americans.
6. He translated for us Europeans, and taught us to plant and use corn.
7. Indians at the time didn't have the concept of property ownership, so they owned nothing, but just used the land as they saw fit, they were also Nomads, and like the birds migrated from up north to southern climates, to avoid freezing to death.
8. Indians did catch some new illnesses and that was a bummer for them.
9. But what they received in return far outweighed what the gave or lost by The New Americans arrival.
10. They received Christianity, which is a far better deal, than anyone who had nothing, to have such a wonderful gift of Eternal Life.

Regards,
SirJamesofTexas

This is EXACTLY why teaching kids the truth is important, chess is obviously just going on some crap he heard in elementry school.
One of the worst moments in american history happened in the 1830s, its called the trail of tears (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_of_Tears) chess, read about it. We moved them into camps and forced them out of their lands, many of them died in these "camps" and on their voyage to their new land.

[Waffletush]

So why doesn't the teacher go in and take belongings like pencils, pens, paper, lunch money, lunch boxes, coats, hats etc from the white studetns and give them to the minorities? The teacher can then kick out of class 2 out of every 4 white students and replace them with a minoirty while at the same time telling them "sorry, this is not racism, it is diversity".

If he wants a desired effect, why not walk into an office building with adults and do the same thing? Preaching civil rights on 3rd graders is the wrong audience to advance a political agenda.

[Alonzo]

So you think whites are denied half of the jobs and positions they want because minorities are taking them?

I think that's approaching the complaints of persecution by some christians.

[bobbylien]

So why doesn't the teacher go in and take belongings like pencils, pens, paper, lunch money, lunch boxes, coats, hats etc from the white studetns and give them to the minorities? The teacher can then kick out of class 2 out of every 4 white students and replace them with a minoirty while at the same time telling them "sorry, this is not racism, it is diversity".

If he wants a desired effect, why not walk into an office building with adults and do the same thing? Preaching civil rights on 3rd graders is the wrong audience to advance a political agenda.

This is about telling kids the true history of this countries relations with native americans, not advancing any particular political agenda. If theres an agenda here its the anti-ignorance agenda.

[Elrathin]

So why doesn't the teacher go in and take belongings like pencils, pens, paper, lunch money, lunch boxes, coats, hats etc from the white studetns and give them to the minorities? The teacher can then kick out of class 2 out of every 4 white students and replace them with a minoirty while at the same time telling them "sorry, this is not racism, it is diversity".


So your solution is to sugar coat the truth or flat out ignore it?

[Waffletush]

So your solution is to sugar coat the truth or flat out ignore it?

Holy out of left field Batman! If a teacher wants to 'tell the truth' to a captive audience of 8 year-olds, why can the same teacher show them what affirmative action is all about too?

[Elrathin]

Holy out of left field Batman! If a teacher wants to 'tell the truth' to a captive audience of 8 year-olds, why can the same teacher show them what affirmative action is all about too?


so again, your choice is to sugar coat the truth or just ignore it? Just answer the question?

[CheesyMuslim]

Sorry bout that,

1. But Indians were moved to make room for progress, they didn't want to assimilate, so we made deals with them, so to get them out of the way of progress.
2. We also pay them as an Indian Nation, with support, for social services, and free money.
3. Indians now days are not into political party's, and tend to stay on the sidelines till this day.
4. When they could be President, if they wanted too.
5. That is the real mystery.
6. Indians live a far better life now.
7. And have a opportunity of Eternal Life, which is far more than they had before Europeans came.
8. If your a European decent, and think I'm wrong, then move back to Europe.
9. Stop being angry about what our descendents did, and go home.
10. You are apart of a problem that isn't there.

Regards,
SirJamesofTexas

[Professor]

Anyone recall the Thanksgiving Day play scene from the movie, Addam's Family Values.. that was a hoot!


They should just show that, and be done with it. LOL. :D

I think this teacher is brilliant and his methods are called for, but I think 3rd graders might be too young for it. Perhaps waiting a year or two, but not more than that.

Affirmative action and the first thanksgiving have nothing in common. They are two separate things, especially in the eyes of an eight year old who probably hasn't heard this side of the story or has any idea what affirmative action is.


"I think that is very sad," said Janice Shaw Crouse, a former college dean and public high school teacher and now a spokeswoman for Concerned Women for America, a conservative organization. "He is teaching his students to hate their country. That is a very distorted view of history, a distorted view of Thanksgiving."

James Loewen, a former history professor at the University of Vermont and author of "Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your High School History Textbook Got Wrong," said that during the first Thanksgiving, the Wampanoag Indians and the pilgrims had been living in relative peace, even though the tribe suspected the settlers of robbing Indian graves to steal food buried with the dead.


That's not to complimentary, so maybe we shouldn't teach it? Kids need to know what happened in the past. They can love their country while hating the actions of their forefathers. How do you think the Holocaust is taught in Germany? And it is, by law every German child has to learn about it. In highschool, I made friends with an exchange student from Germany. She told me how they had to learn about the Holocaust and how hard it was for her when many of the class members had grandparents who told their own stories. Her own grandpa had a job during the war, in Poland, that no one talks about. She found a way to hate the actions of her grandpa and still being a loyal German citizen.

I think also going in and having an action day from the pilgrams point of view, have them go into the 8th grade class and try to get pencils and such. Then they can feel like the pilgrams did.

In merging those two together somewhere is the truth of what really happened.

[Waffletush]

so again, your choice is to sugar coat the truth or just ignore it?Â*Â*Just answer the question?

So let me get this straight. Teaching 'the truth' about Pilgrims by taking things away from 8 years olds is OK by you, but doing the same thing to only the white 8 year olds and calling it affirmative action is not.

Gotcha.

[Elrathin]

So let me get this straight. Teaching 'the truth' about Pilgrims by taking things away from 8 years olds is OK by you, but doing the same thing to only the white 8 year olds and calling it affirmative action is not.

Gotcha.


What the hell are you talking about? What are you taking away?

[Waffletush]

What am I talkin about, take what away?Â*Â*The same thing the teacher took away to prove a point about Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims, but instead call it Affirmative Action...

pencils, backpacks and glue sticks from his pupils. He tells them the items now belong to him because he "discovered" them. The reaction is exactly what Morgan expects: The kids get angry and want their things back.

[Alonzo]

Here's was one study on college admissions:

Recent research confirms this point. Using 1989 data from a representative sample of selective schools, former university presidents William Bowen and Derek Bok showed in their 1998 book, "The Shape of the River," that eliminating racial preferences would have increased the likelihood of admission for white undergraduate applicants from 25 percent to only 26.5 percent.

The Mellon Foundation, which sponsored the study, provided me with additional data to calculate admission rates by SAT score. If the schools in the Bowen/Bok sample had admitted applicants with similar SAT scores at the same rate regardless of race, the chance of admission for white applicants would have increased by one percentage point or less at scores 1300 and above, by three to four percentage points at scores from 1150 to 1299, and by four to seven percentage points at scores below 1150.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A41620-2002Apr12?language=printer

I think the teacher needs to get 2 or 3 classrooms together and steal one kids pencil to make the point you want him to.

[lily]

7. And have a opportunity of Eternal Life, which is far more than they had before Europeans came.
Regards,
SirJamesofTexas


You really don't know too much about what Indians believe about eternal life, chess. Also I'm just curious.......just where did they "go" before they were "saved"?

[Drocket]

You really don't know too much about what Indians believe about eternal life, chess. Also I'm just curious.......just where did they "go" before they were "saved"?

Hell, of course, to burn forever in eternal damnation for having the misfortune of being born too early. Except for the Mormon indians, of course.

[Professor]

7. And have a opportunity of Eternal Life, which is far more than they had before Europeans came.


They had their own culture, religion and society for years before the Europeans landed. My guess is that many of them were perfectly content with their ways and didn't particularly care about the European's religion.

[lily]

Professor, your reply got me to thinking about a question I've asked before. What makes the Christians back in the days of settlement any different than the radical Muslims?