As I intend
to become a teacher in the next few years, a question that crossed my mind is:
how can we talk about the Civil Rights Movement to children?
Informing
youngsters about the movement can be a controversial topic because of the
violence it implies. However, children are the sculptors of our future. Hence
it is crucial to pass our knowledge onto them so they know, remember, and do
everything to prevent another historical tragedy. Teaching students respect as
early as possible in their school years is important for them to be aware of
the world’s diversity and not to judge people depending on their skin color or
their religious beliefs.
Nowadays,
many children know what war is and it makes it easier for an educator to talk about it. For obvious reasons, no
movies can be shown to children but Art and drawings can be a good way to
convey these ideas. Non-disturbing ways can be found to introduce African
Americans’ conditions and fights to children such as books addressed to their age.
While doing
some research about education and racism, I came across John Lewis’ book, March.
It is a powerful recollection of personal stories in the form of a comic book. It
can be looked at or read at any age as its words will become more important and
carry more meaning as children grow older. John Lewis is a main figure of the
movement and addressing this issue to children is a step towards equality, as
today’s students are tomorrow’s future. This is an era that is not in the
memories of young children but the events that have happened on campus
recently show that racism is still preponderant in our society. The book March
has a strong educational value. Time is running out and there are not many
survivors who lived through this era. This is a first-hand testimony that needs
to be shown to the world; and children are
part of this world.
The study
of the Civil Right Movement should be continuous throughout the children’s
school curriculum. As a French student, I had never deeply studied the African
Americans struggles that have happened in the United States before going to college.
This is a major struggle which is often eclipsed in French schools by the
European main war, the Jews genocide. However, as citizen of the world, I think
it is important to be taught about all of the wars and injustices that have
taken place. Giving the African Americans’ fight more importance in school
might be a way to promote awareness and have more open-minded citizens.
Do you
think this would help? Or that it would make any change in our society?
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ReplyDeleteI agree that we are not just citizens of the United States, but members of the world. This idea within itself must be explained and fundamentally understood by children as early as possible. I can remember many instances in which my school attempted to engage students within other cultures through seminars, workshops, or the simply lesson of the day or week.
ReplyDeleteHowever, by engaging students in such a way, they are generally immersed in the master narratives of the history of peoples of different cultures. The synopsis of war x, y or z is taught, but the reality of the injustices and trials that individuals endured because of others is glossed over.
Because of the maturity levels of students throughout different grades, I believe the question of when and how to approach the teaching of such deep seeded sicknesses that exist throughout history will perpetually be examined as long as formalized education exists.
I feel that teaching young people about African American history, is a crucial part of their education, and sadly one that too often gets overlooked or glossed over. Educational, child-friendly films or TV shows on this topic are few, making it all the more necessary for teachers to make up for that lack of exposure in everyday life. I do understand, however, that it is hard to strike a balance between honestly teaching children about the common violence in African American history and protecting them from it. It's a balance that likely differs for every child, making the task all the more difficult for teachers.
ReplyDeleteJust a side note to this conversation about teaching Civil Rights History and African-American history in schools...I have developed a friendship over the last couple of years with a kid that is now a sophomore at Booker T. Washington High School here in Memphis. He plays basketball and his teams' recent opponents have been W.E.B. Dubois High School and George Washington Carver High School. When learning this I asked him if he knew who any of these prominent figures in African-American history were (including BTW who is own school is named after) and he replied with a casual no. Although I can't say my friend Temarious is the most engaged or dedicated student, I do believe this instance represents a tragedy that has taken place in the public school system, especially a public school system in Memphis that is overwhelmingly black and located in a city rich with African-American history. I haven't done any research on history curriculum in Tennessee public schools, but I have a strong feeling that African-American history is not emphasized as it should be. I believe that students in the Shelby County School district could benefit greatly from learning about the history of African-Americans and commemoration the highly successful and influential figures throughout the history.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is critical to teach children about African American history so that they will be more understanding of diversity and the country. When I was in elementary school, teachers slowly introduced African American history through animated movies about major figures like Dr. King. By the time I was in the 5th grade, the teachers were supplementing the master narratives of the text book with anecdotes of unmentioned characters such as Sojourner Truth and George Washington Carver. However the way that they approached African American history could be seen offensive or hostile. All of my elementary school classes consisted of black teachers teaching black students. If there had been white children in those classes, they would have felt villanized hearing that whites enslaved black people and violated their human rights. So teachers should incorporate African American history into their lesson, but they should be conscious of who they are teaching. Teachers don't want to make the children uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteI think that John Lewis' book, March, would be an appropriate way to introduce children- especially those who do not enjoy reading- to the Civil Rights Movement. The graphic novel depicts horrific events, such as the murder of Emmett Till, in a way that might spark interest (and not turn them away because it is too frightening...) in young minds. I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been to depict the murder of Till in a graphic novel; however, I think that a child who picks up the book and is interested in the pictures will want to listen to the story which goes along.
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