A little perspective

     Before this week, I had never given much thought to the different points of view and biases that exist in history materials and textbooks. Of course I know that they exist, but I had never made the connections that I will have to teach children using these materials. Luckily, today there is a multitude of resources out there for students and teachers and creating a multicultural classroom is probably not as difficult today as it was when I was in school. However, it does make me stop to think how I am going to choose appropriate sources and how to know it is appropriate. After watching the documentary on the textbook wars, I am plagued by the worry that I will end up offending a parent with something that I think is appropriate to teach. I suppose the best way to combat that is to teach students that there are biases in history texts and encourage the students to analyze them critically. How could the story be told from a different point of view? As with any subject, I think that teaching history in the classroom has to be very well thought out and planned to avoid teaching the students that there is only one right account of past events. Maybe every student should be required to read A People's History of the United States!
     Teaching ELLs and students with disabilities in the classroom will require modification, but I think they should have the same experiences as the other students. ELLs especially can contribute a different perspective to the class's understanding of history, especially in upper grades. They can possibly talk about their country's history and how the US had affected that, if at all. This would be a good opportunity to get parents involved as well, as long as they are willing and it is not hurtful to them in any way. Some families may be reluctant to talk about their country, and students should understand the reasons for that as well. Students with disabilities can be helped through various visual, oral, and behavioral modifications, but they too should benefit from learning how to see the world from a perspective other than their own.