The author's students took the Louisiana literacy test in the 1960's. The photo is courtesy of the person.
There are 46 U.S. presidents in this picture. What are you paying attention to?
Someone always said they looked old when I asked my students this at the beginning of the year. I will never forget the boy who said that a lot of them are not handsome because he pointed out that most of them aren't smiling.
The students would realize they are all men and they are all white. Why do you think that is, and how do you think it affects our country? They suggested that only white men were allowed to vote and that the elected leaders made laws that favored white men. Almost all of my classmates were white.
This is not a critical race theory despite what many conservatives think. Even if the history lesson involves events before they were born, they argue that teaching about race sows segregation and shame. Oprah and Obama are proof that everyone has a fair shot at success according to some critics. The children of the critics are likely to adopt their views unless they are taught to think for themselves.
I grew up in a small New Hampshire city with my parents and younger brother. The state was mostly white in 1990. Three of my high school classmates were nonwhite. I didn't get exposed to discussions about race. My family was influenced by Rush Limbaugh's radio show. Affirmative action gave minority groups an unfair advantage in a country where, according to my father, everyone has an equal opportunity. His views were adopted by my mother. I held on to them until a professor changed everything.
In order to get my masters degree in education in 2009, I had to take a language, power and democracy course. A monthlong class explored white privilege and America's ongoing racial divide. Some of the topics were redlining and reconstruction. I believed that class was more important in determining opportunities. I saw America's institutional racism after a month of evidence-based lectures and thoughtful conversations with my racially diverse classmates.
I taught at an independent school in San Francisco for over ten years. Current events and marginalized voices were incorporated into fourth grade content. I provided different perspectives while teaching social studies, as well as drawing inspiration from my graduate course.
My students read about Christopher Columbus in third grade. They would be provided with a different point of view by reading " Encounter". A young Taino boy retells the story of the Italian explorer's arrival in his book and how he enslaved and brutalized the natives. Most of my students wrote essays about why Columbus Day shouldn't be celebrated anymore.
Students questioned a U.S. propaganda video and looked at photos of Japanese Americans being forcibly removed from the West Coast. They wanted to know why German Americans were spared the same treatment as JapaneseAmericans. Students raised important questions about race in American history.
Students in the author's class made artistic representations of the amendments. The photo is courtesy of the person.
The students studied the civil rights movement and learned about the events of the day. The Little Rock Nine inspired them. They wondered how anyone could claim that their school was separate but equal. The Louisiana literacy test was given to Black voters in the 1960's. The students failed. The conversation led them to compare literacy tests and poll taxes to voter ID laws and the disenfranchisement of people who have been convicted of felonies.
Students were asked to write an essay about whether the civil rights movement led to equality for African Americans. If they were swayed by an opposing argument, they were given the choice to switch sides. If congress members approached debates with the open mind of a 10 year old, it would be more effective and popular.
Teaching children how to think for themselves has never been more important, even if their conclusions don't jive with their parents' beliefs. Showing kids America's complete history allows them to see how fear and greed can affect people and the planet. If we ignore these mistakes and focus on American exceptionalism, we will face future generations of leaders who will prey on votersIgnorance and xenophobia are threats to future generations of leaders
The threat to the threads of our union is posed by whitewashing American history lessons. Since our nation's founding, people of color have been subjected to macro- and micro-aggressions. Kids can handle the truth of history, even if their parents don't, and they can benefit from the lesson that criticism doesn't mean they don't love it.
Parents thank me for teaching their children America's history. A father wrote in an email that he taught his daughter that history is not black and white but a wide range of grays.
Last year, their family had a discussion about Afghanistan. He wrote that it allowed them to feel okay that they don't have all the answers.
According to a former student, her biggest lesson was realizing how mistakes by American leaders helped shape the current system. She said that learning about the concept of privilege is more about understanding how hundreds of years of history have contributed to modern society.
Our nation's best chance at progress is for professional teachers to shed light on its complicated past while empowering students to formulate their own fact based opinions, and politicians shouldn't be standing in the way. America's failures and successes will help our youth as adults to strive for a better union. Some of those kids could end up with their photos with our past presidents. They will be more prepared to make sure our country works for everyone if they ascend to leadership.
During his time in the classroom, he incorporated diversity and social justice into his curriculum. He used to work as a writer for children's books. He has degrees in education and journalism and is proud of his service with AmeriCorps. He lives in the city. He can be found at www.justinmazzola.com.
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The article was first published on HuffPost.
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