Celebrity Affairs

Nothing frustrates me more than a relative or non-relative, who hardly knows my son, think he or she is in a position to decide or dictate what he should be able to see or hear on television, or in reality. I get this a lot. It bothers me because most of these individuals have no clue about the world around them and what things really mean in life. I was reading an article just a few minutes ago about how a teacher walked into his third grade classroom and pretended to be a pilgrim. He then started snatching up pencils, glue sticks and backpacks. Obviously, they became upset, the very reaction he was looking for. The kids get angry and want their things back. This is in relation to Thanksgiving and the meaning behind this particular holiday. He was trying to get his point across in doing so. Here is part of the article I read:

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."

I don't think this is very sad. I don't think he is teaching them to hate. He is simply telling the truth. If we keep our children oblivious, this world will never change for the better. At the same time, I think that there should be consideration in regards to the age in which we are telling them the truth and details about history. These kids need to be able to understand and be able to produce there own opinions and voice their opposition. Third graders are far from being able to do this.

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."

You know, I'm all about telling the truth about things, but I think Chuck Narcho is right in this situation. In a way, I feel they should know the truth because most people in America keep with tradition and tell only one side (the American side of history) of the story, rather than tell both sides. At the same time, I feel children don't need to know or see the ugly truths of America and try to keep things positive. When the children are old enough to understand, we can then fill them in. It is not necessary and irresponsible for adults to impose their views on children so young. They will eventually learn the whole truth and decide for themselves what is right and wrong and what is true or false.

If you'd like to read the full article, click here.