US History <\/p>\n\n\n\n
(I’m close to giving up on Substack. I don’t have enough time for the close editing I can do on a blog; I also don’t want to be one more person adding to people’s inboxes.). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We continued to drive towards our first assignment, something I\u2019ve become clearer and clearer about what I want to see. I want them to create a cool graphic, an illustration, a road map, a set of paths towards finding the historical truth. I want the illustration to demonstrate their thinking on this and the ways in which they\u2019ve internalized the various questions we\u2019ve been churning on. An idea I had was that we\u2019d share them with the ninth or tenth grade classes and have them comment on how useful the drawings are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we began with the most evil of evil things teachers can do \u2014 a reading quiz on the article they read. Not that evil \u2014 the article <\/a>was short enough \u2014 and my questions general enough that everyone who spent any time with the article should have had an opportunity to do well.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is also a Zoom school, and I needed to send the message that this is serious, that you can\u2019t be watching reality TV while you\u2019re in class.\u00a0 I\u2019m not usually a quiz guy but I do like to do it occasionally to communicate that sometimes you have to listen, do the work, and click submit when the teacher asks you to. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some great thoughts emerged during our discussion of the article: <\/p>\n\n\n\n One student, who I need to write this in her college recommendation letter, did it again, nailing the key line from the article: \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUncovering the truth means hearing the words of people who aren\u2019t you.\u201d \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n B. Reminded us that research provides deep rabbit holes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n C. Pointed out that you have to remain aware of the sources of your own opinions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n K. And P. Noted that you have to have sufficient evidence to back up your claims.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n P. Used the term \u201creliability\u201d which I thought was awesome.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the second stream, A noted that \u201ctruth won\u2019t be the first thing\u201d, which is an excellent ways of saying it.\u00a0 If they take nothing else from these conversations other than it\u2019s work to get to the truth, I\u2019ll be happy.\u00a0 Indeed, A. (different A) pointed out that without knowing the sources, you don\u2019t really know the context of the person\u2019s argument, and underscored (again) that it\u2019s a long process. \u00a0 The second stream, led by D. and L. had a lot to say about the nature of sources in the age of the internet, i.e., the sorting mechanism you employ will shape the nature of your work.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In small groups, the kids read Jeanne Theoharris\u2019s piece from Sunday\u2019s paper.<\/a>\u00a0 I wanted them to focus on how a moment of time can be understood and how the moment of time where we stand shapes how we view the past. The easy one, given this article, is to think about how this moment, this BLM moment, shapes our understanding of the Civil Rights Movement.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our conversations had some great points: <\/p>\n\n\n\n L. Pointed out that we always have to \u201cre-evaluate what we know about history; it may be wrong.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n R. Noted that we need to look at the truth, to constantly search to \u201cexpand our knowledge of it\u201d and to make sure we\u2019re thinking about what \u201cdidn\u2019t get shown.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n A. Brought a painting metaphor into the conversation; do we stand an inch a way or do we stand eight feet away? How did the painter get to this idea? What are the \u201cmany things that led to his moment\u201d? <\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Pointed out the role that myths play and how stories we\u2019ve always been told can appear unshakeable or as the unvarnished truth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n B:\u00a0 How are individuals \u201cknown for something\u201d? \u00a0 What defines an event? <\/p>\n\n\n\n L:: What is the collective truth? In other words, what do we accept as the truth about America or history? How does that truth \u201cshelter us\u201d? <\/p>\n\n\n\n M: Remember that \u201cthese narratives might not be true.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n All in all, a good conversation and good work thinking about the process of getting to the truth. You could probably accuse me of being overly reliant on the New York Times, just as you could probably accuse me of being too much of a Jill Lepore fan.\u00a0 But life on Zoom limits things. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mann, Mary. \u201cOpinion | To Learn the Truth, Read My Wikipedia Entry on Sichuan Peppers.\u201d The New York Times<\/em>, October 23, 2020, sec. Opinion. https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/23\/opinion\/sunday\/wikipedia-sichuan-pepper-misinformation.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Theoharis, Jeanne. \u201cOpinion | The Real Rosa Parks Story Is Better Than the Fairy Tale.\u201d The New York Times<\/em>, February 1, 2021, sec. Opinion. https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/01\/opinion\/rosa-parks.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" US History (I’m close to giving up on Substack. I don’t have enough time for the close editing I can do on a blog; I also don’t want to be one more person adding to people’s inboxes.). We continued to drive towards our first assignment, something I\u2019ve become clearer and clearer about what I want … Continue reading February 9th<\/span>