Racist mascots?

Most of you are familiar with the controversy surrounding Chief Illiniwek, the former "mascot" at the U of I that was finally "retired" last year after over a decade of protests. But many of you seemed not to be aware of the former team name of Pekin High School -- the Pekin Chinks. The name was changed in 1980, but apparently you can still find memorabilia (t-shirts, mugs) in some shops in Pekin. And according to James Loewen, author of Sundown Towns, many residents still defend the name and insist it was a compliment. Some say it is a reference to Peking -- now Beijing -- China, which is supposedly where Pekin got its name, but others dispute that origin. Anybody want to do a little research?

Indian Reservation

I wanted to continue Greg's post with the political cartoon, but take it in another direction.  I found the cartoon to be an excellent representation of my beliefs on immigration.  As everyone read in the Columbus passage, Native Americans suffered greatly to let immigrants into this country and have not faired well since.  

The past two years I have visited Cherokee, NC and each time I go, I cry.  The Cherokee people are well known and considered some of the most prosperous Native American tribes in existence; but, what I have seen is a group of people commercialized just to survive.  Those who have attempted to assimilate into American society live on roads that drip with poverty and depression.  Others live on a reservation that can be easily found by the giant billboards and tourist booth nearby.  

Today, we continue to have immigrants come in to our country, many whom suffer greatly.  It seems to me that throughout history some groups of people prospered without major struggles and some have/continue to struggle their way to some form of equality.  I'm wondering if there are common characteristics of those two groups.  What are your thoughts?

(I have attached some photos of the commercialization that I describe.  Unfortunately, I do not have photos of the living conditions.)

Perspectives

Multiple perspectives should be used in all grade levels. It is important to start the concept of perspective during the primary grades. The viewpoint of the Native Americans when Christopher Columbus landed on San Salvador can be shared with children using the picture book "Encounter" by Jane Yolen. Then there are articles that describe Christopher Columbus in a more explicit manner. These texts/articles can be shared appropriately with high school students. The picture book is more basic and shares feelings while the adult text is very detailed and explains how violent the crew was towards the Native Americans. During my elementary school years I was never taught to look outside the viewpoint of our history books. When I had encountered texts in high school from different sources and viewpoints I was almost convinced that history never was that way. Also, every individual in the classroom has different experiences. It is important to allow perspectives where each student can react, relate, and interact with one another to share ideas and feelings about topics. In my opinion perspectives make a lesson more engaging and exciting! :)

And now, for a little historical perspective...

Editorial cartoons can be a great resource to use with 4th-8th grade students when examining current issues. How might you use this cartoon in a social studies class? Or, alternatively, what do you think of the point of view about immigration that is being expressed by the cartoonist? Do you think his point is a valid one?

Many ways to see the world

Welcome to the blog, everybody.

This past week in class we viewed a slide show of different map projections of the earth, and watched a clip from the film Bowling for Columbine called "A Brief History of the United States." We discussed in class that both of these are examples of the use or emphasis of multiple (or at least non-traditional) perspectives, and I emphasized how important I think it is to bring various perspectives into your social studies classroom.

Do you agree that this is one of the foundations of good social studies teaching? Why or why not? What are some specific ways you might introduce multiple perspectives or points of view to students in the grade level you hope to teach? Are these concepts only appropriate for older (4th-8th grade) students, or for primary students as well?