Comments | david_anderson: Gotta be careful what you take at Evergreen

david_anderson

Gotta be careful what you take at Evergreen

Apr 10, 2009 09:33

The summer schedule is out and it sucks compared to last year. There are still class that are kinda interesting, but nothing that has me jumping up and down going "ohboyohboyohboy ( Read more... )

Comments 6

juniperpearls April 10 2009, 23:05:36 UTC

But this is a HUGE part of Pacific Northwest history, from the start of its development. What else would it be about?

david_anderson April 10 2009, 23:36:34 UTC

There are lots of important interactions between these groups, both good and bad, but they are far from all there is. Is the only native american history worth studying their bad interaction with whites? I personally don't think so. What about looking at the history of logging or fishing? There are native interests in both those areas, but it isn't ALL about the interaction between whites and indians ( ... )

mshrmit April 11 2009, 04:34:11 UTC

As a history teacher, I completely agree with you. The racist and imperialistic issues should not be ignored, but they should not be the sole focus of a general overview class either.

david_anderson April 11 2009, 05:29:46 UTC

The best history teacher I ever had was in 8th grade American history/social studies. He was really big on looking at motivations, and not prejudging. It worked so well, that when we got to the civil war, one of my friends made a comment that made him stop and think.

- What if the reason that slavery ended in the mid-1800s had more to do with mechanization than moral issues? At that point, we had machines that could start to replace slaves, so we could afford the moral indignation. We followed that tangent for almost a week. Was my friend right? Who knows, but I still find it a fascinating question.

If the teacher goes into the class with the agenda to teach about the evil racist and imperialist European Americans, there is little opportunity to question and challenge motivations and beliefs.

sidhefire April 13 2009, 03:54:12 UTC

I think I'm going to try and get into The Art of The Book... (and then do an independent contract for my other 4 credits)

david_anderson April 13 2009, 04:55:42 UTC

That one does sound pretty cool, and right up your alley. You could even work on a book about your own art.

I think I'm probably going to figure out a mix that gets me about 8 credits, with afternoon and evening classes.