Hey Sarah!

[maguamama]

 Uh, I don't think it is even legal to teach old school racist  Thanksgiving bullshit in schools anymore:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/culture/20031124-091839-8087r.htm

Just ignore Mr. Shenkman, and look at that 1996 thing.

Of course, your rich white people alternative coop is not a public school so these guidelines might not apply to them.  But

Comments

[rudbekia]

From the article:

The anti-Pilgrim agenda is now national policy. Schools that celebrate Thanksgiving with classroom skits about Pilgrims and Indians do so in violation of federal curriculum guidelines.

"At Thanksgiving, shift the focus away from re-enacting the first Thanksgiving," teachers were warned in an instructional guide published by the Department of Education in 1996.

Schools should avoid "classroom role playing of the events of the first Thanksgiving," Pueblo Indian teacher Debbie Reese wrote in the guide, "Teaching Young Children about Native Americans." The guide explains that the "conception of Native Americans gained from such early exposure is both inaccurate and potentially damaging to others."

Which is to say that it's perfectly legal for a school to teach the un-PC version of Thanksgiving. It just isn't following Federal Curriculum Guidelines (which do preschools even follow?), which probably don't matter in a private preschool.

Which is not to say the teacher is being reactionary.

[maguamama]

Ah. I thought public schools were required to follow the guidelines. But I guess the word "guidelines" means it is not mandatory?

And yeah, a private school would be in no way bound to guidelines. I wondered if the teacher even knew about these guidelines, though, because to me it makes Sarah's stance very mainstream and less likely to be thought of as radical leftie stuff.

[rudbekia]

To tell the truth, I do not know if guidelines are suggestions or commandments. I gotta split soon so I won't be able to look into that for a bit.

I mostly still can't believe the teacher's reaction. Just appalling. Sarah has a really good list of resources and I hope that good will come of this.

[maguamama]

Me too!! I keep thinking that the teacher is so obviously wrong that she simply must realize it and crawl to Sarah begging forgiveness.