We met in a writing conference at the point where he had made the graphic organizer for the main character and had chosen the historical period. Initially, he wanted to use 9/11/11. Yes, that is not a typo. My rule is that if it is within the last 70 years, it is contemporary fiction. Anything older than 70 years (basically a generation) is historical. So, not only was his date wrong, so was his capacity to follow directions. (Begin face palm now....continue throughout article.)
With September 11th off the table, he proudly stated he knew a lot about the death of Hitler and his wife. I asked him to explain. He told me that Hitler shot himself and then shot his wife. Factually weak, I asked him to tell me a bit more, but he didn't know anything about the time period.
Please tell me something you know the most about was my request. He pipes up, "I know the most about the Great Stock Market Crash." Not wanting to dissuade him, I supplied the year and city in hopes of finding success with this time period. He had his main character to be a man named Jeremiah who was a garbage man. He was brave, kind, strong and hard working. While not the usual choice for a boy his age, I was heartened that he had something concrete with which to begin the process. We began listing his main points of his plot. His words were as follows: "The guy was driving his garbage truck and swerved to miss a dog in the road. That's when he crashed into the Stock Market." I am not using hyperbole for effect. Those were his exact words. Oh my. I want to be encouraging, but seriously, this could not be historical fiction. Fantasy, perhaps.
After the recovery period, which took me several days of disbelief, I started thinking about revisionist history. When we don't like the way the history looks, we adapt it to suit our beliefs or thoughts. We ignore primary sources and interpret things in the light of our values.
But what I find sadder than revisionist history is the trend to squelch various viewpoints, particularly in the classroom. I'm sure everyone has read about the California teacher who has a viral video where he basically belittles a student's attire and the military in general. I won't repeat his views, but you could check out the story here. As teachers, is it really our place to call people the lowest of the low, or too dumb to get another job if they join the military? Is it really our place to berate students or utilize profanity or lecture without comment from the students? What was is our goal as teachers? To teach students and to teach them to think critically. Our goal is not to create a miniature of us. Our goal is not to give people opinions, but rather to teach them how to think and develop their own opinions. I never want a student to feel so oppressed that they need to sneak a video to show their parents. I never want a student to be hurt because my own personal views are different than that of their family or even themselves. I always want to make a case based in facts, not opinions.
First published January 30, 2018
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