Teaching what really happened

After reading “teaching what really happened “one thing that caught my attention was that students spend more time with textbooks in history class. The author also mentioned that many teachers rely on the textbooks to teach (Lowen, 2009). I agree that in history class students spend a lot of time using textbooks because this is how I learned history. I spent an hour listening to the teacher lecture information from the book, we looked at the pictures in the book, and we also read the book as a class. This made me think about the reason why teachers rely so much on textbooks. I believe that teachers rely so much on textbooks because they are not given many resources. Textbooks are usually given to teachers as a main source to help them deliver their lessons. I also believe that history is a really complicated subject since it involves wars and other serious events. This may be a reason why teachers rely so much on textbooks. When schools or districts assign certain textbooks everyone tends to believe that they are appropriate and that they are portraying the material the correct way. If teachers were to rely less on textbooks and they were to use other materials, I believe that it would be harder. Teachers would have to be more aware of what is appropriate and what is not. They would be more concerned with how they describe certain events, what they should explain and what they should omit. This makes me wonder whether I will be like other teachers who rely so much on textbooks to teach history. Some districts do not have a lot of resources therefore I fear that my students will learn from textbooks that continue to have misconceptions. I also fear that they will never learn the truth about historical events.

A brief history of lawns

After reading a brief history of lawns I noticed how lawns were a symbol of wealth and power (Harari, 2017). This reminded me of an article that I read called the opportunity myth. The opportunity myth focuses on how students in wealthier districts receive more grade appropriate assignments, they have stronger engagement and instruction. Back then, the lawn was a symbol of power and wealth and I believe today, the type of education that students receive symbolizes their wealth and power. Students who receive more grade appropriate assignments throughout the year are more likely to achieve their goals and to perform better. Students who are given these fundamental resources are earning good grades but they are also being prepared for the outside world. It was mentioned that students who do not get these fundamental resources are usually taking college remedial courses, and are not fully prepared (TNTP, 2018). The students who were not provided the fundamental resources often earned high grades but the assignments never challenged them therefore they never got the opportunity to prepare for the outside world. This is why I believe that the type of education that we receive symbolizes our wealth. In this case, it does not symbolize monetary wealth but wealth in knowledge. Those who are receiving appropriate resources are developing their thoughts, they are being challenged, and they are better prepared for college and their future work. The lawn was also a symbol of power just like our education is also a symbol of our power. It was mentioned that those students who were challenged in high school tend to be the ones who are more prepared for the workforce (TNTP, 2018). This means that if we received a quality education we are more likely to meet our goals. Those who meet their goals are thought as higher educated and successful people, these people are given a status in society. This shows that the type of education that we receive also symbolizes how much power we have in society.

Martin Luther King

After reading the article, one quote caught my attention. Martin Luther King said, “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death (King, 1967).” This reminded me of a current situation happening with the president of the United States. President Trump has requested to make cuts in programs that would benefit many people. He has suggested making cuts to after school programs and summer programs. Instead of trying to help, his decisions are negatively impacting a lot of people. This makes me think of my future students. People are more worried about the money for military defense instead of prioritizing education. Many people still hold students accountable for the gap we have in education, but the government never stops to think about who and what is keeping the students from achieving their goals. Social uplift programs should be a priority; this is what truly matters and what helps make a difference in the life of many people. It is unfair to keep holding students accountable for things that are out of their control. If they are not given the resources they need, it is not their fault. We should be more focused on the well being of students who can change the future of the country, who can make an impact in it. There should be more investment on them and their future. There is no current war and I don’t think it’s extremely necessary to increase the budget of military defense. This money should go towards something that has more promising results. Education should be the priority, but it’s sad to see that president Trump is looking after what he believes and what he wants not after what the future generations need. It is impossible to improve our nation if we keep on doing nothing to fix the current issues.