On Teaching Hard History

 Can we teach history of past wrongdoings without teaching shame and guilt? Can we do so with love and hope?

Instead of looking at the darker parts of our past as shadows to avoid or scarlet letters to be inked over, we can choose to teach compassion. Self-compassion and compassion for the “other”. I am not perfect. History is not perfect. But I can grow. And I can help create better conditions so that future historians will have better, truer tales of today.

So, how do we do this? It needs to be age appropriate. It needs to begin with celebration of the individual spirit and of our collective communities. I have a kindergarten teacher friend who starts off the year having children celebrate the rainbow of colors on their skin with diversely colored markers. There is no one “skin color” crayon like I was told in kindergarten! Similarly, learn about your students’ home languages and cultures. Go beyond saying Happy Diwali and commemorating Black History Month. Make your room safe so that a first grade boy doesn’t need to pretend he is allergic to meat because he doesn’t want to explain that his culture is vegetarian. Find heroes for your children across the globe. Find stories about how we all can work together. Start with love.

Then, when it’s time to be aware of society’s ills, do so cautiously but in a way the youth will feel outrage and not shame, or in a way they can see the helpers and not the harmers. Before students know exactly what happened in Auschwitz (can anyone fully grok what happened there? Even Schindler’s List had to be toned down!), I tell Hebrew School classes that I had an impromptu snowball fight on the site where a group of people that had been killed once worshipped. I ask their opinion of the morality of my actions in Oswiecim, and usually they are forgiving of me but outraged about the killers. Likewise, wherever there is evil, there are do-gooders and rescuers. As Mr. Rogers said, we need to look forward the helpers. If we cultivate a society which relates to and values the upstanders, we are making progress.

There comes a point when awful truths must be shared. Nobody wants to darken the light in innocent souls, but we need to know history in order to improve. When it’s time to look at past evils, start with individuals. Know their names. It wasn’t random Wampanoag men who weren’t invited to the first Thanksgiving but came with gifts of food anyway. Teach your students, for example, about Massasoit and the current Wampanoag regret for his decisions. Go beyond Anne Frank and Emmett Till. There are so many oral history tools out there now! Then, leave time for silence or artistic expression; honor our young friends’ emotional journey. Our history books were often cloaked in dates, maps, and military tactics. This method hits the heart more. In the long term, though, it sticks.

It’s also important to see that we are still part of history. Current events do not come out of a vacuum. Younger children can draw pictures or sing songs to send message to cheer people in need. Older children may choose to take on a social justice project. Some families like to work at food banks or take trips to volunteer and connect with different cultures. Keep reading and watching movies from different cultures. Have friends who are different from you. Children, as they grow, can bring our world together.

Then, we come full circle. We started with celebration of our identities. We end up celebrating the progress we can each be part of toward creating a society where everyone’s identity matters and where everyone can be safe in their own soul.

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