(now I have some research to do...)
Friday, November 12, 2010
The Pieces Don't Always Fit Together
As Abraham was piecing together a puzzle this morning
after Abby (age 10) read her history selection, she said to me, "Why don't we read about the founding of America from the British point of view."
I loved this. I loved that she was able to think outside the box; that just because something is written in an educational book that doesn't mean that it is the only point of view. I liked that she was able to think about how the other side might have felt. I just loved that she is able to think that sometimes things don't always fit together neatly like a puzzle.
(now I have some research to do...)
(now I have some research to do...)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I love your blog! Reading this post reminded me of a story my husband loves to tell. When he was 7 his family was in London on July 4th. Everyone who realized they were American wished them "Happy American Independence Day!"
ReplyDeleteGood thinking!
ReplyDeleteGood question too.
(I hope you don't mind but I put a link to your blog on my sidebar.)
That's wonderful. The idea that there are always multiple points of view is definitely something that I try to instill in my children when we're learning about history. When I was in school, history was taught as "these are the facts, memorize them" and there wasn't any room for interpretation.
ReplyDeleteIt's been fascinating for me now as an adult teaching my children history, to be reading all kinds of different books that show me much of what I learned about my own country's history was extremely biased!
Oooh, wonderful! bbc.co.uk is still one of my favorite news sources. ;)
ReplyDeleteAlot of Charlotte Mason's teachings on history are from the point of view your looking for. We have used A Child's Hitory of the World by Virgil Hillyer plus Winston Churchill's books, his starts with The Birth of Britian, 5 books in the series -maybe your library has them--good luck!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way of thinking, I love it!
ReplyDeleteYou are raising an amazing young lady-how smart and independent thinking she is!! I love the way her mind works. So many points of view get left out of history books. Have a great weekend! Peace, Angela
ReplyDeletePS When you find the books, could you link to them? I am always looking for different resources!
Ah yes, Tonya! Isn't homeschool wonderful? And I spend a lot of time looking stuff up as well- which is great for me too!
ReplyDeleteAbraham looks so sweet, as always. <3
The British perspective is that you are all terribly ungrateful minxes that deserve a good spanking! ; ) What a great question to have asked giving you an opportunity to give a much more rounded viewpoint on history. It might be worth you looking at some of the writings of William Blake as he was deeply inspired by the American Revolution as were so many libertarians. You might also consider looking at the link between the American and French revolutions as they were very much part of a international dialogue at the time with many differing views on many sides. You could even look at the amazing art and music coming out of a time of great social change and upheaval. Blake, Mozart, the Romantics....bliss.
ReplyDeleteSorry to go on I'm a bit of a history geek and get very excited by it all!
What a great comment! And how great that you can be her teacher and change the learning to fit her ideas!
ReplyDeleteWhat a can of worms has been opened! How wonderful that your daughter is already thinking in this way.
ReplyDeleteYou could also consider the Scottish angle - the Highland Clearances for example, or the Scottish Enlightenment, or the fact that almost half the signatories on the Declaration of Independence were Scots/descent.
I too find history very exciting. xx
Good girl! I am so proud that she is a thinker!
ReplyDeleteour children, they are the best teachers, aren't they? ;)
ReplyDeleteWise child. It's great to always question :)
ReplyDeletehappy day!
love it! a rounded girl she will be huh?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I like the Howard Zinn's History of the United States for Young People, because it always tells the story from the side of the "lessers". It is so so important to teach our young people that there are many different sides to a story, because they simply shine a light on different realities. What a smart girl you have there!
ReplyDelete:)Lisa
Oh, clever girl! I love that!!! Those who question the status quo are those who lead the way. I would love to follow where your girl leads!
ReplyDeletexo Jules
Wonderful Tonya!
ReplyDeletexo
What a great question! I can't wait to read about the answer.
ReplyDeleteMy Ella (5) wants to know why we don't celebrate the Indians more?
This year - we are!
Namaste, Nicole
http://www.amazon.com/Lies-My-Teacher-Told-Everything/dp/0684818868
ReplyDelete"Lies My Teacher Told Me"
haven't read it so I can't officially recommend it... but it's at the very top of my list.
That is so wonderful that your daughter was able to see that there was a different perspective, and that perspective could hold value and insight. Thank you for sharing this. It is always good to be reminded to see things from all sides.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see some out of the box thinking. I am a ranger at Independence National Historical Park and occasionally when I give tours of Independence Hall, I bring in the Loyalist point of view just to get people to think about how hard it was to choose sides.
ReplyDelete