Stories: Whose are told and whose remain in the margins?

"When we are young, we are taught the definition between a hero and a villain... good and evil. A savior and a lost cause. But I've learned the only real difference is just who's telling the story." Hope Mikaelson. I myself have never been much of a history buff. I cannot recall when it happened, but there was a point in my life when I made the realization, history is only ever told by the winners; since then I have been a bit skeptical if what we are taught is the whole truth. I think a great example of this is colonization, of ANYWHERE. In our early education, we learned about European colonization of North America. However, for much of our education, we are told only about how europeans moved in and everyone played nice, traded goods, and enjoyed meals together. We dont learn about how Europeans also murdered anyone who refused to leave their homes or convert to their ways of living until we are older. Of course, we should not be teaching young elementary school students about the horrific and bloody past of our country, but it has never sat right with me that teachers still make turkey hats, knowing what really happened. We also celebrate Christoper Columbus for "Discovering America" when all he actually did was get completely lost trying to travel around the world, and then claimed the land he found was "for the Queen" even through there were already people there. We do not learn about Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer who was actually the first person to sail around the world. Why? Because Magellan wasn't a white man with money for our history books to revere. I think it is very important when teaching history to make an effort to learn and then teach both sides of the story. By doing this, teachers can insure that they are doing right by their students by teaching them real facts, and not the hyperbolized recollection of the last man standing. I believe only teaching our students the most popular versions of historical events, we are doing them a disservice, and insulting those who's lives were effected in the process. 

Comments

  1. Sarah WebbFebruary 22, 2023 at 9:13 PM

    Hi Lilli, I really enjoyed your post! First thing I want to start with is that I loved the way you started your post. It was very engaging and definitely made me want to read more. I also think it is something that is really important to mention, especially as future teachers for when we do teach subject matters like history it is important to acknowledge both sides of the story without labeling them as this is what is right or wrong, and just teaching them different events, ideas and perspectives. I think you have a very interesting perspective on history and I couldn't agree more. Your examples are compelling and you challenge many of the common lessons we still see today that need to be looked deeper into. With that, I'm curious as to what you plan to do when you are teaching and it is time to learn these topics. How do you plan to teach these topics to your students? How do you think you will handle the moral dilemma that comes when you have to teach subjects you strongly disagree with, but still have to follow the required curriculum? That might just be one of the toughest parts of the job in my opinion. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I loved your post, and I am excited to hear your thoughts and ideas!

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    1. Lilli MasseyFebruary 24, 2023 at 5:51 PM

      Thank you for your feedback! I think it is important to of course teach our students about what happened factually, but it is also important to approach the material carefully, because I think that bombarding students with negative details would create a negative feeling towards learning history. To me it is like watching the news, I hate watching it because every time I turn it on, everything is negative. I think having thoughtful conversation with our students about difficult topics in a safe environment can help students process difficult topics, as well as build empathy.

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  2. Abbey MullenFebruary 23, 2023 at 10:50 AM


    Hi Lilli, I LOVED the way that you started this blog post. It was the perfect quote that really intrigued me to keep reading!! I also have never been too great with history but I can tell you that if you asked me to tell you about someone from history my brain could think of a lot of white men, not a lot of minorities. Even if I could name a minority that was important in history, it's just one name out of probably a whole movement. For example, Rosa Parks is taught as the face of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, but she was not the first to not move on the bus. There was one young girl Claudette Colvin, who was 15 and sat in the front of the bus 9 MONTHS before Rosa Parks, but she was not talked about, why? Her story is very interesting. I suggest reading it! It is so important for students to know all the facts not just what was decided for them.

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