How Come?

[oXJmAuPs2005Xo]

how come every time we think of african american history its always gotta be about slavery how come we cant ever be taught about african inventors,african artists,poets and so on why is it that the only part of african american history america dwelves into has to be slavery we always hear so much about, their are other great wonderful things people have accomplished other then the abolishment of slavery i would rather learn about Alexander Bell,The Black Harlem
Rennisance?

['X']

how come every time we think of african american history its always gotta be about slavery how come we cant ever be taught about african inventors,african artists,poets and so on why is it that the only part of african american history america dwelves into has to be slavery we always hear so much about, their are other great wonderful things people have accomplished other then the abolishment of slavery i would rather learn about Alexander Bell,The Black Harlem
Rennisance?

How about our history BEFORE slavery?

But if the people learned the things you metioned and if it was taught in the schools, it would destroy the lies that many of us were taught on history, religion etc..etc.., and a certain folk dont ever want that to happen. The solution is for us to research, study and teach our own history. We shouldn't expect noone to teach the truth of our history. They never have and never completly will.

[NICKELS]

YES " X " , BEFORE SLAVERY TO THE BEGINNING OF HUMAN EXISTENCE IN AFRICA...............

[t]

That's america.

[JelisLust]

Welcome to the U.S. I'm sure they are happy labeling all blacks as ex-slaves, instead of looking further back. And I'm sure there is a lot of African history more than two hundred years ago. You have to do your own research because they choose not to teach us that kind of thing in school.

['X']

You have to do your own research because they choose not to teach us that kind of thing in school.

Agree...

[oXJmAuPs2005Xo]

i like studying every countries past to see where this world came from people always forget the past is the future

[NICKELS]

I READ FROM DIFFERENT PROFESSORS OR HISTORIANS OF DIFFERENT RACES TO COMPARE.......NOT ONE SIDED EUROCENTRIC HISTORIANS , THEY MAKE THE FAIR ONES LOOK BAD

[TeeKay]

Nickels have you visited europe?

[NICKELS]

HELL NO , IM NOT INTERESTED , WE HAVE EUROPEAN BOOKS AND ACADEMICS HERE IN AMERICA , TEEKAY ARE YOU HERE IN THE US ??

[Anesis]

Teachers are required to teach the curriculum. Plain and simple.

That said, you can always sneak in what you want.

I've taught the Harlem renaissance when I was teaching American literature.

I not only teach the poets/authors that everyone reads, but we also go for the more controversial poets/writers/speakers, like Malcolm X and Amiri Baraka. I happen to like controversy.

I teach British literature now so I am seriously limited. But, we do spend time discussing why we are mandated to have a British literature class. We read Othello and spend a good deal of time researching and discussing.

I am also writing a research project over inventors and inventions. But I'm not particularly focusing on race/sex. although that is a consideration when choosing the inventions that the kids can choose from.

I also remember a few years ago that I was criticized on this very forum for teaching "black history" because I wasn't black.

X, it's not always the fault of the teacher. Look at the laws. Because of NO Child Left Behind, some of us, especially the history teachers, are forced to a strict time span of what to teach because of state tests. In Texas, at least over half (and I think it's even more) of the 11th grade history test is based on American history, but very little of that deals with "black history".

Also, our resources are limited. I try to very rarely teach with the literature book and I have that option, because all of my students have been issued laptop computers. But for a normal teacher, you only get the textbook, if you are lucky. Some teachers are left buying everything for their classroom. The majority of my stuff in my classroom is self funded.

My big problem right now is that most of my kids have missed so much school that they don't have the basic knowledge. For example, when we were going over civil rights in the 60's when we read To Kill a Mockingbird, I was debunking the myth that the Civil War was about slavery. At least I was trying. I asked the question "Who freed the slaves" and a response from a high school student was "Martin Luther King".

So before I can get into any real discussion, I have to go back and teach basics.

But, as I said before, I can find a way to integrate almost anything into my curriculum. I think what it comes down to is teachers who either don't know, don't care, or honestly don't have the time.

If I was a parent, and I hate to say this, but I've known too many incompetent people in my field, I wouldn't wait on anyone to teach my kid anything. I'd also raise them to ask questions. The kids that make me a better teacher are the ones who question me. In fact, the only reason I go into the reasoning behind being taught British literature is because I had one student, a young black man, who was very angry and resentful that he was taking a British literature course. It was because of his questions that I started changing the way I presented material.

In any case, I don't think the only "black history" taught is slave related. I do, unfortunately, think that the majority of it is taught in February, which I think sends the wrong message. It's not just black history. It's everyone's history, whether we like it or not. You just need to be very aware who gets to pick and choose what histories are taught.