When observing classrooms and searching for cultural retention of minority cultures values that have been suppressed by dominant culture, I found myself disappointed. I began asking my self questions like, “Whose culture are we trying to remember?” Does the Pakistani student in the front row, hearing the headlines of how his country is a member of a terrorist plotting organization begin to sweat as the discussion of this topic begins? What does it feel like to be a citizen of a country that has completely wiped out your people and excluded them from the history of the land? The ability of some classrooms today to mass breed an entire generation of mindless individuals herded like sheep into the world of capitalism is astounding. I will admit, the system is efficient, it leaves no attachment and people certainly have prioritized their life in the manner that they need to succeed in a plutocratic environment. Has what’s important been left behind? Giving our children names that are meaningful to the legacy that our fathers and mothers have left behind may not be enough, in the context of the world today it’s just a signature on a check. It is vital to the future of human existence that we remember where we’ve come from, and in doing so never letting ourselves forget it.
When I was in a third grade classroom, shortly before Thanksgiving, I sat and watched as children made faces of boy pilgrims and girl pilgrims, black pilgrims and white pilgrims. Was there ever really a black pilgrim? Perhaps it may be harsh to inform children of the truths of history at such a young age. The potential to leave them bitter and mad at the world is great but would everyone agree? When reading the article of a Noam Chomsky Interview I remember one line that seemed very important. “It is the intellectual responsibility of teachers to try to tell the truth. It is a moral imperative.”(Chomsky 21) When is it really an acceptable age to tell children the truth about the world and let them distinguish good and bad for themselves? Hiding the truth from an entire civilization is a dangerous thing; corruption of power can breed from ignorance and it surely has. In justifying and providing assurance of his ability to annihilate an entire people, Adolf Hitler recalled the Armenian Genocide. “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” Until I was a senior in high school, taking an elective course I had never heard of the genocide of the Armenians. What characteristics define a human’s culture as more important than another? Why is it that an entire country can be left blind to the fact that an entire people have been destroyed? There is no doubt that there is a power struggle in America, one in which the majority usually wins. What comes with winning this one sided battle? One may like to know. It seems that the dominate culture has a say in what curriculum is standard and required for children as well as what is not to be said. Is this a safe and fair way to educate children? Is there some methodical plan behind this tactic, one in which a “lesser” race is washed away? It is important that we as educators balance this power struggle by simply telling the truth more often. By doing so we will empower future generations to think based on fact rather than convenience.