Sunday Salon-Presidential Proclamation

Is is really November already? It just doesn't seem possible that the end of the year is approaching. The election is a couple of days off, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and CMTs....LOL! That's for all teachers out there, this writer included. Actually the CMT celebration begins sometime in April at our school. How about you?

November has been set aside by Presidential Proclamation to be celebrated as National American Indian Heritage Month. Therefore, you will notice my PIP has changed to that of a Native family of Utes. At the Library of Congress there is a vast collection of artifacts, images, primary sources and much more, available online. I wanted to share one blog that I read regularly through the RSS feed. The blog is
American Indians in Children's Literaturecreated by Debbie Reese, a professor of American Indian Studies. I will share what she says is her purpose for writing her blog, "The thing is, U.S. schools, from pre-school through college, do a poor job of educating Americans about American Indians. It isn’t a deliberate effort to mis-educate, and there is no point in laying blame on anyone, or feeling guilty if you’re doing something in your classroom or library that is stereotypical. The point is to start doing things differently.

Through my blog, I try to share a lot of information that I think helps my readers understand the diversity that exists across the 500+ federally recognized Native tribes (let alone the 200+ state recognized tribes and the many groups who are completely unrecognized by the state or federal government). I am confident that more and more people are learning how to look critically and let go of problematic books, and instead, select books that present American Indians as we are—not savages and not heroes—but people with good and bad qualities. Full article is entitled: A Native Blogger in Pursuit of Educating about American Indians from ALSC.org

Have you or your children been mis-educated about American Indians? What stereotypes do you believe still exist?

Studs Terkel(1912-2008)

Before I go, on a sad note, Studs Terkel at age 96 still writing and ready to release another book, passed away. I loved reading his oral histories probably because I love memoirs so much. I'll never forget his book, The Good War. It helped me to gain insight on my parent's generation and with it understanding. Never getting to study WWII in school, this book shed beacons of light on a subject difficult to comprehend. Studs Terkel, ever the historian, brings the war closer to everyone who reads this book.It is a masterpiece. America has lost a giant who has preserved so much of our past through his oral histories. See video below with Jon Stewart(Comedy Central)