“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
~Winston Churchhill, 1948 speech to the British House of Commons
I recently had the pleasure to talk with a new member of our Pages team. She is definitely not new to teaching, having taught for over 20 years and having worked with children her whole lifetime in some capacity. She has taught many subjects including language arts and has specifically used Blackbird & Company curriculum in the classroom. But her real area of specialty is history. We have expanded our Pages classes this year to include a history opt-in class to students participating in her Core Literature + Writing classes. The opt-in classes will dive deeper into the time in History being discussed in the books that are set during a certain time period in history.
“History is all about people, and as a society, we like to know what people say, how people act, and interact. History is my passion.”
~Miss Lori May, History Teacher
Miss Lori talked about the value of being introduced to history through great literature, “We can give students a more personalized account of a certain time period. History can be told through the eyes of a child, this is something we often don’t hear in a history class. History is often told through the eyes and perspective of adults.”
“History is written by the winner, by the person in power.” ~Miss Lori
Miss Lori pointed out that we don’t often get taught history through the eyes of a child but we also don’t learn history through the point of view of people who hold less power. To really understand history we need to look at events through other people’s eyes. We need to look at our own preconceptions. History teaches us to critically think and ask important questions: Who? When? Why? was this written. Miss Lori pointed out the fact that there are nuances we need to shine a light on and ask, “What was the author trying to say?”
“Great Literature books are springboards into times in history we cannot comprehend.” ~Miss Lori
Miss Lori noted her biggest challenge teaching history is really having her students understand what the challenges were during that time. “Everything we teach is relative. Most people have experienced life with a home, and food–their basic needs met.” Miss Lori recently taught anchored to the book, Out of the Dust, to a class of 4th and 5th graders. This book takes place in Oklahoma during the time of the Dust Bowl, seen through the eyes of a young girl. Miss Lori had the chance to dive into the history of the dust bowl, the Who? Why? When? She recalls, “It was so hard for my students to really grasp how much dust was involved and how much covered their bowls, tables, and food. The process of covering all window sills and door jams took time. The face coverings and gas masks that were worn because the dust would fill people’s lungs.”
Miss Lori will start the first Pages Session of this coming school year teaching 1. Out of the Dust (once again) along with, 2. Macaroni Boy, set in 1933, Pittsburgh during the Great Depression, and 3. The Red Umbrella, set in Cuba during Castro’s revolution.
If you are interested in Miss Lori’s classes, enroll soon because we know they will fill up fast—remember that you will enroll for TWO, both the CORE Literature & Writing class and the History Opt-in. Miss Lori has two sections available during each session for CORE classes (one on Monday and one on Friday). The History Opt-in is offered on Tuesday for both sections.
~Clare Bonn