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  Case: Why No White History Month?
It is the month of February again, and I am very excited about the Black History month. As a young African American elementary school teacher, I make sure that I fully take advantage of the Black History month in my lessons with my 5th graders. Yesterday, we were talking about important African American political figures, who made life better for all Americans. During this lesson, one of my students raised her hand and asked why there was no "White History month?" "Were White Americans not as important?" I did not have a good answer to her question. I must be doing something wrong to have a student feel this way. How would you answer this question? Do you think it is problematic to integrate African Americans to all my lessons during February? How can I fix this?
Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!)
Perhaps it would be a good idea to discuss Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement beginning around MLK day and allow that to usher you into Black History month. We the current issues of race in national headlines we have to teach our students to value every person. Dr. Seuss said it best when he wrote, "A person's a person no matter how small." In America, we do not place as high a value on human life as we should and students need to understand that even if a person doesn't look or think like you does not make that person inferior or less than you. There is a prevailing ideology rising in our country that if you don't think what I think and you don't believe what I believe then that is hate speech. We need a generation who values each person no matter the race, religion or creed. I think highlighting several key African-American leaders throughout the month is sufficient and then allowing others to come up as you move through teaching throughout the year. I also like the idea of highlighting white, hispanic, Catholic, protestant leaders who were instrumental in furthering the Civil Rights Movement. I think we should be celebrating every race even if you have to bribe your students:-) I offered extra credit points to anyone who brought me a ticket stub from going to see Selma. I don't mind bribing them with extra credit points if I can get them to sit through a movie that might change and/or broaden their perspective.