Great post! I have considered this problem frequently and have talked about the problems of establishing truth in history with my children from the beginning. Even though I find that a truer truth can sometimes be found in fiction, knowing whether to interpret the words as fiction or fact helps to identify the truths sought - events or emotions.
If history is a story of the past can it ever be a series of non-negotiable fact since every event in history and life is open to interpretation and based on selective memory and perception?
Very interesting. It is difficult for children and for adults to separate fact from fiction, and it's important that the facts that we learn from the stories we read be actual facts. However, to some extent it comes down to a matter of trust. Unfortunately, I don't have time to verify every bit of history that I teach my children. I have to use books published by reputable publishers and hope that they have taken their editing and research responsibilities seriously.
Very interesting and thorough. Why would anyone think that being a stay at home mom was a waste of a good college education :-)
All good points. Of course I would remind your readers that fact and truth are not synonyms but that might get a wee bit too theoretical.
And to further muddy the waters, there are usually truths rather than just truth.
Why would anyone think that being a stay at home mom was a waste of a good college education :-)
Bless you, JoVE :)
Becky, thank you for this wonderful post. I am new to home schooling and have not considered the issue of accuracy in historical non fiction picture books. I have such a limited understanding of American History. Now what am I to do? I had no idea about the myth of the quilt patterns. I enjoyed Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt and just assumed it had some truth. I like many assume that publishers have some responsibility to the truth. Now what?
nina, I think you just have to keep reading. One thing I do is read adult books on the subjects my children are learning; this helps me learn about new things, and also remember old things I forgot.
And I think checking Google for a particular subject, or even book reviews, isn't a bad way to go. I've also been "collecting" blogs by others with various specialties -- world history, American history, science, math -- knowing that there's a good chance that their expertise in one particular area will be helpful at some point.
Terrific post! I've read about the myth of the quilts more than once over the years and am glad it is now getting broader attention. I was particularly interested in the Times piece as I go past the monument that sparked the piece twice a day to and from school.
I'm struck by how hard a myth grabs hold among schoolteachers (of which I"m one); once there it can be very hard to bust. Another one teachers still like (recently saw one of my colleagues with the book) is the Susan Jeffers' picture book about Chief Seattle (Brother Eagle, Sister Sky). I wrote about my teaching of that myth and others in a book (Far Away and Long Ago: Young Historians in the Classrom) and an article last year, "The Pilgrim Maid and the Indian Chie" (I don't mean to flog my publications, but thought they may be helpful to those homeschooling parents who expressed some concern with how to teach history.)
I've been teaching, reading, and thinking about the teaching of history for a long time. My feeling is that the best thing we can do is teach children to consider what they learn/read about history critically. This can be very challenging when there are really compelling myths out there like the underground railroad quilts.
Anyone interested in more about teaching history might want to drop by my blog. There is a page on my publications which includes a number about teaching history. (Some are articles available online and some books and articles available in libraries.)
Monica Edinger
my blog, educating alice, is at http://medinger.wordpress.com
Thanks for your kind words about the post, Monica, and your suggestions. I well remember Dalton and my old Dalton friends from my own school days, first down the road a piece, at now-defunct Fleming, and then across the park, at Trinity.
Commenting by HaloScan
