Through the year I never understood why their remains to be such a huge achievement gap when comparing African American to the rest of the White population. I believe I know what the problem is and it starts in elementary school.
Once most African Americans hit 3rd grade they start to learn African American history from teachers who tell the story of Black being descendants of slaves. They tell our children that Blacks were freed by Abraham Lincoln via the Emancipation Proclamation. And the story pretty much stops there. No in depth story that will in steal pride in African America children.
How this affect Black children is simple. It teaches inferiority in the Black children as they only hear that they were slaves and freed by a White man. Nothing about the civil war and how slaves fought in their own freedom. While at the same time teaching Black children that they are inferior it teaches White children that they are superior for the same reasons.
I ask why do elementary school aged children need to know this? We can surely teach children about history without creating inferiority. Nothing has changed when it comes to the achievement gap because teachers are still peddling the same lessons from the same biased history books.
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well this is a very thought-provoking first post that you have made!
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe that if there is a problem that there is always a solution. While I do have to agree to the fact that a lot of teachers are over-worked and stressed, I believe while its not impossible to change the schools' teachings it will be difficult. In the meantime there are other resources that can be tapped into as far as teaching more about the African American experience is concerned - though I can see your point in being able for it to be more in the mainstream of today's learning.