Embrace Complexity - Kids need it & understand it

While the world around them was boiling over with uncertainty and confusion economically, politically, culturally and socially, my students joined me in a deep dive into antebellum America.

They hear all the time that we are more divided than ever as a country so we put ourselves in the shoes of 8 individuals who lived through a time when the country was more divided - the decade before the Civil War.

Through inquiry, investigation, critical thinking and collaboration, they've constructed an understanding of how complex American identity was 170 years ago. Through hybrid learning and virtual learning they worked together to get the big picture but also to understand the stories of individuals. People make history but historians piece together the story of history. We've long allowed historians to choose which evidence to include but as we grow more diverse as a nation, we must reckon with the reality that we haven't told the whole story. 

Children deserve to hear the complexity of the story. They are just as inspired by a Black woman who ran away from slavery despite every obstacle being in her way and no access to the democratic principles we hold dear as they are any textbook hero whose success was built on unequal opportunity.

This is our website of what we've learned so far Seeds of History. It's a work in progress because education is about feedback and revision and constructing understanding together.

They'd love to hear what you think.