Guidelines for Teaching Honest History
Shelby KretzShare
Teaching honest history can feel hard, especially when we're pushing against well-known narratives or sharing painful past experiences with kids.
The following guidelines will help give kids a deep and nuanced understanding of past events, change, and the ongoing impact of history. This helps kids engage critically and compassionately with the world around them!
- Start with Context: Always begin by setting the historical scene, explaining why specific events occurred and their significance. This foundation helps students understand not just the 'what' but the 'why' of history.
- Emphasize the Delay in Justice: Use historical examples to show how justice and societal change often take time. Highlighting delays in justice - like the gap between when a structural change is made (such as a new law) and when justice is realized - helps illustrate the complexity of societal change and progress.
- Center Lesser-Known Changemakers: Highlight historical figures and movements that kids might not traditionally learn about in school. This helps show that the fight for justice likely involved more people, took longer, and was less linear than it may seem.
- Incorporate Local History: Connect historical events to local history or personal stories when possible to make the topic more relatable and engaging for learners.
- Be Mindful of Language: Choose terminology that respects the humanity of those involved and represents the reality of a situation. For example, instead of saying that Black people were treated differently because of the color of their skin, a more honest explanation is that they were treated differently because of racism.
- Include Varied Media: Engage different learning styles by using a mix of books, videos, and interactive activities. This diversification helps make historical learning more tangible for kids. When possible, draw on primary sources.
- Highlight Modern Relevance: Link historical events to current issues to show learners the ongoing relevance of past events and how they shape our society today.
- Question Narratives: Challenge students to question and analyze historical narratives. Ask why events were recorded in certain ways and why some perspectives were emphasized over others.
Use these guidelines as a starting point for diving into difficult topics of history with little ones!
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Join the Little Justice Leaders community. Together, we're creating a space where educators and parents can learn together, grow, and help build a movement to create a generation of changemakers.
Embrace the challenges, celebrate the wins, and remember that every step you take in social justice education is a step toward a brighter, more inclusive future. Your voice and experiences are vital in shaping the next generation. So, keep those conversations going, and let's continue changing the world, one conversation at a time!
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Gratitude to our friends and partners @thetututeacher & @mrcrim3 for co-creating this content.
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