Posted on 10/11/2009 8:18:44 AM PDT by reaganaut1
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Jeffrey Kolowith's kindergarten students read a poem about Christopher Columbus, take a journey to the New World on three paper ships and place the explorer's picture on a timeline through history.
Kolowith's students learn about the explorer's significance -- though they also come away with a more nuanced picture of Columbus than the noble discoverer often portrayed in pop culture and legend.
''I talk about the situation where he didn't even realize where he was,'' Kolowith said. ''And we talked about how he was very, very mean, very bossy.''
Columbus' stature in U.S. classrooms has declined somewhat through the years, and many districts will not observe his namesake holiday on Monday. Although lessons vary, many teachers are trying to present a more balanced perspective of what happened after Columbus reached the Caribbean and the suffering of indigenous populations.
''The whole terminology has changed,'' said James Kracht, executive associate dean for academic affairs in the Texas A&M College of Education and Human Development. ''You don't hear people using the world 'discovery' anymore like they used to. 'Columbus discovers America.' Because how could he discover America if there were already people living here?''
In Texas, students start learning in the fifth grade about the ''Columbian Exchange'' -- which consisted not only of gold, crops and goods shipped back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean, but diseases carried by settlers that decimated native populations.
In McDonald, Pa., 30 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, fourth-grade students at Fort Cherry Elementary put Columbus on trial this year -- charging him with misrepresenting the Spanish crown and thievery. They found him guilty and sentenced him to life in prison.
''In their own verbiage, he was a bad guy,'' teacher Laurie Crawford said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
‘And we talked about how he was very, very mean, very bossy.’’
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
And...In being “mean and bossy” he saved the lives of his men!
I bet this weenie of a government Marxist indoctrinator ( misnamed “teacher”) forgot to mention that.
Thank you Christopher Columbus for leading the charge that ultimately replaced barbarian savages with the most important and noble society the world has ever known. The world is in your debt.
Oh for crying out loud.
While patriotic Americans go about their days, do their jobs and try to do the right thing.
Determined marxists are tearing down Americas children.
And in a few years they’ll start pealing back the veneer of Martin Luther King ... oh wait, nevermind.
For those of you who are unsure of the concept, the NEA/NTU is winning the war. Look at the voters up to age 30. Obama by a landslide!
Obama
He was the Captain of a ship. If you were not "mean and bossy" with a crew of half starved drunken sailors you would find yourself being fed to the sharks and your ships sold to pirates. If your crew did not fear you, then you had a lot to fear from your crew.
Imagine...a 15th Century sea captain being bossy. Next thing you know, they’ll be saying drill sargeants are bossy.
“By the way, what kind of so-called “man” would **want** to teach kindergarten?”
That would be a faggot. With NAMBLA membership.
In fact, he did call it that. Was anyone listening?
And Stalin and Mao were so benevolent.
If Columbus had not discovered the new World it would have been found by the Portuguese a few years later. It was going to be found!
If the Indians had made a voyage of discovery East they may have found Europe and still contracted the diseases for which they had no immunity. it is not the Europeans fault that they were not immune to disease.
Life is tough! besides they gave Europeans Syphilis.
Columbus found Indians killing and eating Indians. His men found and saved some captive women who were pregnant. Their captors loved fresh cooked baby.
Columbus’ voyage west was to get around the Islamic countries blocking the way to Chinese goods.
If not Columbus, it would have been another European, which was inevitable.
A technologically superior culture replaced a primitive one. Like it or not, it’s the way of the world. Live with it.
Jeffrey Kolowith’s kindergarten students
Oh Jeffrey...
you nincompoop, just who was your history professor?
Free Chris!!! Justice For Chris!!! No Justice, No Peace!!!
I don’t think all male kindergarten teachers should be bashed this way.
Very funny! :-)
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