POV on History

What are your reactions or experiences with point of view, perspectives, biases in history? How will you assist a child with disabilities or an English as a Second Language (ESL) learner in your classroom? 

Is there a particular point of view, perspective, and bias in history education in the US? Yes there is. As a person of non-European descent, I have seen this first hand. I remember having to learn all about history from the majority's perspective with other cultural perspectives peppered in when appropriate. Meaning, we would learn about other cultures, but only around certain times of the year (think Black history in February). Looking at textbooks, the dominant culture had the majority of the book with other cultures only taking up at most a few chapters. Luckily, I learned more about my culture at home through books and family, which I hope is still being done for students today. I think that these biases and perspectives in history education are inadvertently teaching children of different backgrounds that their culture and history is not very important, which is a disservice to everyone. Students need to know that even though their culture is different and not talked about much in a textbook, it is still important because it is a part of who they are as an individual.

To assist and support ESL students and those with disabilities in my classroom, I would first do my research to learn more about their disability or native background. I want ALL students to feel comfortable to be who they are in my classroom and with their classmates. Learning more would help me eliminate my possible preconceived biases which I could pass on to the rest of the class. I would encourage those students to educate the class about themselves and their disability or where they come from to build a sense of community among the students. For the school work aspect, I would adjust assignments and assessments as necessary so they can be successful. I would have more than just textbooks available in the classroom so they can have access to other perspectives and point of views on history and other subjects. I would assess myself, what I am doing, and my classroom to be sure that I am doing everything I can to support students  as they learn and achieve. 

The bottom line(yes, I brought it back): Biases exist in history and students need to know the story from different perspectives and points of view, not just the one written in a textbook. ESL students and those with disabilities need to feel welcomed in the classroom and this could be the best way to assist them, to let them know they belong.