As I watched Chimamanda Adichie talk about her “single story” on the video last week it really struck me. This is something I see in my classroom everyday. My students often times have a “single story” about a place, about a conflict or issue. This becomes most apparent when I begin asking them about different regions of the world as a pre-test just to get an idea of what they know. I can ask them about a specific region and they can only tell me what they have seen on TV. And last week, as I was watching this video, it struck me that if I don’t teach them another story, they will never know anything different. And that’s more harmful than teaching them nothing at all, and that is when I began to understand that perhaps more important than teaching my students the prescribed TEKS, my job is to teach them another story about every region of the world.
So, the next day, in my classroom, I showed my students another story, about a country in SW Asia (the unit I am teaching now.) It was a short video about the small country of Qatar, located on the Persian Gulf; it talks about how this country is using the oil money to develop their country. The government is paying for better health care, better education and better infrastructure. They have changed their dictatorship to a democracy. However, most important to me, they are empowering women to be educated and have a say in society, perhaps a radical way to think in this part of the world. You can see the videos here. Part 1 and Part 2. With these videos, and the discussion after, I was able to create another story about this country for my students.
Then, on Tuesday evening of this week, as I was reading my timeline on facebook and twitter I noticed a video that was beginning to go viral. The KONY2012 video had been released on Monday and by Tuesday it was all over facebook and twitter. I had at least 6 friends who re-posted it. I watched it that night and decided to show it in my world geography classes the next day after our test.
My students were ready to act after having seen the video, and I encouraged it. But then I decided that I too had only a single story on this issue. During my conference period that day I began to research online about Kony and the Invisible Children organization. On a blog that I read all the time I found this post. This was where my research began. As I went through these links, reading the information they provided, I began to put together different stories about this organization and the fight against Kony. And although I have not had an opportunity to discuss this in all of my classes, it is important that I create a different story about this very issue for my students as well.
Then, my world and research came full circle, when Rachel Held Evans posted this video on her blog. And it a complete reminder that it is our job to teach our students more than a single story about a place. Perhaps my job, as a world geography teacher, more than anyone else.
Cynthia,
ReplyDeleteThe Kony video was a perfect illustration of the importance of seeing more than one side of a story. Like you, I had never heard anything about it, but the radio, news, and Facebook informed me all week. People are often too quick to judge and usually jump to conclusions prematurely. Your job as a world geography teacher is incredibly important. You have the opportunity to teach multiple stories to your students. Even more importantly, you have the chance to teach young people how to research multiple perspectives and stories.
Cynthia,
ReplyDeleteI admire how you have internalized the information from the discourse by Chimamanda Adichie. As I was listening to her discourse, I appreciated her points and also realized that with cultures we have to learn the various stories that exist in order to really appreciate them and value their contributions to our society at large. I started to reflect on how well or poorly I hear more than one story and how hearing them affects me. I have always tried to teach my own children the concept that there are two sides to every story, weather it be between themselves as they come tattle on so and so and I insist on hearing both sides, or between adults and even nations at war. Along with teaching that concept, I have also tried to teach the importance of making sound judgments based on principles after hearing both stories. I believe our judgements of cultures should also be made based on sound principles of practices that occur within various cultures. For example, cultures that degrade women and uphold men as their masters are violating an important principle in my opinion. I guess what I'm saying is that teaching our students to hear the various stories is important, but in and of itself it's not enough. What do you think?
ANGELA OUELLETTE---
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed watching the video in class as well. I think it is terrific that you can implement what you are learning in class into your teachings. Last week many of my students came to class talking about the Kony video too. I think it is great that you are supporting and empowering your students to make a difference.
Unfortunately, the maker of the Uganda Kony video also has more than one story. It is alleged that recently he was found in the street in his underwear, yelling and interfering with traffic. It was also alleged that he was masturbating publicly. He was taken to the hospital and treated for a medical condition. The police have no current plans to charge him.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/us/jason-russell-kony-2012-filmmaker-hospitalized.html