A lot of curriculum this year is designed specifically to introduce shades of gray in a way that George feels comfortable with them. George's OCD means that he sees pretty much everything in starkly black and white terms and makes him uncomfortable to the point of misery with the idea that his "side" (i.e. the group that he perceives as the one he falls into, be it "white" or "American" or "male") is ever in the wrong.
So he tends to want history to be "The colonists came and the Indians were savages who needed to be thrown out". Not only is that wildly contrary to the truth, it's a repulsive position to put forth, and while I know that it comes from acute OCD and anxiety, Joe Shmo does not.
And it needs fixing.
And George is too smart for me not to fix this.
But historical accuracy can be uncomfortable.
Today we put a face on Native Americans, specifically the PeeDee people, chosen because there is zero mention at Town Creek Indian Mound of them ever interacting with any group with whom George might self-identify.
George read every sign and watched the video and burial hut thing. He walked around the buildings. He took the nature walk and listened to the sounds of the PeeDee River.
And when we got back in the car, and I asked him what he thought, he tilted his head pensively and said, "So they never found even a piece of Amelia Earhart's plane?"
Sigh.
Baby steps.
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Currently reading: Middle School: The Worst Years of my Life
2 comments:
It may be non-sequitur, but his comment is brilliant!
Haha, thanks, Bil! Yeah, I thought it was a great sidestep. Admitting he was wrong is also an OCD struggle. I once had him drop a full dozen eggs outside so he could see that the world did not, in fact, end if he did so.
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