Teach students difficult histories for more engaged citizens | Susannah Remillard | TEDxProvincetown

Susannah Remillard, a middle-school teacher and Fulbright scholar, says "students deserve more than an easy mythology" when learning complicated and difficult histories. Remillard outlines her comparative research into the sanitized colonial myths and foundational stories of the US and New Zealand and the benefits of engaging students in fuller and more accurate accounts of what happened, from all sides. Benefits include shaping better thinkers and more empathetic citizens while returning voice to marginalized communities erased from traditional colonial lessons. Susannah Remillard, middle school teacher and Fulbright researcher, explains the role of teaching all sides of difficult history in the classroom and how it contributes to better thinkers and more empathetic citizens.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@kaihanderstan]

If we don't teach our kids the truth our country lives in a lie. This cannot be good for who we become as a people, thank you for this important talk.

[@mikehweaver]

Absolutely. That's why all the heavily colonized coutnries - America, Canada, Australia... have such an issue with racism. They really don't understand the conditions their countries were born out of.

[@ishathalwar]

honestly, thats so right!

[@effierose5391]

Thanks Susannah for sharing the story of the Wampanoag people who have lived in New Zealand for over 12,000 years. I have a new understanding for the Maori culture

[@verymarysalisbury]

We must create space and facilitate reconcillation and healing. Facing hard truths head on and acknowledging the harm that has been done helps us to understand those who were affected by the experience.

[@blueangel7998]

Fantastic talk. It goes to show that young students are absolutely able to handle the more difficult parts of history with maturity.

[@blacademia4421]

This is excellent Susannah, thank you for sharing this powerful message which which will no doubt be challenging for many. I hope your call is heard by many of your colleagues, and a shift in teaching takes place. Amy

[@susyremillard8183]

Thanks, Amy! Teachers need support to teach hard history, especially around foundational stories like Thanksgiving, but we all want engaged thinkers in the next generation. I appreciate your words.

[@itouchtheskyslowlifeitaly]

Most of my teachers are my best friends, they taught me also to be a better citizen.

[@lauratherealdealfinnigan]

Thank you Susannah, I couldn't agree with you anymore

[@lilygrander]

This makes so much sense as a concept. If you grow up thinking nothing bad has ever happened in your country of course you're less likely to engage in any kind of social or political issue.

[@therealbobhunter]

If we genuinely want to create an equitable society, we have to ensure that we are educating with an unbiased approach. It's the only way to expose injustice and inequality - imagine our society then! Amazing

[@konglum]

Thank you Susannah! I've never understood why we have continued to gloss over so many atrocities in our history that it just sets us up to repeat!

[@IAmTheRealJoker]

Everyone should have a "safe spaces for disagreement". At work, home, in all our relationships. What a difference it would make.

[@pablocortez6960]

History is like a diamond with many facets. As informed citizens we should look at all of them.

[@susyremillard8183]

Beautifully said, Pablo. Thank you for your comment.

[@janetsplace1953]

Wow I did not realize New Zealand was like this? I have always wanted to go, I just love their leader, I have seen her on talk shows here in the USA!

[@susyremillard8183]

I encourage you to explore this beautiful country! They are engaging with their hard history to help educate their youngest citizens. Like here, it’s a work in progress and not easy, but decolonizing schools is always complicated. Thanks for your support!

[@janetsplace1953]

@@susyremillard8183 thank you!

[@sebastianroseter]

Susannah sounds like a great teacher. It's so important to properly teach students about indigenous cultures!

[@gog-gog]

Teaching about those difficult histories will not only create engaged citizens, but INFORMED. This is how we prevent history repeating in ways that is detrimental.

[@busterbeansishere]

absolutely! sad that there are some people who are against this.

[@dahouseismyhouse]

Wonderfully put. this is critical information, we should all be learning about it

[@mintylava4123]

yes! children should be learning these things throughout their time in school.

[@cappikarlson]

As long as the syllabus is created with age appropriateness I'm all for it. The hard parts of life and history should be taught alongside the good stuff.

[@mclarke15]

Stunning. Powerful thinking and a smart proposition for moving forward.

[@susyremillard8183]

I appreciate the support! The more teachers willing to embrace hard history for positive change, the more chances we have to bring the authentic voices and histories of all of our citizens into our democracy. The work continues, one teacher and class at a time. Thank you!

[@IHaveDenverSoul]

Some of the photos she showed of New Zealand are breathtaking. It is very high on my personal bucket list to visit there for a long term visit

[@susyremillard8183]

I think you will find a different way of thinking in a very different part of the world. I encourage a long term stay to explore the beauty and welcoming spirit of this place. Happy adventures!

[@pagetderosier5267]

I remember very well how much more interesting all other cultures and histories were in school - I remember being so much more engaged and I actually retained more of that information 20 years on. Fancy that!

[@rajanaasperis3667]

Thank you Susannah! This is the way forward!

[@myfavoritestuff]

Our children need to know all of the "dark turns" so history doesn't repeat itself.

[@susyremillard8183]

Thanks for your support and continued encouragement to teach the many sides of history from multiple perspectives so we can invest in all our children’s futures. I appreciate your comment!

[@kalestanslink]

Yes Susannah there are many examples of our difficult history and even today pages are being added to that narrative.

[@someonednamessomeone]

Great talk Susannah, this is really important.

[@johnsonconnors4556]

The worst part is we don't even know how bad it really was and all the crimes that were committed against indigenous nations on a global scale.

[@johnbradey]

great talk, important subject

[@paddywilson-humble3003]

students deserve much more than the surface-level information about indigenous people that is taught in many schools. thanks for the talk!

[@umitkrca]

yes! I'm really glad I saw this.

[@jasonopdebeeck4444]

Awesome TED

[@demiloster]

This might be the most critical aspect of history to learn from, and yet children are taught so little of it

[@jacobydusar]

it's sad how much of the original inhabitants of our countries have had their histories erased

[@cyruslandon]

If presented in an age appropriate way children can benefit from learning about our difficult history.

[@susyremillard8183]

Thank you for your comment, Cyrus. I completely agree that we must tailor our teaching to developmentally appropriate concepts, then teach them with honesty and compassion in classrooms where students are allowed to question and explore. Appreciate your support.

[@shoelessjoe911]

I wish we could also educate adults in a way they would be willing to learn, rather than to deny and call fake.

[@ok-lk7ku]

thats my old ELA teacher

[@brendan2895]

Same

[@5.426q]

same

[@suehawke]

Students need to learn about the dark times in our history to prevent history repeating itself.

[@saturnsrings3608]

awesome way to teach...

[@the-cookie_monster]

This is definitely going to be met with some resistance. I've not scrolled too far through the comments and can already see one saying Susannah should be exiled from the education system, and to home school your children LOL yeah because every home schooled person I've ever met has been completely normal and well-socialized 🙄🙄 To be clear I agree with Susannah.

[@coopertanner3201]

Congratulations to Susannah for wisdom beyond her years.

[@susyremillard8183]

Thanks, Cooper. I appreciate your support.

[@carlajaffe]

The denial of how we arrived and how we took over is the saddest truth of all. Today we are literally uncovering the damage done to children and whole cover up of so many crimes against humanity. We stole land, culture and children. Not to mention erecting statues in honour of defeat.

[@julianfritzer]

wow truth!

[@susyremillard8183]

I agree that there is much work to be done here and that each time we uncover more of our difficult history, the stronger I feel about my teaching and my work to provide teachers around the country with resources to teach with truth and accuracy. Teachers need all of our support, and I appreciate your message.

[@henrahsavage4653]

Children are naturally curious and can very often "handle the truth".

[@jhonusalazar]

yeah they don't have the ingrained biases that cause them to deny the things they learn

[@naomiveritas]

I think if we give children the opportunity to learn about our true histories it would prevent a lot of the shock and defensiveness that comes up when we learn of it in later years

[@judgekevin6935]

If we genuinely hope to move forward as a nation, we must ensure we are teaching facts and not regurgitated glorification.

[@subthermosphere]

My ELA teacher..

[@5.426q]

SAME

[@zionwashington3rd]

SHARE 👏 THIS 👏 WITH 👏 EVERYONE 👏 YOU 👏 KNOW 👏

[@miraramona]

Got it, thanks

[@gobigorgohome1161]

me too...

[@louisesumrell6331]

Loving kindness and compassionate understanding is what the world lacks. This was said by an Amazon tribe's shaman. It's what the Buddha said, Jesus of Nazareth, his Holiness the 14th Dali Lama, and what I now repeat as the ultimate truth, the ultimate cure for what ails us. -weezi-💖🙏💜🙏

[@5.426q]

this was my 6th grade ela teacher

[@riverjaspartile]

I live in Australia and growing up we learnt NOTHING about how badly colonisation messed up our indigenous people. I mean, absolutely nothing. It's insane. All it does is lead to this very confused patching together and wondering why they're so messed up if nothing bad happened? Tell the children the truth.

[@cooltidbits]

makes me glad I was taught a bit about this when I was a kid, although not the full extent of it

[@kailirowen]

Not only engaged but EDUCATED. We teach to EDUCATE not to brain wash.

[@brendan2895]

Ayyy I’m Brendan

[@gilliandunn5087]

Some people absolutely make me sick in terms of how willing they are to bathe in ignorance and allow their children to do the same.

[@cybsycamore]

I'm kinda sad I never got to use my hands to draw a turkey.

[@steampunkhippo280]

That’s my teacher

[@ishathalwar]

To get the whole picture of colonisation both sides of the stories need to be told, free from bias.

[@tommyruk]

Could this by why our critical thinking has deminished so much over the years? So much of what we are taught comes from a direct bias which instantly dismantles our ability to consider something from multiple view points.

[@alandwyer8855]

hi

[@itzlovely9730]

Hi alan

[@levisenns]

How sad that despite NZ being bicultural there is a lack of "historical literacy among all ethnicities" 6:10 minutes. Perhaps we are all disconnected from our history?

[@alberteshoeinfine]

I never really learned about the idea of colonialism until college, which is a shame.

[@itzlovely9730]

MY TEACHERR AHAH

[@janetsplace1953]

you are a very lucky student!

[@reaganmosher7769]

Good luck with this Susannah, most yt people work double time to deny systemic racism exists - if we started teaching children about colonization and slavery that would make it impossible for those deniers.

[@HeavyK.]

I propose TRUE history. Try out the book “1492“ for example which takes a fresh look at the world before Columbus arrived. Of many things I learned from this book, there was a long tradition of the original people forming tribes and killing each other. In every example of ancient civilization we find slavery among all the other horrors of human history. Slavery existed all over the world for thousands of years before white Europeans could write their name in the dirt with a stick. Yet, the reality has been altered for deception. By using parts and perspectives in history so that children are taught to hate each other is not really teaching history. It is a deceptive practice to hold shame over individuals and harvest power from them. In current history, if someone is thousands of miles away and murders other people yesterday, I am not taught to feel ashamed of myself. Also, I did not murder anyone. Murder that happened before I was born is also ... not my doing. History taught today is over 99% deceptive narrative designed to harvest value from the students. It is almost always a horrible misrepresentation that is inappropriate to burden children with because the teachers unconscious (and sometimes conscious) bias seems to be more deeply steeped in the mind bending story crafting, than the events that are covered. If I ask 100 people in the united states "Who won The Civil War?" ... 99 of them would not know. The Republicans won by the way. Also, I'm not certain it's a great idea to teach children the horrors of humans at such an early age. I recently learned that The Aztecs would burn a person alive, so they would have the most terrible experience possible in death. Immediately, they priests would slice open the skull and eat the penial gland to attempt to enjoy the juices created during that human’s death. I'm nearly 60, and I'm not so sure it was age appropriate. It would be bad to tell this to a seven year old.

[@xoxo_karrie_xoxo]

Depending on where you grew up history will be biased towards white, colonial men.