BEING WHO WE WANT OUR CHILDREN TO BECOME

 http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/history/This evening’s first installment of Ken Burns series about our National Parks began with a compelling history of the National Parks.I am pleased to report to teachers that the history is told truthfully and does not shy away from the politics of the relationship of the Native peoples displacement, including Chief Joseph’s relationship to the lands.  It also is very honest about the ongoing battle for retention of land vs. commercialism and the resulting politics involved at the federal government level. All of this , of course, is extremely relevant today for classroom use.This first episode  focuses  largely on the life of John Muir.Included in the story were five portraits from the Americans Who Tell the Truth series. John Muir, Terry Tempest Williams ( who is interviewed), Chief Joseph, Abraham Lincoln and Henry David Thoreau.