Today the Children’s Defense Fund posted a downloadable Holiday Discussion Placemat that was created with a sense of humor and presents arguments in favor of government funded children’s health insurance and the need to ensure health coverage related to the current debates.  The placemat identifies various family members and their perspectives and offers rebuttal to that point of view. It’s done in a light hearted manner but drives home its point well. I thought this was a great idea and wondered what other issuses, perhaps local ones, school related issues, etc that would be a good way for students to have fun and create their own placemats for discussion! I’d love to see those!http://www.childrensdefense.org/helping-americas-children/childrens-health/health-coverage-for-all-children-campaign/child-health-reform-holiday-discussion-guide.html 

From truth teller Marian Wright Edelman

Students will find good resources for understanding the scope of poverty beyond its definition based upon economics.

A Thanksgiving Prayer to End Poverty in Our Time

Thanksgiving is a time when many Americans pause to be grateful for all we have. In the current economic downturn when the gap between rich and poor is at the highest level since the Great Depression and the unemployment rate is 10.2 percent, millions of our neighbors, including many families with children, are struggling hard to count their blessings. The latest Census Bureau numbers show the number of children living in poverty ($22,050 for a family of four) increased by almost 750,000 in 2008 to 14.1 million; the number of children living in extreme poverty ($11,025 for a family of four) increased by more than 500,000 to 6.3 million children. This is the biggest child poverty increase since 1992 and it comes at a time when our national safety net is full of holes. When parents lose their jobs, lose their homes, lose their health care, children suffer, and all of us lose. Each year we keep 14.1 million children in poverty it costs our nation over half a trillion dollars in lost productivity, higher crime, and poorer health.What kind of nation, blessed to be the wealthiest in the world, lets 1 in 5 children be poor with its children the poorest age group among us? This indefensible and preventable child poverty reflects a spiritual and values poverty far deeper than the eye can see and threatens the very meaning and future of America. So I offer a Thanksgiving prayer for us to commit to end poverty in our time — beginning with children.God help us to end poverty in our time.The poverty of having a child with too little to eat and no place to sleep, no air, sunlight and space in which to breathe, bask, and grow.The poverty of watching your child suffer and get sicker and sicker and not knowing what to do or how to get help because you don’t have a car to get to the emergency room or health insurance.The poverty of working your fingers to the bone every day taking care of somebody else’s children and neglecting your own, and still not being able to pay your bills.The poverty of having a job which does not let you afford a stable place to live and being terrified you’ll become homeless and lose your children to foster care.The poverty of losing your job and searching and searching and searching for another amidst an epidemic scarcity of work.The poverty of working all your life caring for others and having to start all over again caring for the grandchildren you love.The poverty of earning a college degree, having children, opening a day care center, and taking home $300 a week or even month if you’re lucky.The poverty of loneliness and isolation and alienation — having no one to call or visit, tell you where to get help, assist you in getting it, or care if you’re living or dead.The poverty of having too much and sharing too little and having the burden of nothing to carry.The poverty of convenient blindness and deafness and indifference to others, of emptiness and enslavement to things, drugs, power, money, violence, and fleeting fame.The poverty of low aim and paltry purpose, weak will and tiny vision, big meetings and small action, loud talk and sullen grudging service.The poverty of believing in nothing, standing for nothing, sharing nothing, sacrificing nothing, struggling for nothing.The poverty of pride and ingratitude for God’s gifts of life and children and family and freedom and country and earth and not wanting for others what you want for yourself.The poverty of greed for more and more and more, ignoring, blaming, and exploiting the needy, and taking from the weak to please the strong.The poverty of addiction to drink, to work, to self, to the status quo, and to injustice.The poverty of fear which keeps you from doing the thing you think is right.The poverty of despair and cynicism.God help us end poverty in our time in all its faces and places, young and old, rural, urban, suburban and small town too, and in every color of humans You have made everywhere.God help us to end poverty in our time in all its guises — inside and out — physical and spiritual, so that all our and Your children may live the lives that You intend in the richest nation on earth.

The issue of consumerism and where money goes has been a consistent thread in all the writing and work with Americans Who Tell the Truth. Buried at the foundation of all stories of triumph over injustice or injustice yet remedied is the essential question: who benefits?I am sharing videos here from the Adbusters campaign several years old now: Buy Nothing Day , traditionally held on the infamous Black Friday, the beginning of the holiday shopping frenzy.However, I would share this as a caution, not intended to at all criticize this movement. I support it fully and enthusiastically and have taught it in my classroom as a concept prior to my discovery of Adbusters years ago. My caution is that we remember who the children in our classrooms are at all times when considering social justice issues brought forward in the classrooms. For some students, Buy Nothing Day is every day of their lives. To them, the notion of not seeking to be a consumer and a member of that system is absurd. In conversations with them, having been denied access to such things, they have determined that by denying it to some, there is an implication of worthiness, membership in the culture and personal power that comes with consumerism. To a large degree, they are not wrong.  So, how does one teach a response against consumerism at this time of year to this group of students? How do we talk about Buy Nothing Day with students whose families are living that reality , not having food at times or a way to pay for a heating bill. How do we help them see that the over consuming by specific groups is what maintains a system of inequity? How do we help them wade through the media which plants seeds of desire for something they cannot have but will work for without satisfaction all their lives unless they find power in other ways? I bring these as questions today. What do your students think about these issues and why?

 Truth teller Winona LaDuke has a wonderful website and organization, Native Harvest, http://nativeharvest.com/winona_laduke that can be explored and offers students a look at one of many ways Native Americans are thriving despite the bitter truths of how they came to be where they are now.Students might not be aware of the native people of their own local area. Have them research and contact, if possible, individuals and organizations related to the ‘first people’ of their city or state/region. I believe they will be enriched and perhaps even surprised as I think that most students have no understanding that these cultures and tribes are still very much alive.As part of a Wyoming History Teacher’s Conference, Americans Who Tell the Truth portraits were exhibited and teachers gathered to construct their methods of teaching Wyoming history more honestly and inclusively. Students from the reservations and local schools regularly met in basketball games and other intramural sports and it was problematic. It was hoped that through a more honest telling of their local history , students would be able to better understand one another.Rather than have teachers research and rewrite the history based upon text and research, Americans Who Tell the Truth invited the students on the reservation school to come to present their family’s histories to the teachers as a way to transform not only the history lessons, but the teachers themselves.The students created their own portraits of ancestors and include statements that were carved into the canvas. These were shared at the conference also.  Teachers then created their own self portraits with personal truth statements.All who participated were moved and committed themselves to what their purpose in teaching would be related to this experience.Perhaps something of this nature could happen in your community. Allow those Native Americans  remaining in your area  to teach their history honestly and discuss the future of their relationships with students. An important first step!Here are two clips of Winona LaDuke , the first a very long one if you have the time in class. If you do not have “in -class” time, be sure to watch it yourself if you want to be informed in a powerful way! 

If not, a shorter one follows. Enjoy!  

As Thanksgiving arrives next week and it makes its way into our classrooms, I had the thought that perhaps what we can do with our students is look at the truths we now have more access to and understanding of and be glad of that. Be grateful that we are finding the inner resources it takes to acknowledge our history honestly and make meaning of it by transforming this into service. Let’s use this time to help our students commit to the ideals of what our country is striving to be that does NOT include denying the times we have failed to do so.I have attached a link here http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/24_01/24_01_thanksgiving.shtml to an excellent article from Rethinking Schools’ current issue. The author offers a few excellent resources related to the truth about the conditions under which “Pilgrims and Indians” related to one another.She also writes with great insight about the dilemma of the teacher who presents children with alternative views of deeply embedded myths in our country’s history. It is essential that, as teachers, we understand that our students will have come from homes where there is resistance to this new perspective , despite its authenticity. What we do not want to do is create a dilemma for the student in which he/she has to decide ” who to believe.” Rather, presenting the truths in context and with understanding of how and why myths evolved and why they persist, will help them make that transition intellectually. Some will react with anger, others with sadness and still others will refuse to accept the new information in any way , shape or form. Still, it is our deepest obligation as teachers to be honest in what we present as best we can. I believe this aspect of teaching will continue to be important for a long time to come as these “untruths” unravel. I would suggest that it is one of the more significant roles we have to play in student’s lives and additionally, in our own communities.As a final note, Rethinking Schools, always a superb resource, offers a DVD “Unlearning Indian Stereotypes.” http://rethinkingschools.org/publication/uis-dvd/ Additionally, an article “Deconstructing the Myths of Thanksgiving” makes a good read/study for class session.  Here is one exerpt that, if you only have time to examine one, I’d recommend.

Myth #11: Thanksgiving is a happy time.

“Today, Thanksgiving is a happy time when families gather together.”

Robert Merrill Bartlett, The Story of Thanksgiving

“It’s a time to remember the Pilgrims and their first Thanksgiving.”

Janice Kinnealy, Let’s Celebrate Thanksgiving, A Book of Drawing Fun

“On Thanksgiving families are thankful for being together to share a special meal.”

Robert Merrill Bartlett, The Story of Thanksgiving

“Thanksgiving is a special day. It’s a time for friends, family and lots of fun. It’s also a time for giving thanks—just as the Indians and Pilgrims did long ago on the first Thanksgiving.”

Judith Conaway, Happy Thanksgiving! Things to Make and Do

“Thanksgiving has always been a holiday to share with those we love. We celebrate the joy of being together, and give thanks for our families and friends.”

Ronne Randall, Thanksgiving Fun: Fun Things to Make and Do

“Thanksgiving reminds us of the little band of people who founded the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. Each November it reopens a favorite chapter in our nation’s history.”

Edna Barth,Turkeys Pilgrims, and Indian Corn: The Story of the Thanksgiving Symbols

“Today, families and friends gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving….No matter how Thanksgiving is celebrated, it is a time for families to feast together and think about all of the reasons they have to give thanks.”

Robert Merrill Bartlett, The Story of Thanksgiving

“On Thanksgiving Day, we join our families and friends for prayer, feasting, and fun.”

Judith Bauer Stamper, New Friends in a New Land: A Thanksgiving Story

“All over the country, people gather their families together and have a feast. They thank God for the good things of the past year. They eat turkey. They remember the brave Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving Day.”

Lou Rogers, The First Thanksgiving

“Today Thanksgiving is celebrated by families and friends enjoying a big Thanksgiving meal….Many families set aside some time to give thanks just as the Pilgrims and Native Americans did so many years ago.”

Kathy Ross, Crafts for Thanksgiving

“Thanksgiving is about more than a big meal. It is a chance to think about what is good in our lives. These are the things we can be thankful for.”

David F. Marx, Thanksgiving

“That was the first Thanksgiving! It’s a story we’ll never forget. It’s something we celebrate every year.”

Anne Rockwell, Thanksgiving Day

Fact: For many Indian people, “Thanksgiving” is a time of mourning, of remembering how a gift of generosity was rewarded by theft of land and seed corn, extermination of many from disease and gun, and near total destruction of many more from forced assimilation. As currently celebrated in this country, “Thanksgiving” is a bitter reminder of 500 years of betrayal returned for friendship.

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Truth tellers Alice Waters ,Florence Reed,Francis Moore Lappe Diane Wilson  all are fighters for purity of food and those who do the work of the harvest, be it in the fields or in Diane Wilson’s case, on a shrimp boat. Have students look at these four women’s lives and how each has contributed to the struggle of those who grow/harvest our food and the maintenance of its purity.At this time of year, as we approach holidays to celebrate harvest, have students consider the plight of farmers. The film, ‘The Garden” shares the true story of a clash of our culture and another and demonstrates dramatically what has gone horribly wrong. What is the relationship of your students to local farmers? Do they even know any? Do they have access to farmer’s markets and fresh healthy foods? Do they understand the significance of what happened in this story and what must be reversed if we are going to have a future with ‘real’ food. Also, see Food Inc. for more on this topic with students.Trailers for both films here:

Will Phillips, a ten year old student has refused to recite the pledge of allegiance and taken quite a bit of criticism and grief for it from some of his peers ( listen to his story in the video in his own words) but he has not let that stop him. Here is his thinking in his own words:”I’ve grown up with a lot of people and I’m good friends with a lot of people who are gay and I think they should have the rights all people should, and I’m not going to swear that they do,” the ten-year-old Phillips said.Jay Phillips, asked if his son was prepared for the media attention, said his son saw it as an opportunity to raise awareness. “He felt that just because he’s ten years old doesn’t mean he doesn’t have opinions, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have rights, and doesn’t mean he can’t make a difference.”Ask students to discuss their feelings and thoughts about this issue. What are constitutional rights? Who is and is not entittled to them?

Truth teller Dennis Kucinich sets a wonderful example for students as he carries in a pocket constitution at all times that he says guides him in his thinking in every aspect of his legislative activity. Many students today have not seen or read the United States Constitution. Doing that would be a good place to start!

What is true for your students? What are the truths they live with?Here a student who survived the Virginia Tech shootings speaks about his ordeal and his findings.Have students watch and discuss their thinking and what experiences they have had in this realm.In some of out students lives, guns and shootings are a part of life. What does this mean for them?What does it mean for their school experience? And what does it mean for us as their teachers? And remember to make sure, as always, that the question at the end of the discussion is WHO IS BENEFITTING FROM THIS ? Our young people need to understand the dilemma of economic benefit and how that fits into what our culture has become. And what is it we can do about that?

 “In the next 60 seconds, 10 children will die of hunger,” says a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) online video. It continues, “For the first time in humanity, over 1 billion people are chronically hungry.”

And so begins the article by Amy Goodman http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/hungering_for_a_true_thanksgiving_20091117/ 

Amy Goodman, truth teller in the series writes weekly at Truthdig  and can be heard on Democracy Now. Here she writes a compelling piece for us to have our students consider or to share with them at their own level , depending on their ages and stages and who they are. Something I will want us all to consider as we discuss hunger, consumerism and other issues so important at this time of year is that we must also remember that our own student’s lives might be the ones we are “telling the truth about” when sharing information. Many of our own students are hungry, some are homeless. If this is true, we absolutely must include them in the conversation and let them educate us and others , giving them voice.

The holiday of Thanksgiving approaches and several related issues come to the front for me as a teacher and someone looking at the way education is preparing our students for what they’ll be met with as young adults.  Each will need to be equipped with the foundational skills of curiosity, analytical thought and most important, a willingness to face what’s needed and take action that’s required:courage. And so, if we are educating them today, what is it that we need to be doing? I would say first and foremost what they need is a treasure chest of biographies filled with one courageous individual after another.At this time of year, if we are blessed with privilege, we welcome a harvest.  This season, each post will recognize a truth teller from Americans Who Tell the Truth whose work has a direct impact and relationship to the harvest in some way. The last post was about Coalition for the Homeless’ Homelessness and Hunger Week: 16 November. It is this time of year we often turn our attention , ever so briefly to the issues of resources and scarcity. And yet, they are at the basis of everything.I want to share a fable from the Persian tradition about this issue. I had students discuss what their understanding of the story was and what it means to them personally. These students are all from homes where there is poverty and their conclusion about the story was that “greed is the problem behind everything that’s wrong, because there’s a difference between what you want and what you need.” I wonder what your students will say….The Tiger and the Fox- A Persian taleOnce there was a young woman who wished to understand what wisdom and guidance she needed to know the real meaning of life ( and God, for those of you who can use that term) .  She set out to ask everyone she knew but none of the answers she heard satisfied her. She determined to go deep into the forest and listen for the voice of wisdom that she sought. She believed if she sat very still in the forest , the voice would speak to her.  As she walked deeper and deeper into the trees, the forest grew darker. She sat down by a tree to rest and in the distance she saw a fox whose legs were missing. She wondered how it managed to stay alive and looking so healthy. She decided to stay where she was and watch for the answer to her question. Not too long after that, a tiger approached with its’ kill fresh in its mouth. It sat to eat and when it was nearly finished , it got up and came to bring meat to the fox, who ate it and then slept. The tiger returned every day to feed the fox without fail. The young woman said to herself, “See how this fox sits patiently and waits for what it needs. This is how I will gain the wisdom I seek. I will stay here and wait, just as the fox does. ” And so she did. Days went by and she was nearly broken by hunger and despair. She cried out in pain from hunger and the disappointment of being left alone. And a voice answered: ” Foolish girl, what you seek is not gained by following the example of the crippled fox but by taking up the ways of the tiger.” A truth teller who took up the ways of the tiger from an early age was Emma Tenayuca. Her biography and life’s work was one of great compassion for those who did not have what others did , who were crippled by an unfair economic system and like the tiger, she sought to provide a pathway to fair wages and solutions for the workers. Fights for these laborers continue today and as we celebrate a harvest, we must ask ourselves under what conditions were these foods brought to our tables?