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Nobody is advocating hero worship of Mandela. He was a man of many flaws- just like all of us. Just because I think school children should be made aware of the death of a man who made great sacrifices for what he believed in, a man who accomplished a great deal for his country does not mean I think anybody should worship him. We have not draped black cloth around the mirrors in this house. Nor do we have a portrait of Mandela hanging on our wall.
i have told my children about the complex issues of his country and his time. I have told my children about the weaknesses and flaws as well as the accomplishments of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Ike Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, JFK , Churchill, Lyndon Johnson and many others who played an important part in history.
And when we watched The Sound of Music on TIVO this afternoon I also told them about Hitler and his place in history. When Castro dies I would hope the public school would tell the children about him and his role in the history of Cuba and even in our own country.
Making our children aware of high profile names in history does not mean we are hero worshipers. It means we want our children to recognize names and historical events.
Winnie Mandela went off the rails while Nelson was imprisoned for 27 years. She let power and hate take over her. Nelson tried to distance himself from her even before he was released from prison. They were two separate people probably with separate agendas, especially in the late 80 while he was still in prison. We should not confuse the actions of one with the other.
Flaws and all, Mandela played a huge role in the history of S. Africa. Our children should know about him.
And why did our school "waste time" discussing the death of Princess Diana, the marriage of Kate and William, the celebrations of Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee? Because they don't have direct impact on American citizens does not mean our school kids should be ignorant of them and the significance of them in their own countries.
Wow... their history teacher didn't even mention it? lol
When he was let out of prison back in 1990, I was in my 10th grade Spanish class and my Spanish teacher was over joyed and telling us all about him and the significance of him... and I was in a progressive school too (Boston Latin School).
They will have to teach the ends justifies the means in order to teach that Mandela was this perfect man,.
And that is happening where? If your children attend a school where a teacher is telling them ANY leader is perfect I suggest you go to the next PTA meeting and speak up. Your children are getting a remarkably biased education.
OP don't be surprised it wasn't mentioned at your child school. I would expect that given that some teachers are not into current affairs or don't care for international affairs.
Last edited by Jaded; 12-08-2013 at 02:43 AM..
Reason: correction; Jaded - removed deleted content
I see your point, Monello, but kids world wide need to understand other's struggles or they are destined to repeat them. You can choose to live in a bubble, but at what cost to you, your children and the world?
I read an article in the past year that said most German kids do not know much about WWI,WW2 and the Holocaust... what???? That is sad and scary. Germany is trying to erase their history because its a bloody stain. Now, lets see what Germany decides to do in the next 100 - 150 yrs.
The South African Apartheid struggle was huge. The atrocities committed against Black South Africans was akin to what happened in this country against African Americans. If that means nothing to you, then you don't know your history... and if you have children, that is not good.
I see your point, Monello, but kids world wide need to understand other's struggles or they are destined to repeat them. You can choose to live in a bubble, but at what cost to you, your children and the world?
I read an article in the past year that said most German kids do not know much about WWI,WW2 and the Holocaust... what???? That is sad and scary. Germany is trying to erase their history because its a bloody stain. Now, lets see what Germany decides to do in the next 100 - 150 yrs.
The South African Apartheid struggle was huge. The atrocities committed against Black South Africans was akin to what happened in this country against African Americans. If that means nothing to you, then you don't know your history... and if you have children, that is not good.
I served in the US armed forces both in the US and abroad. I visited over 40 countries in my time. I've even traveled to many more for vacation. Have you ever lived in a country where English is not the primary spoken language? Well if you haven't I can tell you it's hardly a bubble.
I'm not concerned with what German kids know or don't know.
People struggle all the time all over the world. Northern Ireland, Palestinians, Mexican drug wars, Somalia, Nigerian mall terrorists, The Philippines, Burma, Darfur, Mali, etc. Since the end of apartheid 50 people a day are killed in South Africa. I don't need to know history, I just have to look around.
My kids have been educated by both the US and European school systems. The youngest is trilingual. Attended middle school and some high school in a non English speaking school. So he got broad exposure to different opinions and ideas. But what I know is not a reflection on them.
Though I didn't expect your resume, it concerns me even more that you have the attitude you have. Of all the people on this board, I would think a well traveled individual like yourself would not be so quick to frown on your kids knowing important historical figures.
Yes, people struggle all over the world... and perhaps if more people knew the reasons behind the struggles and the folks trying to rage against the machine, so to speak, then maybe they wouldn't be struggling.
Ignorance is only bliss for a time... then it comes back to bite one in the a_s. Being a vet, you can't see or understand that??
I sat my kids down last night and showed them his picture and told them all about Soweto and this man's life and his legacy. I wanted them to be aware of what was sure to be discussed in school today. I was shocked when both girls told me not one word was said about him And this is a very progressive school system. One girl in 5th and one in 6th grade. i plan to write a letter to their teachers asking how and when this great man will be discussed. Maybe it is too soon but surely this is not an unexpected death so at least a history teacher would have something to present.
Did your kids discuss Mandela in School today?
At lunch some of us discussed him with some kids hanging around. It ended up being about how he is being white-washed into something more palatable than the bad-ass, radical he was.
Given the fact that common core is being shoved down everyone's throats, and new evaluation systems tied to test scores being implemented nationwide. Most teachers have no time to teach something that is not going to be a end of curriculum multiple choice questions and certainly no time for things like class discussions on current events.
If they did discuss him then hopefully they covered his entire life, not just his presidency or what ever it was he was elected to over there. He advocated armed conflict, but today that earns you a peace prize.
He lived along life and his progression from advocating conflict to peaceful revolution and the fact that it was the later that ended up being most successful is one of the most powerful lessons to learn from the man's life.
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