Growth & Cultivation

ATTENTION: READ BEFORE PROCEEDING

Disclaimer:
The resources located on this page have been curated by the K-12 Specialist for History/Social Science in order to provide a layered and broad context for understanding racism, antiracism and historical thinking. The existence of these links does not represent an endorsement of any specific resource but an acknowledgement of its capacity to help us build the necessary knowledge-base to tackle hard history.

Stance on racial terms and words which cause harm:
When addressing antiracism and engaging the literature, the N-word will at times appear. It is the stance of the RPS History department, based on research by Dr. Hasan Kwame Jefferies, Gloria Ladson-Billings and others, that the N-word NEVER be spoken in any classroom under any circumstance. The word can be displayed in literature where appropriate (i.e. primary source documents) in higher grades (10-12) but never encouraged to be spoken by teachers or students in a school learning environment. Other racial terms should be addressed within the same parameters though some terms do not carry the same historical baggage and trauma as the N-word.

Stance on simulations and reenactments:
Reenacting events and incidents which not only recreate but induce trauma are not acceptable and any plan for doing a simulation should be routed for feedback from the K-12 Specialist. Teachers who do not follow this protocol do so with full understanding that they bear the responsibility attached to such action. (Reenactments of traumatic events are to only be done by professionals who have been trained and have expertise in this form of action.)
(Please read: Think Twice Before Doing Another Historical Simulation for more insight.)

Stance on land acknowledgements:
The RPS history department does not stand by the use of land acknowledgment statements as is currently trending. We suggest that it is better to teach students about indigenous people and center their voices in lessons on this region on an ongoing basis and to provide students ways to give back to our native people in Virginia through letters, gifts to tribal lands (art work etc.) and even raising funds to support the work of first nations.
It is most noble to desire to do land acknowledgments yet, without follow up and action it actually can harm native children in our classrooms more than help them.

Here are some resources:
1) The Harm of Land Acknowledgements
2) The "Value" of Land Acknowledgements
3) Patronizing and Meaningless: Land Acknowledgements
4) Land Acknowledgements

GROWTH & CULTIVATION

Podcasts

Articles

DISTRICT Research, Writing and curriculum

Confronting Antiracism: videos

Resource-rich sites

Podcasts

Articles

Historical Lens Training Videos

Resource-rich sites​

active global Learning RESOURCES FOR HISTORY

Resource-rich sites