As we head into Thanksgiving, please consider how you approach the holiday.

I really like this article by Katherine Watkins, a teacher who is Native American. While her comments are directed toward teachers, we can all learn from her thoughtful piece.

"A few days before Thanksgiving, an email went out to teaching staff at my high school, relaying the standard information about the last days before break. It ended with a section on “Thanksgiving Trivia.” I had been prepared for the typical references to Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower, but when I read, “The Native American Indians who celebrated the First Thanksgiving dinner with the Pilgrims were from which tribe?” my stomach dropped. “Trivia?” “Celebrated?” Are we really asking each other and our students this kind of question? As a Native American, an educator and a member of my school’s Equity Learning Team, I had to say something.

It can be difficult, sometimes, to resist a culture that silences some voices from our history and trivializes others. However, as teachers, we are rogue activists, finding ways to tell our kids the truth."

Here's the link to her piece--which provides further links.