• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

July 10, 2020 Instruction & Curriculum

Learning to Love Our Country: The President is Wrong About Teachers

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About TER Staff

The Educator's Room is a daily website dedicated to showing that teachers are the experts in education. If you are interested in submitting a piece for publication, please send a draft to info@theeducatorsroom.com.
  • Under a new federal bill, teachers would make a minimum salary of $60,000 - December 17, 2022
  • Redefining in loco parentis: What does it mean to care for Black children? - October 5, 2022
  • Quinta Brunson + ABC Network Sued For Copyright Infringement For Television Show ‘Abbott Elementary’ - July 18, 2022
  • We Crowdsourced What Teachers Said Can Stop Gun Violence in Schools - May 27, 2022
  • Weird News: Why Are People Asking Quinta Brunson To Do a 'School Shooting' Episode? - May 25, 2022
  • After Another School Shooting, No More Words. - May 25, 2022
  • Teacher Appreciation Week Deals 2022 - May 2, 2022
  • Abbott Elementary When Discretionary Funds Are On the Line - April 6, 2022
  • Abbott Elementary Tackles Tik Tok Challenges - April 6, 2022
  • The Dangerous Suppression of “Don’t Say Gay” - March 23, 2022

Guest Writer: Julie Letofsky

Julie Letofsky has taught young children in Arizona public schools for 33 years. She writes often about the amazing things that occur as she works with children to become readers, writers, problem solvers, and decent people. She is a three-time National Board Certified Teacher, Early Childhood/Generalist.

I love teaching social studies. Much of the content is brand new to the kindergarten children I teach, and I love watching faces light up with new knowledge and skills.  It’s not exactly easy. Some young children have trouble finding their way to the school bathroom, but in geography we explore maps and globes to develop a sense of relative and absolute location, to identify landforms and bodies of water, and to build an understanding of our place in the world. (And we draw maps of the school so they can find that bathroom.) Some young children think last week was a long time ago, but in history, we construct a timeline to understand the relationship of significant events over time. As the adding machine tape stretches across the room, the children compare their tiny piece of the timeline to my bigger piece, and they can see exactly how long ago it was when the Pilgrims came. (They also stop asking me if George Washington went to my school. They can see it was unlikely!)

Some young children think the teacher is the boss, but in civics, we learn about the responsibility we have to make and follow rules and to participate in classroom events with integrity and perseverance. We vote to choose the snack of the day or the end-of-day story. (They are not always happy about the results. I hope they’ll learn that voting and “losing” is better than not having a say at all, something I’ve had to learn as a voting citizen.) Some young children still get money from the tooth fairy, but in economics, we learn about jobs and workers and the decisions people have to make to earn, save, and spend money. Social studies in kindergarten are not easy, but it is rich and challenging and fun.

Every year, I plan a huge unit of study of the United States.  We start with Constitution Day lessons in September. As I teach them the story and significance of this beautiful document, we examine primary source photos of the Constitution and paintings of the Founding Fathers. I show them photos of my trip to James Madison’s home, Montpelier. I tear up every year when I teach them the beautiful words of the preamble; I can’t help it. (And then I laugh when I hear a child say they find “tranquility” on the playground or that cheese and crackers are a “perfect union” at snack time. Yes, they really do learn the vocabulary!) We draw a giant paper tree to understand the three branches of government, gluing little pictures of the White House, the Supreme Court Building, and the Capitol Building. The photos flip up so they can add photos of the president, the justices, and the congress in session.

At age five or six, they can tell you that the Constitution describes the “rules of our country” and they all have a sense of its “specialness.” We recite the Pledge of Allegiance every day, learning what all the big words mean. We learn how to fold a flag and how to hold it high. We learn the story of Fort McHenry, acting out what Francis Scott Key saw before he wrote his Star-Spangled Banner poem. (I always use a page from The Flag We Love, by Pam Munoz.)  Then we learn to sing this National Anthem; nothing is sweeter than watching little children sing their hearts out to this song once they know the words! Yes, I tear up again.

Through the fall, we explore American history, learning about exploration, Native Americans, the Pilgrims, and the Thanksgiving holiday traditions of our families. I learned about these topics as a child, but now we dig deeper. We don’t make craft stick Columbus boats as I did; instead, we read Jane Yolen’s beautiful book, Encounter, to understand Columbus’ arrival from the native Taino people’s perspective. We don’t make little Pilgrim hats as I did; instead, we compare the food, clothing, shelter, and daily life of Wampanoag families and Pilgrim families. Some children learn for the first time that not all families celebrate the same way they do, and in fact, some families celebrate completely different holidays.

I’m always moved at how accepting children are of these differences. They are not afraid or threatened; they think it’s cool to learn about people with different beliefs from their own. I get to introduce Veterans’ Day to the children. It’s not easy explaining war, but they understand honoring those who have served our country. When active duty and retired military women and men visit to share their stories of serving, the lessons stick.

In January and February, we study maps of the USA, locating Arizona and Washington DC and states our friends have visited. (I don’t want my students to end up failing a Jimmy Kimmel map quiz!) We take virtual tours of the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and Washington DC memorials and monuments, then sketch pictures and write reports. We talk about how all Americans learn these things, uniting us in a shared history. I get to teach the children about Martin Luther King. We read about his life and I have to explain some unexplainable parts of our country’s history. Young children know the difference between nice and not nice, between right and wrong, and, inevitably, someone will ask why people did those stupid things. They have no problem understanding King’s messages of fairness and peaceful action.

We watch grainy black and white segments of “I Have a Dream” and, every year, the children watch spellbound at King’s voice and presence. (Yes, I tear up again.) I get to tell the stories of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. I dig out an ancient poster showing how we honor these presidents on our money, with monuments, and by naming cities and schools after them. We identify the characteristics of leaders and imagine what we’d do as president. (Every year, when we look at another poster of all the presidents, a child will ask, “Where are all the ladies?” And then I get to explain that!) Phoenix celebrates Caesar Chavez Day in March, so I teach the children about this humble native Arizonan and Dolores Huerta, his partner in fighting for rights of farmworkers. (They are always impressed when I tell them I got to hear Chavez speak once – “Teacher, you saw a great American!”) 

Every year, at the end of many months of study, we put on a USA show for our families. We practice, practice, practice so we can present all we’ve learned about famous Americans, symbols, holidays, and traditions. We share our drawings and read our reports. We sing The Star-Spangled Banner, This is My Country, and God Bless America. (Each year, amongst an audience of parents and grandparents, I’m not the only one tearing up. The patriotism envelopes us all.) 

Why did I want to tell you all this? Last weekend I heard the president of the United States announce that “children are taught in school to hate their own country and to believe that the men and women who built it weren't heroes but villains.” This is the same president who - in embarrassing displays of ignorance of American history - commented on Fredrick Douglass as if he was still alive; had never heard of Juneteenth; thought Canadians burned down the White House in 1812; said Andrew Jackson could have stopped the Civil War when he died 16 years before it started; and most frighteningly, thinks Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution lets him do whatever he wants. Just as he is wrong with each of these ridiculous errors, he is wrong about what we teach children about our country.

I’ve listened to lies and blathering nonsense for too long and, yes, I’m taking this latest dangerous insult personally. I love teaching social studies and my young students love learning. They explore the details of our country’s history and examine different perspectives. At ages five and six, they are learning to love their country, as I do, in all its greatness and without ignoring its flaws. My little students are on the path to being informed, engaged American citizens. That’s the truth. The president is free to announce it.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

My AP Scores Were Disappointing. Now What? Why You Should Start the Year With A Personal Essay Unit Technology in the Elementary Music Classroom If A Rose Can Grow in Concrete, You Can Find A Flower in the Desert
« [Opinion] At Least I Didn't Spill the Coffee: How Secretary Betsy DeVos’s Address to Educators Missed the Mark
Principals, Here's What You Need to Do If You're Being Forced to Reopen Your School Building »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Peggy Bowerman says

    July 10, 2020 at 1:52 pm

    It is obvious that Ms. Letofsky is an expert in her field; her knowledge of the content and child development is evident in every example she provided. Learning about civics, the economy, and our government is alive in her classroom, and her students are fortunate to have such a caring and capable teacher. So why won't the current White House occupant listen to those who are the experts in the field and have children's best interest at heart? Ms. Letofsky's students could teach him a thing or two!

    Reply
  2. Mary Lotz says

    July 10, 2020 at 2:33 pm

    Great article! Your love of teaching, of children, of America shines through. Thank you for so eloquently defending all educators. I heard the president's speech and was certainly horrified by his hateful, untrue remarks against teachers.

    Reply
    • Patricia Gardner says

      July 11, 2020 at 6:14 pm

      As a parent of one of Ms Letofsky’s former students I can verify, my child learned to love and be proud of our country in those early and formative years. And as a teacher in the public schools, I can verify that she is not the only teacher instilling such patriotism in our sweet, young students. Hopefully the President will rethink his hurtful statement.

      Reply
  3. Dr. Mark DeGrow says

    July 10, 2020 at 3:13 pm

    Nice to see a teacher respond to the teacher bashing. Every teacher I know tries to leave a sense of love of this country as well as a sense of a responsibility to their students, even a chemistry teacher like me.

    Reply
  4. Carol Trudgen says

    July 10, 2020 at 11:03 pm

    Wow! A powerful piece written by Julie Letofsky! Thank you so much for taking the time to describe what kindergarten students are learning in Social Studies. If five year olds can get it, why can't our president?

    Reply
  5. Carol Trudgen says

    July 11, 2020 at 3:43 pm

    Wow! What a powerful article by Julie Letofsky! The fact that children in kindergarten are learning these impressive concepts in social studies makes me think our future in this country looks bright indeed. President Trump should be celebrating the great things being taught in our public schools, not disparaging our teachers and our schools.

    Reply
  6. Kelley Brunner says

    July 11, 2020 at 10:47 pm

    Such a wonderful article and great examples of how teachers instill in children a love for our great country. If only our current administration would READ and UNDERSTAND the positive influence of our teachers in starting early to teach our children about America and prepare them to be responsible young adults. It is because of educators such as this that we have informed, responsible, proud Americans! Thank you Ms. Letofsky!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • "Let's Make This Happen": Following Student Interests to Interest-Based Mentorships
  • Want to Keep Special Education Teachers? Try Mentorship
  • An Idaho teen who won his school board election has a message for educators
  • Moving Beyond Diversity to Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: Lessons from a Sunday Sermon

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.