Hi everyone! I hope we are all staying warm on this chilly, dreary spring morning. I think last nights class may have been one of my favorite classes. I did not realize how little I knew about Rosa Parks until we did the T chart. Surprisingly, I was not the only one who did not know much. The sources we were able to look at really brought into perspective how much African Americans had to tolerate even when they were paying the same amount as the white people. The fact that they had to pay and then exit the bus and enter through a rear door is so degrading and unnecessary. I wonder why schools do not teach you that Rosa was not in fact in the white section of the bus and was actually justified in sitting where she was. Is that to make it look like she was actually guilty of a crime or to sugar coat the fact that the white people had no regard for the law and would change it to fit their needs. Looking at the text book inserts about Rosa Parks makes her seem so unimportant and that she was in the wrong.
I enjoyed looking at the artifacts from Frederick Stohr. Looking at his report cards and what they were graded on was interesting. We were able as a class to see what his life entailed from elementary school and through his time serving in the second world war. I loved that he kept all the letters that his family sent him. My grandfather landed on the beaches of Normandy for D-Day and I wish I could go back and listen to his stories. As a kid I would run off when he started talking.
So my question is, how can we as educators make sure that we are teaching history accurately when we were not taught accurately? It would be difficult for us to dig up sources for each topic that we teach. I know that my future students will know that Rosa Parks in fact was not sitting in the wrong seat. I will also use a picture of the bus to show where she was sitting and so they will remember that in the future. I think sources like that will help them remember in the future.
I hope you all have a great week!
Thank you for your post, Melissa!
I also really enjoyed this weeks class, it highlighted the importance of knowing the history we share with our students and the world of difference primary sources are in understanding/sharing our history.
It was impactful to take the time to examine the importance of primary sources through the historical relevance of Rosa Parks. I had never seen the image of the bus we were shown or known that the photos of her getting fingerprinted and sitting on the bus were taken years after her arrest. It seems the history we have been taught is doctored to share an altered history.
Though I think it would be time-consuming to do so, researching topics and searching for primary sources related to them will allow us as educators to share and teach accurate information to our students. From my understanding most teachers spend lots of time during the summer preparing and gathering information for their lessons, it sounds like a great time to research and find accurate resources to use in the classroom.
Have a blessed week, Angelina Dickens
Hi Melissa,
Thank you for sharing this response. I was also not taught the truth about Rosa Parks, which is disheartening as well as scary since I do not know what other parts of history were taught either wrong or not at all.
To ensure that I do not fail to teach my future students content that is incorrect or skewed to a certain perspective, I will be sure to do research on any topics that seem glazed over or incomplete in the curriculum I teach. This can be done by finding a diverse and multi-perspective group of primary sources that gives them a broad idea of what life was like during that time period. While this might be tedious or time consuming, it will be worth it to know that I am giving my students the education they need to make the right choices. Children are the future, so it is pivotal they are given an accurate depiction of history so that they do not find themselves repeating the worst parts of it. When we fail to tell students the truth to make learning the topic easier for them or simply because it is easier for us, that is a detriment to society and should be avoided whenever necessary for the sake of the truth.
Thank you again and have a great weekend!!
Hi Melissa,
Thank you for sharing your insight and your perspective. I also was just in disbelief when I heard the truth. I went my whole life not knowing the truth, and who knows what that looks like for other parts of history. I feel that it is in the teacher’s hands to make sure they are teaching history from a holistic approach. Meeting all the aspects of history, not sugarcoating or sharing false information. Teachers need to make sure they are doing their part in educating themselves on resources and ways they can teach history from a non-biased perspective.
I think using the TPS Album would be beneficial when teaching history. This would provide me with a plethora of sources and information on different topics. I would also use the primary sources found in the Library of Congress. I think using primary sources is important to portray the actual feelings of someone at the events that occurred. I think also using children’s literature will help share insight and knowledge into truthful events of the past. I would make it a point to read the book and make sure it is talking about factual information before sharing it with the class. I would also allow the students to do self-exploration where I give them tons of accurate sources and they can depict history on their own then we can discuss it as a class.
Thank you for your post and sharing your thoughts,
Ryleigh Hawkins
Hi Melissa!
Thank you for your post, and I hope you’ve had a great week! Our class this week was also very eye-opening for me as well. The T chart exercise really highlighted just how much of Rosa Parks’s story has been oversimplified or misrepresented in the way we were taught growing up. It’s powerful to unpack the truth behind her actions and see how intentional and brave they truly were. She was not just a tired woman taking a stand but someone deeply involved in the movement who knew exactly what she was doing. I agree with your point about textbooks minimizing her impact. That moment deserves to be told in its full truth, not watered down to students. It’s frustrating to think about how much is left out, and it raises questions for me about who gets to decide how history is written and taught. I think your idea of using visuals, like the picture of the bus, is a great way to help students engage with the truth in a memorable and tangible way.
I also really enjoyed looking at Frederick Stohr’s artifacts from his life as well. It really reminded me of looking through similar artifacts from my own grandparents after they passed away. They made me wish I could still ask them more questions about what I found. There is something so exciting about seeing real pieces of someones life and what they did.
To answer your question about teaching history when we are not taught ourself accurately, we need to be willing to admit what we do not know and what we need to learn deeper ourselves. Modeling that curiosity and critical thinking for students can be just as impactful as the content itself. Using primary sources, visual aids like that bus diagram, and encouraging discussion will all go a long way. Even if we can’t find perfect resources for every lesson, showing students how to question what they’re told and seek deeper truths is important.
Thank you again for your post and I hope you have a great weekend!
Hello Melissa! Thank you for this great post!
The best way for educators to ensure they are teaching history correctly is by ensuring we continue our education. We must go to professional development events about teaching history. We also need to do our research before teaching a history topic. While doing our research at first may be time-consuming, once we know the facts, we can teach them yearly. We need to investigate primary sources and look at multiple secondary sources. We should not only take the words from the textbooks provided for us. Also, if money permits, teachers can take more college classes on history to continue deepening their understanding of these topics.
I hope you have a great rest of your weekend!
Mackenzie Woody
Hi Melissa! Thanks for your great reflection! I really appreciate how you talked about the emotional impact of last night’s class and how it challenged what you previously knew about Rosa Parks. It’s always great when learning reshapes our understanding of history, especially in such a meaningful way. I completely agree with your point about the Rosa Parks T-chart activity. It definitely highlighted how often history is oversimplified or even changed in our early education. It was especially crazy to learn how Parks was actually sitting in the correct section of the bus. It really changed the narrative from what I previously thought as well.
I also really enjoyed being able to learn about and piece together pieces of Frederick Stohr’s life. I thought it was also very relatable how Dr. Stohr didn’t even know about his trunk of artifacts of his life until much later. This made me want to get to know my own dad’s history and life better!
Your question about how we can teach history accurately when we weren’t taught that way ourselves is a very important one. I think the first step is exactly what you’re already doing- questioning, learning, and committing to teaching your students the fuller, more accurate versions of history. I think that being willing to unlearn and relearn is one of the most important things teachers can do for their students.
Thank you again for sharing your experience and raising such an important question. I hope you have a great week!
Hi Melissa! Thanks for the great post, and some great questions!
I think that the most important things when it comes to teaching accurate history are primary sources, and reliable secondary sources. Primary sources are so great because they can really tell us how something occurred much closer to the event than recent research and speculation. Seeing the primary sources related to Rosa Parks shed new light on what really happened and seemed to be new information for a lot of us! In addition, looking for reliable secondary sources such as scholarly or government websites and databases can provide one with an array of information about a historical event. Looking at multiple of these sources is also just as important, as it can prevent misinformation if one source says something different from another. Looking deeper into multiple accounts of the event can help you find the most accurate depiction of what happened, especially when paired with proper primary sources.
Thanks again for the great post, and I hope you enjoy the weekend! -Cecilia
Melissa, thanks for your post and for raising some interesting questions! I agree that Monday’s class was really impactful – every time we have learned history through the lens of real primary sources, it has really increased how well I recall and store the information for later.
Images of maps, documents, photographs, and even the full context for real events gives us a more nuanced and truthful understanding of the past. I agree that looking for primary sources to augment textbooks is extremely important, in a way I didn’t understand before this Rose Parks lesson. The Florida textbook’s suggested revisions are doing such a disservice to students in that area by obscuring the context of history.
This reminds me of what we read in “Richmond’s Unhealed History” – there was a textbook written in 1909 that featured a fantasy retelling enslavement to make it seem that most whites disliked the practice of slavery and did it only because they needed more help with farming than their Northern brethren. This textbook fantasy turned the writer’s skewed reshaping of history into fact for Richmond school children for many decades, and those opinions shaped much of what adults in Richmond believed until late into the 20th century. Education for teachers, using the library of Congress resources in lesson planning, and seeking out primary sources to supplement secondary textbooks is the best way we can share the truth with kids in our classrooms. Thanks again for the post, and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on Monday!
Cheers,
Kristen
Hi Melissa,
Thank you for your beautiful post!
It’s mind-opening to realize how much of Rosa Parks’ story, and so much of history, has been sanitized or stripped of its truth in the way it’s taught. It’s unsettling how textbooks reduce her defiance to a simple act of “disobedience” rather than a justified stand against an unjust system. The fact that she wasn’t even in the white section but was still targeted speaks volumes about how laws were twisted to uphold oppression. It makes me wonder how many other stories we’ve been fed that are equally incomplete or misleading.
I particularly love the primary sources that we were discussing—like the police records (though some of them can carry bias too) and Frederick Stohr’s personal artifacts. There’s something so visceral about seeing history through the lens of real documents and lived experiences. It’s one thing to read a watered-down paragraph in a textbook, but another to piece together the reality through letters, report cards, or even that annotated bus photo that not many of us have seen before. This is so true that a picture does speak a thousand words, especially when it visually dismantles the myths we’ve been taught.
About your question about how to teach history accurately when we weren’t taught it ourselves…it’s a huge challenge, but I think the key is exactly what you’re doing: seeking out those primary sources, asking critical questions, and refusing to accept the simplified narratives. These first few steps are critical and show us that we are on the right path to guide kids through the real history. It’s exhausting to have to unlearn and relearn, but it’s also empowering—and your future students will be so lucky to have a teacher who cares this deeply about truth.
Thanks again for sharing such a thoughtful post!
Have a beautiful weekend, Melissa!
Tam Vo
Hi Melissa! Thank you so much for your insightful post!
I found it fascinating to look at artifacts from Dr. Stohr’s father and old report cards, photos, and letters and found it was a great activity to engage us as students. I loved the vast amount of documents Dr. Stohr was able to find, as it really made me feel immersed in this activity. By the end of the activity (looking at our photos, hearing about what other groups had, and making a timeline) I felt like I basically knew Mr. Stohr!!
I also enjoyed learning more about Rosa Parks and found Monday’s class eye-opening about how little I actually knew compared to what I thought I did. Though she is a very well-known historical figure and has been mentioned so much throughout my history classes, I quickly realized in class that the things I knew about her were extremely limited to one moment on a bus. Even this singular moment on the bus, I learned in class, was not the entire story, as Rosa was actually not sitting in the white section of the bus. It is imperative that teachers prioritize telling historical figures’ entire stories, as well as providing all the information about specific historical events, to give students a better, more well-rounded understanding. To achieve this, it’s also essential to look at the textbooks and reading materials you are giving students. As we saw in class, many of the textbook segments regarding Rosa Parks diminish her significance and seem to place the blame on her. In my teaching practice, to ensure I am teaching history accurately, I must do a substantial amount of research to understand each angle and look at various sources in order to have the best possible understanding.
Thanks for a great post, Melissa and I’ll see you in class!
Hi Melissa,
Thanks for your post! I can relate to how surprising and frustrating it was to realize how much information about Rosa Parks (and many others) was either left out or altered in the way it was taught. I had a very similar reaction. While I was familiar with certain historical facts, getting to look at actual primary sources helped to paint a much clearer picture and timeline of events.
Your question about how do we teach history accurately when we weren’t taught accurately ourselves is such an important one. I think one answer lies in being willing to slow down and approach history with a research mindset, especially when something in the textbook feels incomplete or too simplified. While it may not be possible to dig up primary sources for every lesson, even using one or two key sources to center a discussion can help shift the narrative.
One strategy I plan to use is building a library of reliable, diverse resources over time. Starting with well-curated archives or vetted teaching guides can help reduce the burden of starting from scratch every time. When we model curiosity and critical thinking for our students, and in turn acknowledge when we’re learning too, we reinforce that history is not always a fixed set of facts, but something we investigate together.
Thanks again for your thoughtful reflection!
– Emily