Community Chat

[Sooner]

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

I think it's a great idea!

 - maybe looking at old documents will spark their interest in history

 - maybe looking at old documents will help them see the art in cursive writing

 - maybe they'll come across someone they want to emulate

 - maybe learning about someone in their family will build character (ie reading an account that required courage/compassion/sacrifice can be empowering)

 - one of the problems of today is that too many don't know who they are/have a sense of family and this could help with that

 - it would be a plus if more understood that we're all connected

Every family has good and bad but ignoring the good to avoid the bad seems foolish.

To me, anything that expands their thinking beyond their small view is a good thing.

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@ThinkingOutLoud Unless you are the kid whose relative is in prision, committed a terrible crime and you start to sweat will that come out and what will people think about you?  Or your adopted and nobody knows. I can think of a lot of reasons.

[ThinkingOutLoud]

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@Sooner wrote:

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

I think it's a great idea!

 - maybe looking at old documents will spark their interest in history

 - maybe looking at old documents will help them see the art in cursive writing

 - maybe they'll come across someone they want to emulate

 - maybe learning about someone in their family will build character (ie reading an account that required courage/compassion/sacrifice can be empowering)

 - one of the problems of today is that too many don't know who they are/have a sense of family and this could help with that

 - it would be a plus if more understood that we're all connected

Every family has good and bad but ignoring the good to avoid the bad seems foolish.

To me, anything that expands their thinking beyond their small view is a good thing.

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@ThinkingOutLoud Unless you are the kid whose relative is in prision, committed a terrible crime and you start to sweat will that come out and what will people think about you?  Or your adopted and nobody knows. I can think of a lot of reasons.

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This is about ancestors - not living people. Everyone has plenty of ancestors to choose from and they're not all bad apples.

[Porcelain]

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

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@Sooner wrote:

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

I think it's a great idea!

 - maybe looking at old documents will spark their interest in history

 - maybe looking at old documents will help them see the art in cursive writing

 - maybe they'll come across someone they want to emulate

 - maybe learning about someone in their family will build character (ie reading an account that required courage/compassion/sacrifice can be empowering)

 - one of the problems of today is that too many don't know who they are/have a sense of family and this could help with that

 - it would be a plus if more understood that we're all connected

Every family has good and bad but ignoring the good to avoid the bad seems foolish.

To me, anything that expands their thinking beyond their small view is a good thing.

---

@ThinkingOutLoud Unless you are the kid whose relative is in prision, committed a terrible crime and you start to sweat will that come out and what will people think about you?  Or your adopted and nobody knows. I can think of a lot of reasons.

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This is about ancestors - not living people. Everyone has plenty of ancestors to choose from and they're not all bad apples.

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That is a very privileged POV.

You are conveniently overlooking the stain on our history that was slavery. How would teachers be expected to address that minefield when it came up in a student's ancestry -- when guidelines are such that they are not able to mention many aspects of it?

There are other dark aspects to our nation's history that would come up as well. Such as the system that kidnapped Native American children and forced them into state boarding schools far from home. Many disappeared. That would be extremely distressing for any child to read about in detail at a young age.

Your plan would really only work for an expensive private school that was motivated and able to cherrypick students exclusively from particular families.

[ThinkingOutLoud]

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@Porcelain wrote:

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

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@Sooner wrote:

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

I think it's a great idea!

 - maybe looking at old documents will spark their interest in history

 - maybe looking at old documents will help them see the art in cursive writing

 - maybe they'll come across someone they want to emulate

 - maybe learning about someone in their family will build character (ie reading an account that required courage/compassion/sacrifice can be empowering)

 - one of the problems of today is that too many don't know who they are/have a sense of family and this could help with that

 - it would be a plus if more understood that we're all connected

Every family has good and bad but ignoring the good to avoid the bad seems foolish.

To me, anything that expands their thinking beyond their small view is a good thing.

---

@ThinkingOutLoud Unless you are the kid whose relative is in prision, committed a terrible crime and you start to sweat will that come out and what will people think about you?  Or your adopted and nobody knows. I can think of a lot of reasons.

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This is about ancestors - not living people. Everyone has plenty of ancestors to choose from and they're not all bad apples.

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That is a very privileged POV.

You are conveniently overlooking the stain on our history that was slavery. How would teachers be expected to address that minefield when it came up in a student's ancestry -- when guidelines are such that they are not able to mention many aspects of it?

There are other dark aspects to our nation's history that would come up as well. Such as the system that kidnapped Native American children and forced them into state boarding schools far from home. Many disappeared. That would be extremely distressing for any child to read about in detail at a young age.

Your plan would really only work for an expensive private school that was motivated and able to cherrypick students exclusively from particular families.

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You are conveniently putting your own spin on what's being offered and how it works (ie option to not opt in, age appropriate) so I won't bother addressing your points individually as you are only focusing on the negative and can't seem to fathom that this has any benefit at all.

[Porcelain]

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

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@Porcelain wrote:

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

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@Sooner wrote:

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

I think it's a great idea!

 - maybe looking at old documents will spark their interest in history

 - maybe looking at old documents will help them see the art in cursive writing

 - maybe they'll come across someone they want to emulate

 - maybe learning about someone in their family will build character (ie reading an account that required courage/compassion/sacrifice can be empowering)

 - one of the problems of today is that too many don't know who they are/have a sense of family and this could help with that

 - it would be a plus if more understood that we're all connected

Every family has good and bad but ignoring the good to avoid the bad seems foolish.

To me, anything that expands their thinking beyond their small view is a good thing.

---

@ThinkingOutLoud Unless you are the kid whose relative is in prision, committed a terrible crime and you start to sweat will that come out and what will people think about you?  Or your adopted and nobody knows. I can think of a lot of reasons.

---

This is about ancestors - not living people. Everyone has plenty of ancestors to choose from and they're not all bad apples.

---

That is a very privileged POV.

You are conveniently overlooking the stain on our history that was slavery. How would teachers be expected to address that minefield when it came up in a student's ancestry -- when guidelines are such that they are not able to mention many aspects of it?

There are other dark aspects to our nation's history that would come up as well. Such as the system that kidnapped Native American children and forced them into state boarding schools far from home. Many disappeared. That would be extremely distressing for any child to read about in detail at a young age.

Your plan would really only work for an expensive private school that was motivated and able to cherrypick students exclusively from particular families.

---

You are conveniently putting your own spin on what's being offered and how it works (ie option to not opt in, age appropriate) so I won't bother addressing your points individually as you are only focusing on the negative and can't seem to fathom that this has any benefit at all.

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I was responding to your proposed lesson plan that you wrote out, that involved students researching their ancestors using the service, not the Ancestry curriculum.

Personally I think that age appropriate discussion of the United States' actual history in history class, warts and all, is a very good idea. It prepares students for the real world and for college.

Also, hidden family secrets should be exposed to the daylight at some point. Not sure jr high is the best venue for that.

I think that your particular suggestions, while they might be fun internet exercises for some students (which would be positive), have more problems than merit. Since you can't or don't wish to propose any solutions to mitigate the negatives, I can't see how your plan could be a net positive for the majority.

[gertrudecloset]

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@Porcelain wrote:

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

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@Sooner wrote:

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

I think it's a great idea!

 - maybe looking at old documents will spark their interest in history

 - maybe looking at old documents will help them see the art in cursive writing

 - maybe they'll come across someone they want to emulate

 - maybe learning about someone in their family will build character (ie reading an account that required courage/compassion/sacrifice can be empowering)

 - one of the problems of today is that too many don't know who they are/have a sense of family and this could help with that

 - it would be a plus if more understood that we're all connected

Every family has good and bad but ignoring the good to avoid the bad seems foolish.

To me, anything that expands their thinking beyond their small view is a good thing.

---

@ThinkingOutLoud Unless you are the kid whose relative is in prision, committed a terrible crime and you start to sweat will that come out and what will people think about you?  Or your adopted and nobody knows. I can think of a lot of reasons.

---

This is about ancestors - not living people. Everyone has plenty of ancestors to choose from and they're not all bad apples.

---

That is a very privileged POV.

You are conveniently overlooking the stain on our history that was slavery. How would teachers be expected to address that minefield when it came up in a student's ancestry -- when guidelines are such that they are not able to mention many aspects of it?

There are other dark aspects to our nation's history that would come up as well. Such as the system that kidnapped Native American children and forced them into state boarding schools far from home. Many disappeared. That would be extremely distressing for any child to read about in detail at a young age.

Your plan would really only work for an expensive private school that was motivated and able to cherrypick students exclusively from particular families.

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Thank you @Porcelain .  These are my sentiments exactly.  African American and Indian American children (among others) will not get very far and get stopped in their tracks for a lack of information.  When AA's were born under slavery no one kept a doggone birth record, as we weren't even considered 100% human.

[jonbon]

I guess some people skipped right over how this actually works, and what it is actually teaching.

[CalminHeart]

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@Sooner wrote:

I got something today from Ancestry that said With AncestryClassroom™, more than 7 million students now have access to historical records as well as resources developed to help them learn about themselves and the world around them.

They did say that parents should give permission to looki into family backgrounds but if not use impotant historical figures. . .

To me this seems totally inappropriate for classrooms.  Teach history.   Seems to focus on who kids are and not on the kids as individuals.  Some kids have enough trouble getting away from family issues as it is. And even if they use historical figures, it's looking at a touchy subject area for some kids.  

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It sounds like an interesting way to bring history home to kids bored by the usual classes. The teacher offered an option so pick one. No big deal.

I'll bet this is a short-term thing or occasionally referenced. It's used to emphasize how important accurate history is to each person. It's not the focus of the whole semester.

We don't have a teacher shortage. We have a shortage of respect for teachers.  Those who teach, do. Those who can't, complain.

[CalminHeart]

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@Porcelain wrote:

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

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@Sooner wrote:

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

I think it's a great idea!

 - maybe looking at old documents will spark their interest in history

 - maybe looking at old documents will help them see the art in cursive writing

 - maybe they'll come across someone they want to emulate

 - maybe learning about someone in their family will build character (ie reading an account that required courage/compassion/sacrifice can be empowering)

 - one of the problems of today is that too many don't know who they are/have a sense of family and this could help with that

 - it would be a plus if more understood that we're all connected

Every family has good and bad but ignoring the good to avoid the bad seems foolish.

To me, anything that expands their thinking beyond their small view is a good thing.

---

@ThinkingOutLoud Unless you are the kid whose relative is in prision, committed a terrible crime and you start to sweat will that come out and what will people think about you?  Or your adopted and nobody knows. I can think of a lot of reasons.

---

This is about ancestors - not living people. Everyone has plenty of ancestors to choose from and they're not all bad apples.

---

That is a very privileged POV.

You are conveniently overlooking the stain on our history that was slavery. How would teachers be expected to address that minefield when it came up in a student's ancestry -- when guidelines are such that they are not able to mention many aspects of it?

There are other dark aspects to our nation's history that would come up as well. Such as the system that kidnapped Native American children and forced them into state boarding schools far from home. Many disappeared. That would be extremely distressing for any child to read about in detail at a young age.

Your plan would really only work for an expensive private school that was motivated and able to cherrypick students exclusively from particular families.

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Those darker aspects need to be taught age appropriate. More details as kids get older.  Hiding the truth means repeating them. Whitewashing history is wrong.

Kids have seen a lot of horrible things on the news, in movies, tv shows, games, etc. Learning the truth about history isn't going to hurt them anymore than what they've already experienced.

[Jersey Born]

I don't think using AncestryClassroom is appropriate in a public setting.  I don't think AncestryClassroom is appropriate in a "private" setting, either. Any online site that claims to be "free of charge" and a valuable resource for students, or any other demographic, while at the same time demands private, identifying information, data mines the living daylights out of participants and visitors to their site.  That any educational facility would encourage the unwitting data mining of their young, impressionable students who don't even understand that their online searches and online social media accounts are being closely monitored and data mined, is unconsionable and ignorant and lazy.  There are plenty of wonderful resources available to teach History, in physical book format, and none of them require the online entry of a student's personal or private information, for data mining on that student, as a condition of participation in the learning process.