Teaching for Change and the Smithsonian
In March, Teaching for Change had the honor of presenting workshops in collaboration with the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and the Anacostia Community Museum to introduce teachers to major exhibits at both museums. Why Treaties Matter | National Museum of the American Indian | March 18, 2017 The NMAI teacher workshop, “Why Treaties […]
Teaching Central America
More than four million Central Americans reside in the United States today, yet the lack of resources in most schools on Central American heritage make the rich history and literature of the region invisible.
My Third Graders Love Reading “Wilfredo”
Third grade teacher Andy Grayson wrote to tell us that he was thrilled to share Wilfredo: Un niño de El Salvador/A Boy from El Salvador with his students. He learned about the free downloadable book in a Teaching for Change workshop sponsored by the Alexandria City Public Schools. Here is what Grayson told us about why Wilfredo is […]
Why Are They Coming?: Uncovering Central American History
As children from Central America flee to the U.S. in record numbers, Teaching for Change continues to offer the only lessons and professional development available for teachers to learn about the history and culture of these refugees. Every workshop offered by Teaching for Change staff begins with the question, “How many Central Americans of note—from […]
Monseñor Oscar Romero: Tribute Poem
On the occasion of the beatification of Salvadoran Archbishop Óscar Romero on May 23, 2015, we share “I Am the Land,” a tribute poem by our colleague (and former Teaching for Change board member) E. Ethelbert Miller. We also encourage educators to teach about Romero and many other unsung heroes in Central America with these resources designed […]
Central America Workshop in Mt. Rainier
On Saturday, teachers, parents, and other community members in Mount Rainier, Maryland stepped into the shoes of key people in Central American history and literature. This pre-viewing activity was for a community screening of the film Harvest of Empire, led by Teaching for Change curriculum specialist Julian Hipkins III at Joe’s Movement Emporium. The film […]
New Website for Students on Central America
Our colleague Pat Goudvis has launched an extraordinary new student-friendly website on Central America called When We Were Young, There Was a War. Visitors are introduced to the powerful stories of two individuals from El Salvador and Guatemala. (Eventually there will be more.) Through short video clips, they describe the impact of the war on their lives when […]
Teacher Workshop on Central America
While the histories of the United States and Central America have been intertwined for centuries, Central American history has been missing from the school curriculum for many years. Therefore, before asking teachers to infuse Central American history in their own classrooms, we recommend that schools host teacher workshops to familiarize the staff with Central American […]
Crossing Borders Through Art: The Tortilla as Canvas
BY LYNDA TREDWAY The Border/La Frontera (n) limit, boundary, frontier, limitation, margin, restriction; a line dividing two areas (v) run along the edge of something or form frontier with place Walls protect and walls divide. Some walls are meant to protect—The Wall of China. The wall between the West Bank and Jerusalem divides an already […]
Films
18 With a Bullet documents the life and experiences of a major Salvadoran gang called “18.” Gangs developed in El Salvador as a result of deportation of thousands of Salvadorans from the U.S. in the 1990s, including young people who had joined gangs while in Los Angeles. (High school.) Dirty Secrets describes Jennifer Harbury’s courageous search for her […]
