Okay, I'd like to clarify something since it seems that what I'm teaching these children or what teachers in general are teaching is being questioned. You do not know the context in which this assignment was given or what came before it and will come after. Part of our curriculum is to teach heroes. Different types of heroes. Everyday heroes, American heroes, and so on. We spend a lot of time talking about heroes in every day life. They get this every year by the way. People in our community that make a difference, people in our country, people in our world. You have to start simple with the little ones. Often with good old mom and dad. Anyway, by the time we get to this book report, we have discussed and learned about many kinds of heroes. Complete with field trips and guest speakers and so on. We wrote biographies on Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King this month. We're discussing Lincoln and Washington and will write about them this month as well. Each month we talk about people who have done great things. So I think they have some idea of what a hero is at this point. Believe it or not, they're pretty bright at this age. MOST of them did NOT go for fame over character. One kid even made a joke and asked if he could do Brittany Spears. They all burst out laughing at that one. So guess what, they know. Of course there were a few that waned to do people just because they were famous, but that lead into a great discussion about what makes a hero and if those certain people really deserved to be recognized as heroes. Even within our discussions you could see that hero meant different things to different people and I thought it was great that they could see that.
Now, as for my part in it. I am not telling them who they can and cannot do. I am not a dictator. I can only guide them. They do need guidance you know. I'm not gonna let Coby Bryant or Hulk Hogan slip through though. I'm sorry. But all I do is try to get them to tell me why the person is heroic and discuss others who without a doubt are and see if they actually think the person they chose was heroic or not. Usually they see the difference. If that makes sense. I don't just say NO. We had three or four good discussions on this and we're still going to talk about it because it's ongoing. That's called the learning process. That's how us teachers DO end up teaching them about all those things you were concerned about. What happens to them as teenagers and why they end up idolizing the rich and famous is beyond me. I'm doing my part.
As for John. Yes, he is debatable. You can see right here on this forum that people are split on this issue. People at my school are split on it as well. So obviously there's something there to discuss. Which is what my kids are seeing. Good for them. The kid that picked him needs to make a case, even to me a huge Beatles fan, and I think that's a great learning experience. If they wanted to make a case for Hulk Hogan, I'd listen too. They just didn't want to. The kid went with Mohammad Ali instead. This is what makes it fun for them. And myself as well. It's real life. People don't always agree do they? I don't agree with your assessment of Lennon. I don't see how being privileged has anything to do with it. He still didn't have to go out of his way to do anything but he did. And he's more of a folk hero. Like I said, there are different degrees of hero. He brought about an awareness though his music and words. He continues to inspire people and so on. I'm getting burnt out so I'm not going to go on about why I think he qualifies as hero. But my students do now know there are people on both sides of the fence about this man. They know that whatever makes a hero isn
