I haven’t been posting lately. Not on purpose, just not getting to it. I have thought during the day that I could write about but then in the evening just don’t get them typed. I recently discovered neither my thyroid nor my adrenal glands are working well. It’s the difference between tired and bone weary. So hopefully now that I’m working on it, I can get back to writing.
Yesterday on the drive home from the boys homeschool program they asked about the signs. We’re back to ‘yes on 101′, ‘no on 102′, ‘vote for Bob’. Signs line our road ways and are hard to miss. We talked about a few that I could remember but as we headed toward our house we saw more and more of the same sign - Yes on 102. So we talked about this proposition that defines marriage as one man and one woman, even though that’s already Arizona law. We’re back to denying domestic partnerships. Uggh, I worked on this campaign two years ago. It was defeated. So they brought it back. We drove our neighborhood rather than going straight home pointing with the boys pointing out all the signs they saw while we talked about what it meant and why some people would believe either way. The kids seriously took issue with the idea that someone can tell you who you can love or that marriage needs to be defended from other people having rights. They got so fired up they came home and started to make signs. Next we need to get larger paper for them so we can put them in the yard.
Tonight while the kids were watching a bit of the presidential debate - not that they were necessarily following the debate, but they were excited to see Obama - I went to watch the short documentary Freeheld at a community college. It was fantastic and heartbreaking but points to just the problem I have teaching social studies to young children. So much of it is the whole one nation, equality for all stuff. It’s difficult to discuss the inequality of couples not allowed to marry or why some people won’t vote for Obama because he’s black or wouldn’t support Clinton because she’s a woman.
I guess this is when you turn teaching social studies into social justice. That’s a much happier note.
2 responses so far ↓
1 latisha // Oct 16, 2008 at 10:19 am
you are my hero. i am trying to get to see this movie. i take comfort in knowing you are putting 3 more citizens out into the world, with compassion, common sense, and action. thank you for choosing to have an unschooling life.
2 Karen // Oct 16, 2008 at 11:33 pm
You know I just have to say, you always make my day. Seriously. Thank you.
Leave a Comment