How can we turn controversy and clashes over the removal of Confederate monuments into opportunities to teach skills such as empathy, creativity, innovation, and teamwork? How can 5th graders learn from the divisiveness in our country and become part of the solution for a more desirable future? Amid the disagreements over Confederate monuments—including the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, last summer over a statue of Robert E. Lee—are teachable moments.
New City School, a progressive independent elementary school in St. Louis, is located less than one mile from Forest Park's former, now paved over, Confederate Drive, where a 32-foot granite Confederate statue previously stood (since 1914). Last May, before the statue was slated to come down, I took my 5th grade class on a walking field trip to the Confederate Memorial to learn about its history and the controversy surrounding it. I encouraged students to touch the statue, think about its meaning, and consider the words inscribed on the statue as well as what words were not there. Less than two weeks later, students pitched their ideas for what should happen to the monument in a formal presentation to the Mayor of St. Louis, Lyda Krewson. Here's how the project unfolded:
Prior to our field trip, I prepared students for the complexity and history of this issue. Students were assigned to interview adults in their life about symbols, including the Confederate flag. They asked questions like, "What does this symbol mean to you?" and "Has the symbol's meaning changed over time? If so, how?"
The next day, I presented several questions about their interviews. I asked, "Did the adult you interviewed think the Confederate flag is a symbol of Southern pride? State's rights? Racism?" My 5th graders saw that people viewed the same symbol very differently and that their reactions were much more nuanced than a simple yes or no answer.
After reading multiple articles about Confederate monuments being removed in New Orleans, students could articulate multiple perspectives on the controversy, including why some people want to keep the memorials (for example, not wanting to erase history) and why others want the statues removed (as painful reminders of racism and white supremacy).
On the day of our trip, we walked to the Confederate Memorial and met with David Cunningham, a sociology professor at Washington University, and his research assistant, Jeanette Freiberg. They helped students better understand the history of the monument and think about the importance of location and the role of parks and museums. Students also started to make connections about the context of who we are as a city, and how St. Louis had been identified as a city with racial disparities after the killing of Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson in the summer of 2014.
Then I gave students their next task: What do you think should happen to the Confederate Memorial? Students worked in teams to answer the question and made a presentation to the class. They offered suggestions—and reasons—for what should be done and created visual representations for their ideas.
Although leaving the monument as-is or destroying it completely were options that the groups discussed, students did not prefer them. Instead, students' proposals suggested modifying, contextualizing, or moving the Confederate Memorial—because these actions felt like an important part of restorative justice. One proposal suggested wrapping the existing statue in Kevlar and inviting the community to write on the covering what they want for the future of St. Louis. Another team recommended splitting the existing statue in half and building a bridge that children could play on, while adults could learn about the history by reading a plaque at the base.
Students also learned that they can—and should—become involved in their community and that their voice matters. Although the original plan was to send the proposals to the mayor, she decided she wanted to meet the students and hear their ideas for herself. Although the mayor didn't use the students' proposals, the high-level meeting left the students with a sense of empowerment and a feeling that their ideas mattered.
In June 2017, the city came to an agreement with the Missouri Civil War Museum by which the museum removed the monument and will find a place to store it in a museum, battlefield, or cemetery. The statue is gone, but the lessons about seeking multiple perspectives and listening to understand rather than listening to respond have stuck with my students, as these 10-year-olds thoughtfully considered how centuries of history affect our community today.
This article is part of a Special Section on Connected Classrooms in the November2017 issue of Educational Leadership.
Three projects that aim to deepen students' experience of politics in action.
<LINK URL="http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov17/vol75/num03/A-Presidential-Election-Storypath.aspx">A Presidential Election Storypath</LINK> by Margit E. McGuire, Karen Nicholson, and Allan Rand
Teaching the Confederate Monument Controversy by Stephanie Teachout Allen
<LINK URL="http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov17/vol75/num03/Simulating-Media-Campaigns.aspx">Simulating Media Campaigns</LINK> by Jeremy Stoddard and Mason Rayner
