Patterns of Control and Division

This week among other things we are stepping back and taking a bird's eye view of our country's history from 1492 - 1870's. Students have read vasty different perspectives of the same stories, noticing omissions and varying motives of the story tellers. Students have expressed discontent of reading the same thing over and over again: one group gaining power and wealth at the expense of many. We all seem to be active creators in our society and individual lives. So we begin asking ourselves, "How should things have been over the first 400 years of our country?" And, "Why has history deviated from how it could have been?" Specifically we are looking for patterns of control and division in our country. We will search for these patterns not only as we progress chronologically in our country's history, but also within our selves. Driven by profits and power, millions (billions around the world) lead lives of great struggle and suffering. If we are driven by profits (money and getting our own way?) and power in our own internal worlds, what parts of ourselves are left struggling and suffering? What could things be like in our lives if we become skilled at observing how we create division in ourselves and subsequently acting to address such creations? We will work to segue this into individual projects in which students will observe their thinking and self talk and practice interrupting behaviors that are unbeneficial.