The Idea Was to Hasten the End of the War

"one of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters" p. 164

The concept of war is a concept for inclusion in social studies classes-the Ohio Learning Standards includes the word 48 times (Civil, Cold, 1812, Spanish American, I, II).  Events, yes, but as a concept there is much to be examined through inquiry, connections to be made - an opportunity to even teach non linearly (as if unstuck in time) focusing on the concept instead of chronology.  

However, if my own high school experience is anything like a norm, the lesson would go: "Alright, get out your notebooks, we're starting World War II today ... write this down: Roman Numeral one, World War II, Letter A . . . little number 1. . . " what would follow would be the names of generals, battles, events - weapons - the "cool stuff" - casualties, bombs. casualties (though on further reflection, I also recall it was usually couched within a chronological timeline about presidential elections, and fall under Foreign Policy as a note header).  Today I ask myself, how could I use any of this information to make a claim or argue a point about World War II - I usually got 100 percent on my tests - (actually, I got 98 once, though I cannot remember what I missed) - but what did it all mean together?  Aside from me "winning" an A each time.  

While it could be argued it is ALL important - and I don't disagree - much of it really is not as important right now - to the students, or even the teacher ... in its raw form . . . how much of what is taught through direct instruction - or even required through standards - is noisy distraction from an otherwise "boring" parts of history - and to answer questions on a test?   Maybe a better question can be asked - one Vonnegut asks in this chapter - what are the ethical questions about the nature of war?  A compelling question to be sure, one that could be lifted and placed directly within an inquiry lesson plan.  How about the impact on civilians, soldiers - home and abroad- different strata of society - children.  At what cost? In this way - if the evidence is required, students can go in depth on battles and strategy, deep into the events that led to victory - but more to the point - a focus can be put on the human impact of war - letters, oral and written history - primary documents and archive footage - preparing students for the eventuality that they potentially will be making these decisions in the future.   
While Billie Pilgrim, through his abduction and experience with the Tralfamadorians, has come to accept that Dresden was an eventuality that had to happen, (unless I read that wrong) as they can see all that will be, was, and now- at once -  I remain skeptical that massive destruction should ever be the answer (as was most likely the intent of the book overall - destruction for the purpose of destruction under the guise of war)  It's important that students in high school are asking these questions, conversing about these questions, and developing a critical consciousness that uses evidence to back their answers, and not hearsay or third hand knowledge or whatever information they find online that suits their predisposed view. 

Something I learned from my high school teaching partner, as well as my experience as a social studies teacher, is the importance of moving away from the constant focus on battles, weapons and generals - even elections.  Not to say these are of no importance, but for studnets, connecting with day to day life during war is something that can have a larger impact.  

Letting the voices of those impacted by the war speak is an important part of building an understanding of war itself, as a concept. and expanding studnets critical thinking about - as I learned at my Catholic school - a Just War.  (no time for that discussion here - maybe later). Or is there a just military cause - both to start and then be involved in war.  

How often do students, as non military citizens, consider the impact of war on ourselves, and others or the ethical questions about waging war, or to begin or finish one?  The impact of a war on society, or the population - the solider an aspect of teaching social studies that is of the up most most importance is to provide a look at the day to day toll of war on those back home, and overseas, providing students with a connection to experiences that they may understand, and building those up - scaffolding them to something larger.  The concept of War is vast and connects to many different aspects of life - can students understand?  What do they ultimately understand from a list of battles and weapons, or heroes?

The inn keepers wished the Americans good rest for the night, as they came stumbling in looking for shelter after they and the guards went looking for shelter after the bombing. How do we view the enemy in our minds, in the social studies classroom?  I am reminded of the classic activity - Propaganda Poster Creation.  I always did it with students during World War I - because goodness,  there are some "good" ones - as in classic posters.  

Bringing the voice of the people into the classroom - letting the voices of those who fought, or those who were parents - speak is critical.  I love The Zinn Education Project - and I have had the pleasure of working closely with a colleague I shared a room with, who shared clips he used in class from a documentary - Vietnam: Chronicles of a War.  Of course starting with Vietnam we have televised war - when I started we could still point out some of the newsmen on assignment - like Dan Rather - and the kids knew who they were.  Not so much today - but the documentary is a strong one for exploring the relationship between the media, the war and the population.   

Slaughter House 5

And - it is in this chapter that Vonnegut finally speaks about his experience - that night - the firebombs dropping on the city.  He says very little through his mouthpiece Billy - and I think about how critically important it is that Billy did not time travel for this realization - specifically he just comes to realize he has been hiding the experience of Dresden.  He didn't time travel, he had just been keeping it locked away.  He is remembering in the present - no shifting in time - its all coming back due to the singing - remembering the experience of desolation - In his words the

"bombing sounded like giant footsteps" and  "The one flame ate everything organic, everything that would burn"  and "Dresden was like the moon now - nothing but minerals"

To describe in such a way - giant footsteps - more than just a parent stomping around on the floor above, but titans - goliaths, walking on the ground above the slaughter house bunker  He speaks of those in more shallow bunkers dying ... so it goes. Or those guards who went home to their families in Dresden - all gone ... so it goes.  A few guards and 100 American soldiers survived the fire bombing.   

We did read a book in high school that represented the voices of others - Everything We Had.  The focus not exactly on the fighting, but on the influence the war had on the day to day human beings - at least as I recall.  We read this in school in my only history elective - 1945 to the present.  It is a book I look for every time I am in a Half Priced Books, so I can give it to a new person.  I have given it as graduation gifts, birthday presents and Christmas exchanges - it is something I think is easily included in a high school class, but also provides teacher gatekeepers with a broader understand of what was going on. 

My social studies classes were pretty standard - lecture, write this down, take a test - facts were what came from the book, or the notes, the glorious yellow tattered notebook on the podium - and there were no questions.  No questions! I remember Matt asking a question about the JFK Assassination - it did not go well . . .  It was a tense moment, and I carried that with me into my own classroom.  JFK was assassinated by a lone gunman - Lee Harvey Oswald.  Its just what the facts tell us. Magic bullet and all. 

That lesson was actually first official observation - and it was a good comeuppance for someone who had already, in the first year, fallen into traditional old habits and abiding by my own apprenticeship of observation.  I was so happy to invite him in to watch and to enjoy us talking about history!  However, while the assistant principal wrote a nice review, he then gave me the advice I seemed to have forgotten from my college education - "be open to questions" and allow students to think and engage the material. Then, he shared a book with me ... "Bloody Treason." 

I think he may have been a conspiracy theorist, but the big picture here is: He was right.  I had allowed my own background to shortchange the students opportunities to ask questions and become engaged in the lesson - my role as a teacher is not to dictate or demand, it is to educate. And that means encouraging critical thinking and the development of questions- questions are better than answers, and the best answers really are just new questions, based in the evidence gathered.  I am not endorsing the book - just wanted to showcase that there are administrators who want social studies to be what it should be - investigative, looking at evidence, and situated within questions.  He would probably enjoy the new C3 framework and its focus on inquiry, instead of memorized regurgitated information.

But - back to the book,. Vonnegut dispenses quickly with the event.  There is not much written -instead we get more story about the author Trout.  And its here I think Ill pull up and stop - before diving back into the chapter in the next post.  Plenty to chew on here. 

But we have circled back to asking those critical questions - as Gatekeepers in the classroom- what we know, what we were taught, and what we are interested in drives what we teach, how we teach it and when we teach it.  

May we never return to a time that favored a view of the truth in our social studies classes that was never actually true. 

Education is political - there is no neutrality in teaching, as much as some would wish it to be.  We have a purpose, we have a bias - the bias should be towards more truth, more investigation, more voices and more honesty - not the alternative.  Never the alternative.  Alternative facts are in fact lies. 

Lies teachers should not be telling.