No Slavery in the Classroom? Try the Xbox…

As a high school history teacher, there have been several moments where I was teaching about a particular subject--- World War II, for instance--- and a student would raise their hand and say, “Oh yeah!  I saw that plane in Medal of Honor!”  or “Oh yeah!  The Cold War, like in Call of Duty!”  Usually, when they tell teachers to “activate prior knowledge” in students, they mean activate what students have learned in previous schoolyears or in prior lessons; nowadays, I find activating prior knowledge to mean “remind them what they saw while playing their favorite history-related video game.”

…Maybe video games should be the ‘21^st Century Homework’, huh, lol


As you can see by the rest of my site, I’m more of a Street Fighter fan myself.  But it’s good that there are some media outlets that have succeeded in promoting historical themes to students.   Especially when you consider that schools, unfortunately, often use history only to promote thoughtless patriotism; to assimilate students wholesale into American culture, rather than expose them to all the facts and let them draw their own conclusions.



In Texas and Oklahoma, for instance, the facts pertaining to slavery in the Americas are being diluted and wiped from history curriculums; likewise, AP history classes are being banned altogether for being “too un-American”--- in other words, for putting America in a less-flattering light by being honest instead of only talking about the pretty parts.

…Meanwhile, two Christmases ago, the fourth installment of the Assassin’s Creed video game series released downloadable game content entitled “Freedom Cry”, which is set during slavery and follows the story of a fugitive slave-turned-assassin named Adewale.

Imagine that:  our secondary education institutions are afraid to teach America’s complete history, but a recreational video game looks that history directly in the face without fear and without apology and even invites young people to play with it.  …Keep up the #SHENANIGANS, Assassin’s Creed.

But, sheesh, what kind of education turns its back on factual information just because it’s uncomfortable?    Why do I have to thank God for a loosely-historical video game that goes where a scholastic history curriculum won’t?  #HERELIESEDUCATION



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P.S. – Assassin’s Creed is actually rated M for Mature.  Because… there will be blood.  But in 2015, I don’t think parents really filter what their kids are exposed to any more.  Might as well make the best of it, eh?