I'm going to be the first to call myself out on asking for homework help. But just let me explain...
I'm working on a project for my education class about teaching children and youth from non-dominate traditions and my group and I are focusing on the LDS church. I was wondering if I could use some of y'all as a resource.
What the project entails is learning about the history and culture, finding resources related to what teachers can do in the classroom to match instruction to this group of learners, and locating resources, such as literature, that focuses on our group of learners.
I don't want this to sound like I am asking for y'all to do this project for me. But if you could possibly point me in the right direction or give any words of advice, that would be wonderful. Tomorrow we are going to talk with a professor on campus who is a member of the LDS church in order to gain insight into what teachers should do to honor their students.
Thanks for any help you guys can give.
~Irish
[ April 06, 2006, 03:56 PM: Message edited by: IrishAphrodite19 ]
Posted by MattB (Member # 1116) on :
Hmm. Could you be more specific? What are the ages of the people you're teaching? What sorts of resources are you looking for - thick history books, summaries of doctrine, sociological studies, websites?
The single best analysis of Mormonism is Jan Shipps's book Mormonism: The Story of a New Religious Tradition. It's not very long, and it's a loosely connected series of essays, so you can skip around easily.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
You might want to rename the thread something that will grab the attention of more of our Mormom brethren.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
For the most part, LDS kids in the elementary schools are just like all the other kids in the elementary schools.
Delicious.
Posted by Zalmoxis (Member # 2327) on :
Not true, Scott.
Everyone knows that LDS kids are sweeter because they live more virtuous, healthier lives.
Of course, some of them do tend to be a bit cloying. Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
Touche.
Posted by IrishAphrodite19 (Member # 1880) on :
Matt - technically we are looking for anything. Think of us as one of those resource companies that would come into a school with a really annoying "workshop" on how to be a better teacher. So as long as the materials are for children k-12, we are good.
Scott - The purpose of the project is to make sure that the non-dominate culture is as comfortable as they can possibly be. So that could mean using books that use inclusive language or even mixing in a book or two that talks about the culture, be it a fiction book or a history book.
If it turns out that Mormonism is not a very fruitful topic and Mormon students really do not need the extra attention, then my partner and I will look into finding another topic.
~Irish
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I can't think of anything that you'd need to take into account for those poor non-dominant Mormon children, unless you're in the habit drinking and smoking in class.
<-- grew up as a non-dominant Mormon
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
I wonder if including LDS history in general US history classes would be relevant. Certainly, one would be careful not to distinguish between "Christians" and "Mormons." In the context of mass media, one could clarify that the primary characters in "Big Love" (HBO) are not of the LDS church -- although that would likely be a high school topic, if that. Also might be relevant for South Park's info on LDS.
I've also seen that some of my LDS friends have noted that they feel as if the LDS church is seen as fair game for making fun of, as if being so "straight" makes them vulnerable. Maybe facillitating a general discussion of the dynamics of chosing to live in ways explicitly outside the norm? Something like how this relates to the normal developmental challenges of teenagers (how do you rebel and differentiate when you also have a strong personal and social pull towards a "straight" life?).
Caveat: I am a lapsed Catholic with only incidental information about the LDS church. Posted by scholar (Member # 9232) on :
I was a little offended when the only mention of LDS in my American history class was "The Mormons were a religious group found in mid 1800s. After they had a little trouble with their neighbors, they moved out west." Actually, it wasn't how little was said but the "little trouble with their neighbors" line that annoyed me. I just thought it was a gross oversimplification of what actually occurred.
Posted by MattB (Member # 1116) on :
Hm. You might want to look at some of the lesson manuals for children and young adults to get a sense of how church classes are taught to them.
Click on the link below; select 'curriculum.' In that menu: 'Aaronic Priesthood' is males 12-18, Young Women is females 12-18, and Primary is children below twelve.
I once wrote a final paper for an pre-civil-war US history class on how the Mormons really led the way in colonization of the west.
(Incidentally, I got a D in the class, and I don't think my writing was all that bad... )
There's a truckload of history right there.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
The only thing I can think of is to make sure that whatever is being taught relevant to the religion/culture is absolutely factual. I remember being totally disgusted with inaccuracies about the Mormon pioneers in history books (sorry, don't really remember the specifics). I don't think there needs to be any special mention made of Brigham Young or any other historical figure, but if you ARE going to mention them, make sure you've got it right.
Posted by IrishAphrodite19 (Member # 1880) on :
So...my partner and I have realized that Mormons really are not that different. So we are going to research the Islamic faith instead.
Thanks for help you we able to give.
~Irish
Posted by Dante (Member # 1106) on :
Ah, too bad. I think it sounded like an interesting topic.
On a slightly related topic, last week I did a presentation in my Philology and Weltliteratur seminar based on Anderson's Imagined Communities, in which he explores the idea of the construction of the nation primarily as self-definition against an external Other. I used his work to posit a similar use on an internal (or intra-national as opposed to inter-national) Other and used early anti-Mormon rhetoric (1830-1844) as my example. It was pretty interesting.
Of course, now I have to write a 25-page paper on it. Less interesting.
Posted by Will B (Member # 7931) on :
Yes, it *did* sound interesting. But I'll bet Islam is easier to research, because the differences are much greater.
"Non-dominate"?
Posted by Occasional (Member # 5860) on :
"What the project entails is learning about the history and culture, finding resources related to what teachers can do in the classroom to match instruction to this group of learners, and locating resources, such as literature, that focuses on our group of learners."
"So...my partner and I have realized that Mormons really are not that different."
I think you are giving up on a wonderful growth experience for yourself and the class. You are taking the easy way out. Not that it matters what you finally decide. My thought was, what a great opportunity to show that not all "non-dominate traditions" are beyond the dominant tradition's experiences.
Now for some help. Mormons focus on particular things that would be great for younger people to also get to learn. You can teach the following without pressing religion, and still "honor" the LDS Tradition. In no particular order:
The founding of the West.
Family history and cultures.
Disaster Preparedness.
Building a closer community.
Health and dietary needs.
Participation in Civic Life.
Education as practical knowledge.
Music, writing, the Arts, etc. as expressions of inner convictions.
Overcoming peer pressure to conform to popular thoughts and actions.
These are only a few examples of Mormon specific cultural themes. Not much different from what you could probably teach any child. However, there might be some ways Mormons teach these subjects that are specific to them. True that Mormon children may not need the extra attention. On the other hand, there are topics that Mormos focus on that usually don't get extra attention in school.
Whatever you decide, I think you should take a second look. It all depends on what you are trying to achieve with your final project. There really aren't that many non-dominate traditions in the U.S. that haven't been, to some degree, assimilated.
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
I'm LDS and grew up in the church, in Iowa. Definitely non-dominant culture.
Two incidents from my childhood: being teased on the bus by other kids for being Mormon. "How many wives do you have?" (I'm a girl, so therefore no wives, duh." Also, I spoke up in class once after the teacher said that the American Indians all descended from people that came over the Bering Strait from Asia. I mentioned what our church believes about the Lamanites and although the teacher didn't mock me, I still feel embarrassed over it.
I've also got a copy of (the fifth edition of) "A Pocket History of the United States" which has a brief mention of the church. And part of that is wrong. The sentence reads: "A mob took Smith and his brother from the county jail and hanged them ... " They were shot to death - not nearly the same thing. It's possible that the book has been corrected since then - I picked this up at a used book sale.
Then there's the belief that we aren't Christian ...
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
quote:The purpose of the project is to make sure that the non-dominate culture is as comfortable as they can possibly be. So that could mean using books that use inclusive language or even mixing in a book or two that talks about the culture, be it a fiction book or a history book.
Hmm. Well, my family was the only Mormon family in a predominately Protestant area of Texas. I never felt there was much of a culture clash.
Why do I feel slightly patronized by your project? It's completely unfair to you, I know-- but for heaven's sake, the last thing a Mormon child needs is for someone to point out how very different he is from everyone else.
And I'm REALLY wary of the idea of such a project being undertaken in public schools, by public school teachers. When we talked about Mormonism in my HS history class (settling of the west was the context), the poor teacher was at a complete loss to say whether or not Mormons were Christians. My buddy spoke up and said, "Yeah, but we're in the closet. Shh, don't tell anyone."
(This incident was the inspiration for some truly silly stories called 'Closet Christian Chronicles,' that eventually got me in a heap of trouble with a bunch of well intentioned Mormons.)
Anyway-- at the elementary school level, you're right. Not a big difference between our kids and their kids.
Posted by IrishAphrodite19 (Member # 1880) on :
Scott, when posting this I was worried about being patronizing. That was never my intent. I am sorry that it is coming across that way.
With the project we are trying to figure out ways to teach to the "non-dominate" traditions without actually pointing a finger at the tradition. I also think non-dominate is an awful way to phrase it, but it was on the worksheet and I can't figure out another way.
Your example of the teacher not knowing whether or not to identify Mormons as Christians or not would be something we would probably/hopefully have addressed in the project. The goal is to try and find ways to make the culture feel more included without ostracizing while also helping other students learn more about the culture with letting them know it is happening.
~Irish
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
I was all set to answer again, but changed my mind. This whole thing is pretty moot, because it's highly unlikely you could introduce this subject in a public K-12 school due to people's perceptions of the separation of church and state and a private K-12 school would most likely be related to a specific religion - not LDS. Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
quote:when posting this I was worried about being patronizing. That was never my intent. I am sorry that it is coming across that way.
It's probably just me. Mormons can be hypersensitive when it comes to our religion.
quote:Your example of the teacher not knowing whether or not to identify Mormons as Christians or not would be something we would probably/hopefully have addressed in the project.
The Mormon Church's answer is 'Of course we're Christians! We believe that Christ is the Messiah, and our savior!"
The Protestant churches would respond, "Yes, but the application and doctrine underlyng Mormonism's particular beliefs on that subject is so whacky as to make you un-Christians!"
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