Published in the July 2, 2021 edition.
BY MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — The School Committee this week heard about plans to incorporate into the curriculum at all levels materials and lessons that “more accurately reflect Native American history, culture, and the contributions of indigenous peoples connected to Wakefield.”
The move is rooted in a resolution that came about last spring when the School Committee decided to eliminate the the Wakefield High School logo, which for decades had consisted of an image of a Native American in a headdress.
School Superintendent Doug Lyons quoted from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to highlight the goal of including “diverse perspectives to acknowledge that perceptions are affected by race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and personal experience.”
Lyons introduced grade English Curriculum Coordinator Margaret Messier and Social Studies Curriculum coordinator Jason Pavey to discuss some to the specifics.
Pavey noted that some of this work had been ongoing before last spring’s resolution. He noted that Dr. Raoul Fernandez, Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Boston University was brought in last fall to train teachers, meeting with staff on a monthly basis.
In addition, Clint Smith, NAACP poet of the year, hosted a virtual assembly for students and staff last year, Pavey said.
Lyons noted that Fenandez and Smith have been joining local classes via Zoom over the past year.
Messier noted that diverse voices and texts have been added at each grade. This year, she said, the focus is on adding texts by Native American authors. She said that there was collaboration with student leaders on how to teach and address these issues.
Pavey and Messier said that they contacted Mishy Lesser, leader of the “Upstander Project” and creator “Dawnland,” a documentary film about the first official “truth and reconciliation commission” in the United States.
Pavey and Messier said that they have been accepted into “Upstander Academy” this summer, where they will learn how to have “focused and sensitive conversations about how to reckon with our past.” They said that they want to show the “Upstander” film to the entire Wakefield faculty.
Pavey and Messier said that they plan to reach out to one of Wakefield’s Native American families, the Bayrds, for input on local history.
They also plan to continue consulting with Fernandez and Lesser as well as Maria Muti of the Wakefield Human Rights Commission.
In addition, they plan to bring in Jemilah Pitts, an education consultant and equity and inclusion strategist to conduct professional development sessions to train teachers on “culturally responsive teaching.” Pitts will also lead a retreat for local school administrators in August.
There was some discussion of a “task force” that will be formed in the fall to talk about incorporating native American history and culture into the curriculum. The task force will consist of school administrators, teachers, community representatives, Native American education advisors and WMHS student representatives, whom Messier called “the most important voice.”
Messier said that the plan is to continue to “diversify” texts across all curriculum areas including incorporating texts by Native American authors. Pavey said that they also want to do a better job incorporating Native American history at the K-5 level. Elementary students will learn about colonization by English settlers and their “complex and often conflicted” relationship with Native Americans.
Pavey noted that the high school “Diversity Leaders” class has been rebranded as “Conversations in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion” as a full-year elective class at WMHS. The goal is to “cover the history of marginalized people” as much as possible, Pavey added.
Messier said that they plan to consult with Dr. Fernandez of BU as they put together the curriculum.
School Committee member Ami Wall wanted to know if the teaching of this material would be age-appropriate at all levels. Pavey responded that there are ways to teach “tough material” in an age-appropriate way.
Wall also asked if parents would be informed of the material being taught and if they would be able to provide feedback. Pavey indicated that notices have gone out to parents in the past about subjects being covered in classes. He said that he and Messier are available to answer parent questions.
In response to another question from Wall, Pavey said that the the goal of the curriculum is “to create a more inclusive student body” and “create a community where people of all walks of life are respected for their history.”
School Committee member Thomas Markham was enthusiastic about the curriculum changes.
“This is awesome,” Markham said. “This is something that is going to be very welcome by the students.”