Challenging Curriculum and Sensitive Topics

Hey there, parents and teachers,

I am going to confess something to my readers that I don’t want to confess, but know I have to because you all deserve it. Among the almost three hundred products I've put together, I created two products that did more than tug at my heartstrings, I found myself feeling hurt, sad, and for a few days I felt deeply depressed. I get it, it sound a bit silly – shedding tears over products meant for students, right?

The Cross Cultural Slave Trade Project and Titan Implosion product were two of the most challenging products to make. They both took from me their pound of flesh. But then, when we are talking about enslavement, cruelty or people being killed in horrible ways – that will do it.

In this blog, I will confess my heart was downloaded into an abyss of sadness. I did it because the products are the stories we share – stories that define our identity. I created these products because I felt it was necessary to do so.

You know, some subjects we dodge, some stories we dodge because they dig way too deep. It's like diving headfirst into a rabbit hole of emotions. It's like sitting in a jury box, listening to gut-wrenching stories that tore lives apart. And then, there's stuff that you stumble upon that just churns your stomach. These two products led me into a place that was as dark as the night sky – and yes, I did feel a little down, but I powered through. I know that we shouldn’t look into the abyss because the abyss is looking back at us. The abyss looked at me, I looked back at it and it left me shaken. We can't let the shadows swallow us, right?

So, let's shine a light on the first one, "The Anthropology of Slavery." You know, slavery isn't confined to a single chapter in history – it's more like a persistent thread that has weaved through time, touching every corner of the globe. And believe it or not, there are more slaves today than there ever were in the past. Slavery didn't care where you were from or what you looked like, it snatched up people just like that. Even tiny villages like Baltimore Ireland weren't spared. Ships rolled in, swiped folks, and sailed off to North Africa. Imagine rowing away on those ships, barely able to catch a breath, let alone catch a break. Women? Sold off for something I can't even bring myself to say out loud. We all know what I am talking about. Slavery's history is dark and tangled. From Ireland to Africa, China to Japan, every corner of the world has its own cruel tale. And yeah, it's painful, but it's a part of our shared story.

Now, I birthed a product out of this gut-wrenching history called "The Slaver Cross Cultural Research Project." And boy, it wasn't all rainbows and unicorns to make. I kept the informational text as tasteful as possible, writing about truth, facts and an extensive bibliography that anyone can verify.

Students will write an cross cultural slave trade essay, and my product gives them everything they need to gather notes, write an essay and a thesis statement. Two different slave trades, two different continents – that's what this project is all about. Comparing, contrasting – the whole shebang. How long did it last? How many lives did it swallow whole? Vulnerabilities, oh man, we've got to talk about those. It's not a heartwarming project, but it's real. I created Google slide presentations and quizzes about how slavery was practiced in Nigeria by both Muslims and Christians, including the their alleged moral justifications for enslaving each other.

Creating this thing was a journey, no doubt about it. Tears? Oh, you bet. But the thing is, we can't just sweep this stuff under the rug. It's like a scar on humanity's face, and I think we owe it to ourselves to know where it comes from. We owe it to ourselves to understand that slavery is a culturally universal experience.

The second product was is entitled "Titan Implosion | Physics of Marine Energy Transfer." Now, I'm a lover of science and math, but even those couldn't ease the weight of this one. We're diving deep into underwater energy transfers, the kind that caused the Titan submersible to implode. It's science on steroids with a mixture of tragedy. We're talking physics, math, and a touch of heartache. The Titan imploded under immense pressure, and with it, a 19-year-old named Suleman. His mother's pain, it's something I can't put into words. Watching those YouTube videos, listening to Christine Dawood speak - seeing the pain in her eyes, it hit hard. I've got my own kids, and thinking of losing them in such as way – it's unthinkable. As parents and teachers we can’t help but imagining what if it was one of our own.

But let's shift back to the product. We're talking math problems that unveil why implosions happen. It's like piecing together a puzzle of catastrophe. James Cameron came out as a superstar in this. My level of respect for him grew exponentially. When they lost contact with the Titan James Cameron knew it imploded – he knew days before everyone else.

Stockton Rush was the mastermind behind the Titan, a creation he had immense faith in. However, his enthusiasm led him to take shortcuts. He skimped on getting the Titan properly certified and brushed aside basic engineering principles. Interestingly, the echoes of history resound, as Captain Edward Smith of the Titanic faced iceberg warnings that he too disregarded. It's a curious twist – two men, separated by a century, repeating the same fateful blunder that led to their tragic downfall.

How To Use:

Both of these products are pretty easy to use. After you’ve downloaded them from TPT, I recommend talking to your students about their feelings and also make sure you are carefully pacing the learning plan. Students should use the self-assessment checklist before you begin the lesson, and really practice being introspective. Check in on your students regularly. When students write their essay for the Cross-Cultural Slave Trade Project, you should have them submit their graphic organizers and a rough draft before they submit their final paper to you. This will give you another opportunity to gage how they are feeling about the content.

So, there you have it, my confession – these products were more than just ones and zeroes to me. They're stories etched in pain, history lessons wrapped in tears.

Being human means embracing our emotions. Together, let's confront the shadows, extract wisdom, and ensure they don't shape us. Download My Heart: The Anthropologist's Dedicated Tale of a Heart in Pieces. Ultimately, it's the stories we share that define our identity.

And thank you to all of my readers for allowing me the space to be vulnerable. It means a lot that I can talk about how these products made me feel. Each of these products has a self-assessment page so students can actively monitor their feelings about these trying topics as well.

Sincerely,

Naomi Gutierrez 🍎 This blog may include affiliate links, which means you won't be charged any extra, but I'll earn a modest commission. Yay!