The topic of Columbus day has become a challenging one in many school systems. As I was growing up, I was taught that Columbus was this big hero for discovering America and that if not for him, we could not exist. While part of this is true, he did not exactly land in The United States of America, something I later found out in my education, and himself and his sailors were not the first people to come live on this land. In fact, many Native American people were already starting the basis of our lives on this land, we as a society just give all the credit to Columbus. Was Columbus really the hero that we celebrate every year?

One of the reading posted,Discovering Columbus, demonstrates a sixth grade teacher trying to explain to his students that Columbus did not discover America by giving a parallel between stealing a students purse and Columbus ‘stealing’ America from the Native Americans. The teacher asks students what other words besides discovery would explain what Columbus did. “Discovery represents the point of view of the supported discovers. It’s the invaders masking the theft” (page 2). All the stories we are told and written in our text books are chosen by what people who support Columbus want us to read. If what we learned everyday was decided by people of Native American decent, we might know the truth about Columbus sooner in our educations. One thing that I remember learning about in the sixth grade that shocked me, and seemed to shock these students as well was what exactly Columbus brought back from America. We all know he brought back spices, and riches, and clothes, but on Columbus's second voyage(yes he had two) he took back 500 people to Spain, as slaves.

These books that teachers are using in elementary schools are getting students to route for Columbus, and certainly do not give all the facts about what kind of person he was. In the second article I looked at, No Reason to Celebrate an Invasion, an interesting question is brought up; What should be the goal and perspective of teachers when telling their elementary and high school students about Columbus? The article says that teachers should respect the truth about the past, and I agree.  By telling kids one thing in elementary school and then changing the story later on in life, kids become confused, and the question “What else am I being told that isn’t true?” is being seen more and more. Personally, I think the truth needs to be told earlier in kids lives. As someone that will be going into elementary education. I want to be honest and truthful with students, but I also understand that Columbus and his ways are very complex. I think that be starting off with the smaller details about Columbus, like that he came across America, and that he was not very kind to the people living there are a good way to start off for the little, innocent, kids, and then as they get older, discuss just how unjust he was to these people and the harsher things he did to hurt them. I think it is important to be able to understand the truth, especially in education.

             I think that if more students know the truth about Columbus, they will be better adapted towards learning and trusting education in the future.
          I found this wanted poster of Columbus online. I like it because besides being funny, it captivates the truth behind Columbus, and even thought he did find the Americas first, he did no discover them, he simply stole away the land, took about the peoples riches, and sold the natives into slavery. Does that sound like a hero in our country?