New Hampshire teachers have a lot of freedom when it comes to what’s taught in the classroom. Aside from federal Common Core standards and state-level requirements around genocide and civics education, they get to decide what to cover in their curriculums — and what to leave out.
As schools approach teaching the 250th anniversary of the United States this year, one New Hampshire educator says that academic freedom is both a gift and a challenge, especially when it comes to where teachers choose to start the story of America.
“That's the hard work. That's the labor of love that's in education,” said Valerie Wolfson, an eighth grade teacher at Oyster River Middle School in Durham. “It's the thing I love, and it's also the thing that's exhausting teaching in New Hampshire, and it's the beauty of teaching in this school district. There is not much prescribed, which is wild and wonderful, and a huge responsibility.”
Wolfson has taught for more than 25 years and has worked hard to give her students a more inclusive understanding of American history. For her students, that means going back thousands of years before European colonists arrived, to understand the depth of the Indigenous presence in North America.
Related: Find more of NHPR's coverage of the nation's 250th birthday
The school's front entrance features a large-scale picture of the Little Bay area of the Oyster River with a timeline of how the land has changed, including an acknowledgement of the Abenaki people who first lived there.
In her classes, Wolfson uses the theme of “origin stories” to help her students explore Indigenous, African, and colonial perspectives on early American history, and the ways they parallel and intersect.
“One of the things I try to start with is the premise that I think is really important . . . that Indigenous nations were whole and complete and civilized places already that we interrupted,” she said.
Wolfson has developed this curriculum largely on her own. There are busy professional development days and weekends spent reading. Wolfson has even curated social media accounts populated with content creators who give her ideas about how to teach Indigenous history.
“Teachers often replicate what they've been taught,” she said. “So, I've been really aware of the need to continue to learn because I don't want to just replicate what I've been taught. And I think also our current political climate has had a real chill effect in bringing in these divergent and sometimes contradictory narratives. So, I just want to acknowledge that, too.”
There are lessons on Abenaki history available for K through 12 classrooms just across the border in Quebec, which are being developed at the Abenaki First Nation at Odanak, one of two federally recognized Abenaki nations. Their homeland spans parts of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Canada.
One of the educators is Jacques Watso, a citizen of Odanak who’s also a caterer. For some of his lessons, he prepares traditional Abenaki food as a way of connecting students to culture through a tangible product. He travels to schools in the region to give lessons on Abenaki history and contemporary life.
Watso said it's important for students to learn about all facets of Indigenous life — not just pre-colonial history or culture — and that the sources informing curriculums have lived experience.
"It's not just about the folklore,” Watso said. “We are active in modern society also. There are a lot of Native businesses that . . . are active and employ a lot of people in different sectors. So, it's important to talk about the different aspects, but not just limited to feathers and smudge and regalia.”
Watso has worked with the Education Commission of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador in Canada to develop lessons on Abenaki life told directly by Abenaki people. He works in classrooms, largely in Canada, although citizens of Odanak have presented and had their work displayed in the U.S., including at Plymouth State University.
Daniel Nolett, general director of the Council of Abenaki at Odanak, said schools need to be wary of what he calls “self-identified Abenaki” or “SIA” groups that claim Abenaki ancestry without evidence and that are not recognized by First Nations. He wants to offer other options with direct ties to Abenaki people.
“We know the SIAs are trying to really push hard to . . . replace the whole curriculum [with] their own," Nolett said. "So, at least to have something, like an option to the teachers, to the scholars, to say, 'Well, you can pick and choose.' ”
Watso and Nolett said they hope to expand the reach of their lessons with in-person visits and virtual courses for classrooms in Canada and New England.
Wolfson, at Durham's Oyster River Middle School, said she would welcome a visit. She believes there’s room for improvement in the way New Hampshire schools teach about Indigenous communities and their histories, but that starting somewhere, with one classroom and a willingness to grow and learn new perspectives, is what matters — all for the benefit of the students.
“I find my students really enjoy exploring big ‘aha’ moments in history or surprises or things that contradict what they may have heard in the past,” Wolfson said. “So, that's often a place, an entry point that I find with students.”
Wolfson said she plans to work more on her curriculum over the summer and continue teaching Indigenous history as her school recognizes the 250th anniversary of the United States.
