Dear Siskiyou Community,
One of my greatest joys as a teacher is watching students move beyond asking what happened to asking why, and then considering what they think about it. The Ravens have brought that spirit of curiosity to our first U.S. History block, and I’m delighted to share a little of our journey.
Our study of U.S. history begins with the understanding that this land’s history did not begin with European arrival. Indigenous peoples had long established communities, cultures, and ways of life throughout the Americas. As we followed the English settlers to Jamestown in 1607 and the Pilgrims to Plymouth in 1620, we considered the experiences of the Native peoples whose homelands these settlers entered. Their perspectives belong at the heart of this history, including the relationships, conflicts, and displacement that accompanied colonization.
As we explored the Thirteen Colonies, we also looked honestly at forced labor, slavery, and the slave trade. We considered the lives of enslaved Africans and their descendants, whose labor helped build the colonies, and asked whose stories have been centered and whose voices have too often been left out. From there, we followed the road to revolution: the Proclamation Line, the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, and Washington’s daring crossing of the Delaware. We have now reached the Constitution and George Washington’s election as the nation’s first president.
Throughout this journey, the Ravens have been thoughtful history detectives. They are asking difficult and important questions: Who benefited from these decisions? Who was harmed or excluded? Whose freedom was being defended, and whose was denied? How did the creation of a new nation affect the Indigenous nations already here? How do these choices continue to shape our lives today? My hope is not to give students a predetermined set of opinions, but to help them examine evidence, consider different perspectives, and develop judgments they can explain and reconsider.
This work also speaks to the developmental moment the Ravens are entering. Rudolf Steiner described adolescence, beginning around age fourteen, as a time when young people increasingly seek reasons and begin to form their own judgments. As their teacher, I see this as an invitation to make room for meaningful questions, thoughtful disagreement, and discovery. I want our classroom to be a place where students feel supported as they find their voices and learn to think for themselves.
With Election Day taking place today, our studies feel especially alive. This week, we are exploring the three branches of government and the checks and balances designed to keep power from resting with any one branch. We are also learning how the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Electoral College came to be. As citizens across the country cast their ballots, the Ravens have an opportunity to connect our history lessons with the civic life unfolding around them. These moments, when the past helps illuminate the present, are among the reasons I love teaching history.
Last week also brought a special opportunity to look ahead. Six high school students visited our classroom to share what high school is really like. Our guests included graduates of Ms. Benson’s Forest class, my daughter Hazel from Mr. Beach’s Dragonfly class, and two AMS graduates.
Our visitors answered the Ravens’ many questions with patience and honesty, offered reassurance about the transition ahead, and shared thoughtful advice. The Ravens left feeling heard and valued, with greater confidence that their time at the Siskiyou School is preparing them well for high school. I was grateful for the chance for them to hear from students who could speak from their own experience and help make an unfamiliar next step feel a little more welcoming.
A heartfelt thank you to our visitors for their generosity, encouragement, and care. And thank you to this community for supporting a place where young people can ask real questions, grow in confidence, and discover the strength of their own thinking.
With gratitude,
Ms. Chlebowski
