I was browsing Freakonomics, and I came across this article about Helen Keller. Apparently schools don't think it is necessary to teach about Helen Keller anymore.
What?!?
Granted, as the article points out, she was a socialist...but that doesn't seem to stop schools from teaching about other socialists.
Whatever her opinion and philosophy, I still think it is important for children to study her. After all, she was both blind and deaf, and overcame many obstacles to acquire a degree and become a speaker and author. The story of Helen Keller teaches kids about perseverance through overwhelming obstacles. I'm not quite sure what "earth day" teaches them, other than to recycle...which they already know about...
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Wow, that's seriously shocking and unsettling. I can't imagine not having learned about Helen Keller. Her political views aren't really important historically, but her life story will always be amazing. I mean, she was deaf-blind almost from birth, but she managed to graduate college (when non-disabled few women did), and she even learned how to speak! It's hard to think of better example to teach kids about the tremendous resilience of the human psyche.
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