This year my social studies class is a combined class. The fourth grade and fifth grade students learn side by side.

I follow the fifth grade curriculum.

Today, we are going to watch a movie I said to all the students. Immediately a celebration took course.

Yayyy!!!

They smiled at one another while I waited for them to settle down.

They were so excited. No doubt their thrills were heard down the hallway and out the front door.

Class, do you ever watch movies with Ms. Hurley?

Noooo!!!

They were still exited.

So will this be for pure entertainment?

Very few answered. They were t sure what to expect next.

We will take notes and analyze the pictures. This is called, Art and Race Relations. In Stamped from the Beginning, their reading companion, they read about the corruption of Disney movies. There was no better time to watch Pocahontas.

The movie started and there were times I had to ask them not to talk during the ‘boring parts’ – and then there were times they went absolute silent – during the romantic parts (that’s how I know they are growing up!!).

Every-time I asked them about the voice of the character, to explain the if the dialogue or art was racist or anti- racist- they were correct.

While I was watching it, I heard my close friend’s voice, if you are going to teach them about Pocahontas make sure to tell them the truth. He told me that last year when they were in the fourth grade reading Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson. That time, we got as far as analyzing the painting that hangs in the nation capitol entitled- Pocahontas Baptism. This year though, our curriculum gave us room to talk more about the Native American. None of them saw the Disney movie and were naturally happy to see it.

The movie ended and there was a common feeling in the room. No one was surprised about the love story or Pocahontas ending up with the White man and few of them questioned it.

Then, I played a video I found on the internet. It talked about the real meaning of Pocahontas and how it connects to Native people. It gave Pocahontas a different name and shared different images. Unlike my student’s jolly behavior during the movie, they were alert and inquisitive. They took notes and asked questions like- Ms. Hurley, is it okay to say sexually assaulted? What does molested mean? Why did Disney lie? What does genocide mean? What is a homicide? Then they answered their own questions: But Disney is for children and if they told the truth then it wouldn’t be a children’s movie anymore! If suicide means to kill yourself, then homicide means to kill other people.

The children had art next but none of them moved when the bell rang. They had more questions about the supreme court and how people were being charged. I asked them to write their feelings down then we spoke about them. We spoke about protecting ourselves and protecting others. The boys had an opportunity to talk about how they felt about girls getting hurt and the girls spoke about how to respect boys, understanding that anyone can hurt anyone.

The students who were known for being quiet were the most vocal when sharing stories they saw on the internet. Students who were known for bravery spoke about Pocahontas losing her agency and how scary that was for them. The lesson lasted until 10 minutes before lunch as oppose to a hour before lunch. I realized that while they were asking me questions, they were mostly interested in what each other thought and how each other felt in that moment. Realizing this made me talk less as the space was there for them to grow and give each other agency.