Third graders activists from Valleyview Elementary School in Oneonta, New York are very upset that their Math in Focus workbook, a Houghton Mifflin Harcourt product marketed under the corporate name Marshall Cavendish, reinforces myths about Christopher Columbus. On his first voyage in 1492, Columbus and his fleet reached what is now known as the Caribbean Sea and landed on a number of the islands. On his third voyage in 1498 Columbus’ fleet made landfall on the northern coast of what is now South America. On his final voyage in 1502, Columbus explored the Caribbean coast of Central America. Columbus thought he had found a water route from Europe to Asia and never believed he had “discovered” a new hemisphere. The “New World” continents are named after Amerigo Vespucci, another Italian explorer, who convincingly argued that Columbus had reached a whole new continent. An excellent response to Columbus myths for teachers and students is Rethinking Columbus, published by Rethinking Schools.
This is the email I received from Ken Sider, the third grade activists’ teacher.
February 8, 2019
Dear Professor,
We are third graders from Valleyview Elementary School in Oneonta, New York. We have a problem that we want to tell you about.
When we were using our Math in Focus workbook, we noticed page 52 had incorrect information. There was a math problem that said Columbus landed in America in 1492. We know that is not true. Columbus was never in America. The Marshall Cavendish Education company is teaching thousands of kids the wrong information. We want them to fix it, but they are ignoring us. We sent them a letter on October 10, 2018, and they sent us a form letter back that said: “Our representative will be reviewing your request and sending you a response within 2 working days.” When we didn't hear from them, we wrote again on November 6, 2018, to remind them. They sent another form letter that said: “We have since forwarded your class’s letter to the relevant team. We will urge the relevant team to respond to you and your class.” We wrote again on November 28, and told them they are putting false information in their book and that we want to hear from them. We offered to fix the page for them and asked them to please answer us. They still have not answered us. We have been waiting for four months. We think they are ignoring us because we are kids.
Kids deserve to know the truth about history and Columbus. Adults who make books for kids should know the facts and get them right. On the cover of the Math in Focus workbook, it says Marshall Cavendish Education is a “world class program” and a “consistent top performer in international studies.” We can’t believe this is right because of the mistake on page 52. Don’t they know Columbus never landed in America?
We are going to make this email an open letter to Marshall Cavendish Education, and we need your help. We want them to answer us and fix this mistake. If you agree with us, please send us a letter on letterhead or an email with your email signature so we can include your name with our letter. If you know any other professors, please pass our email on to them. We will need names by February 28, 2019. Thank you!
If you would like your name included on their letter, email Ken Sider at ksider@oneontacsd.org.
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