J South,

I'm not sure what the "test" was that you put in your message, but I suspect 
you were upset that the students were asked to study about Nat Turner. Is 
that supposed to be bad? Nat Turner is not listed in the SOLs, but a good 
teacher and good textbook would include him in the story of the events 
leading up to the overthrow of the slavery system. I can see a teacher 
asking the children to compare Nat Turner to George Washington or Thomas 
Jefferson who both advocated freedom for the colonies and fought/wrote so 
that they jeopardized their lives to make it happen. Nat Turner did the 
same, had many supporters in Virginia and elsewhere, but unlike George 
Washington he was not successful in defeating "The British" and paid the 
price that would have been paid by George and Thomas had the war not been 
won.

It is an excellent exercise in learning for 4th graders, and much better 
than memorizing that Thomas Wolfe wrote books that can be enjoyed by adults.

Anne

Anne Pemberton
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http://www.erols.com/apembert
http://www.educationalsynthesis.org