Education in the Freedom Corridor: How Do We Teach the Freedom Narrative?

EDUCATION ABOUT HISTORY is the actualization of our memory. It is the transgenerational handoff of historical narratives and the lessons they contain. This curriculum runs through all levels of formal education, from K-12 to higher education, and even across disciplines. This panel demonstrates the educational process in all these ways. What is possible at a high school? A community college? A liberal arts college? A university? The Freedom Corridor is education rich and has the potential to educate new generations so they can maintain the freedom narrative well into the future. We are all encouraged to be part of the education necessary to remember and rebuild the Freedom Corridor.Let me start by introducing myself so we're no longer strangers. A little bit about my hometown, Cuba, located in Fulton County. It's about an hour, maybe an hour-and-fifteen-minute, drive from here. We're proud to have had the first green school in Illinois. At one point, we were also known as the strip-mining capital of the world. However, I don't want to overromanticize this, there are a couple of things you should know about us before you make plans to visit.While we take pride in our green school, we made a mistake by placing our baseball facilities next to our solar panels, resulting in a lot of cracked solar panels. We once had a sign that proudly proclaimed, “Welcome to Cuba, the strip-mining capital of the world,” but some teenagers vandalized it to read, “The stripping capital of the world.” These are both great examples of why it is important to tell the whole truth about our history. As a teacher in this rural west-central region of Illinois, I've developed a deep passion for telling the truth about local history to young people, and I hope to effectively communicate this to you in my remarks.Let me briefly tell you some more truths about how our community, like many in the region, faces significant challenges, especially in terms of education. Here's a few I'd like to highlight: Attracting and retaining qualified teachers;High poverty rates;Shortage of mental health support;Declining population, as young people move to urban areas for better opportunities;Limited exposure to diverse ideas and experiences;Disengagement from school and distrust in institutions.When I think about the challenges facing this region, I've been deeply inspired by the stories of Free Frank, Lucy, and New Philadelphia. Their resourcefulness, determination, and creativity have been particularly impactful. The dedication of the descendants and residents of Pike County in preserving this history has been equally inspiring. I hope to bring these lessons back to my own school and community. I'm especially learning the importance of documenting our history. We've got to document the stories in our own backyards. As a teacher, I want my students to share the responsibility of this.The key message I want to convey today has already been beautifully illustrated by Emily Pursley's presentation. Her capstone project epitomizes the goal of nurturing curiosity and supporting students. Last night, we heard Solomon's music and poetry, showcasing how history and creativity intertwine. This is what successful education looks like, and it's what I aspire to achieve in my own classroom.My approach to teaching the freedom narrative is to facilitate creativity through an inquiry-based approach—and here's the most important part—that challenges me to trust my students. In a time where schools are doubling down on punitive measures to address issues like chronic absenteeism and disengagement, I'm employing a risky but rewarding strategy that I believe Free Frank would very much dig: trusting my students and meeting them where they are.I hope this doesn't sound too clichéd, but as a teacher, I truly believe that democracy is on the line. Schools are the battleground for preserving our freedom stories, and teachers are on the front lines of this battle. We all recognize that the local freedom stories we're celebrating today have not been included in the traditional curriculum. In fact, I don't know too many people who said, “I learned about the Free Frank stories in school.” Most have learned these stories in spite of their school experience, and that's what I want permission to tell the truth about. I'm pleased to say that efforts to institutionalize these stories have gained tremendous momentum, and I have some very optimistic news to share about that later.However, I feel responsible to share that this momentum could be countered by the current battle fatigue experienced by educators. To give you a visual image of this, imagine your favorite teacher delivering an engaging lesson, but there's a giant purple elephant in the room. This elephant represents the battle fatigue and capacity problems many schools face. Some argue the situation is beyond repair. Teacher burnout, student disengagement, and absenteeism are at all-time highs. A recent poll showed that 75 percent of high school students dislike school. Many older folks are surprised by this and can't believe the number is so high, while younger people with recent high school experience think this number is low. Additionally, history and art are reportedly the least favorite classes, which is disheartening since my wife is an art teacher and I teach history.As we work to institutionalize these stories, it's wise we understand the current struggles within our education system. Again, democracy is very much on the line. Right before this panel I was discussing substitute teaching with my new friend Posey. I often encourage people to see things for themselves and consider being a substitute teacher for a day. If that experience is not possible for you, do what you can to talk to teens and engage with young people.The goal is to teach the students we have, not the students we want to have. This is very challenging because many of us may not be familiar with the top five TikTokers right now. The world young people navigate today can seem very strange, but our efforts to effectively share stories like Free Frank and New Philadelphia depend on our ability to develop positive relationships with young people.But enough of the dark side, because the truth is, I'm very optimistic. Today is a perfect time to amplify Illinois freedom stories like those of Free Frank and New Philadelphia. I truly believe that young people need these stories and it's crucial for us to invest in efforts to institutionalize them. Students who feel trapped and disconnected from their communities will find great inspiration in these local freedom narratives.In schools facing what seems like an unsustainable future, we are forced to reckon with questions like, What is our purpose? Why should we care about our local history? These questions shouldn't discourage us. The tragedy is that we ever stopped asking them in the first place.The story of Free Frank prompts us to revisit enduring questions that are deeply rooted in American history: What does it mean to be free? Who gets to be a citizen? What responsibilities come with citizenship? It is our duty to ask these questions. And it's my responsibility to ask these questions with my students.The Freedom Corridor movement also invites surrounding communities, like mine, to ask difficult but important questions like, Does our community deserve to be part of the Freedom Corridor? Where have we succeeded in championing freedom? How will we celebrate these successes, particularly in relation to Black, Indigenous, and people of color, as well as to children and women in our town's history? Equally important, where have we failed to champion freedom? And perhaps most crucially, what can we do today, together, to champion freedom, especially considering the presence of thirty-five thousand asylum seekers in Illinois right now?So, with that, I didn't bring slides but I hope it's OK that I brought a prop I often use in my classroom. It's a 1G mobile phone that sits on my desk each day, which I use to spark conversations with my students. This prop represents the idea that innovation has to start somewhere. As Gerald mentioned earlier, we have amazing computers in our pockets today, but my students, who have grown up with these cell phones, don't have much experience with the early models. The goal is to show them that the advanced technology we have today began with humble beginnings. The message is simple, “Innovation has to start somewhere.” This ties back to my opening statement that as a teacher, I'm facilitating creativity and trusting my students. I am so inspired by this generation of creatives, and we have already seen examples today of this potential realized. However, I also recognize the challenges. I have a sixteen-year-old who is learning to drive, and it's a reminder that learning to trust young people is hard. But we must not be afraid to trust. Innovation has to start somewhere.As a teacher, it is my responsibility to facilitate for students to tell the freedom stories in their own ways. goal is to develop who effectively engage with their community. 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