Currently, I am sitting on the bunkbed in my daughters’ room as Eliana writes her essay about a notable person from the Midwest. There were several to chose from, but only one woman, Amelia Earhart. Of the several gunslingers listed, Eliana chose Wyatt Erp, the hero/villain of the Wild West who has been canonized in dozens of books and movies. She is literally reading sentences from Encyclopedia Britannica about his time as bouncer at a brothel where he made money gambling and horse thieving in Indian Territory. Nice.

Don’t you think it’s time we updated the curriculum to include more women and men with better character for our children to focus on and emulate? We shouldn’t be surprised when there are groups of men carrying around guns to feel patriotic. Children are still learning that that for men, notability comes from violence.