Dear Friends,

So much depends upon November.  The deepening chill, the afternoon darkness stretching into long nights, the scent of pumpkin spice wafting (over everything, especially if you find yourself in a Trader Joe’s), the sight of rain-flattened, brightly colored leaves on asphalt, the cornucopias and turkeys (or Tofurkies), the promise-threat of family, and the chance to celebrate that uniquely North American holiday—Thanksgiving.

One of the most important takeaways from my experience talking about Thanksgiving in the classroom from a Native Studies perspective is the importance of talking about Thanksgiving.  You don’t have to be a humanities instructor to initiate a conversation with your students about this most American of holidays.  Even in a math or chemistry classroom, you have to do deal with the scheduling disruptions of Thanksgiving week.  Why not also use this as time to reach out engage your students in a conversation about the significance of T-day?  And you don’t have to do it without resources.

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