ABSTRACT
Schools are tempted to promote a single story view of the world. The best examples can be seen in our teaching of history which is largely taught from the viewpoint of the winners. The fact that winners are overwhelmingly western, white and male seems to have never really troubled curriculum writers until quite recently when we are beginning to see major events such as slavery and the founding of America far more though the eyes of the victims. There is a danger of a ‘single story’ where complexities are frequently glossed over in favor of elevating simplified narratives. There are a variety of ways of interrupting the single story and empowering those who have been the unfortunate victims of its toxic power. Empathy and understanding of fellow human beings can flow when we no longer ‘other’ those who are different from us and begin to find ways to tell a different, more complicated story that highlights our shared humanity.
