Hi All, Alison that was a good subject message.. We had a discussion about this very subject on another list.. with many pros and cons! I know an area school had a similiar problems when they tried to introduce Genealogy into their 6th grade history course,, They had to stop the genealogy part of the course.. Sad but true! Most parents were not pleased with it's introduction. With so many single parent children, divorces, and yes interracial adoptions, 1 parent children, and same sex parent children. and so much peer pressure in the schools.. Chldren have enough to contend in schools today without, having to defend their roots also! Do you think it is the time to introduce genealogy,, I . myself , being a historian/ genealogist, say NO! Because of the peer pressure.. it is brutal , I have teenage and younger grand children. They are well aware of their Mayflower, Witches, brutality of Quakers, and yes even a very, very distant cousin who was on the Titanic..Just this week the 7th grader took a booklet I have , that the survivor wrote, to her history class, to show, read and learn about.. I have loaned them material for their class-work in the past.. Such as New England Legends, Ladies in the Civil War.. and etc.. My grands were a big hit at school when they returned last year from NC with actual bullets, writings and etc of the first Civil War reneactment of a many gr. uncle's battle, who was killed in that battle.. Plus their visit New Bern Nat. Cem... These type of things bring discussions to a class without the genealogy of the family. How about the children who have no idea what a family history or line is and get told to not ask "foolish Questions" at home and etc.. They may never know their families history nor be interested in it, in their lifetime.. I still have some people in my own family who feel things should be left alone. However they are adults.. and should understand it took all kinds to make them..but with children ; It's different!! Children shouldn't have to face this unless it is introduced at home. . and parents have the right to keep their privacy too! I think Ann Landers is right! I maybe flamed for this, but genealogy does not belong in elementry schools. There is time enough in college to catch up with their roots, if it hasn't already been introduced to them by the family before then. However : I believe every town & , city should teach the history of that area..to the younger chlldren and continuing it right through high school on various levels.. visiting the old homes, area museums, cemeteries, knowing old avenues and highways, along with the new, . This would be laying a foundation for any future genealogist or historians. Wish I had already known the history of my home town when I started my genealogy research. Would of saved me, a lot of research.. Please don't be too brutal!! :) My 2 cents again, Alice