They have a simple sense of justice. And they were fully engrossed in learning Wisconsin's history. The issue is so explosive. McCall, who brought her new-found knowledge to her undergraduate education students at the University, said she tries to convince her college students that elementary teachers can have an extraordinary influence on young children. She found that, contrary to conventional wisdom, children readily relate to the issues they study and are inherently interested in learning.
Teachers can be so influential.
Recalling her own upbringing, she said she grew up with a positive view of teachers. Her parents had strong ideas about education, and insisted each of their five daughters should go to college. McCall earned her undergraduate degree during the Civil Rights era and learned of inequalities, of students in poverty attending the poorest schools. Her first teaching experience was teaching low income children in South Bend. For McCall graduate school at Indiana University was a pivotal time.