reality-based educator

I'm a Gen X-er. When I was a kid in school, we celebrated Columbus Day by making little models of his ships and reading stories about what a "great man" he was.

Of course, in those days red meat, milk and sun were still considered healthy for you too.

These days, Columbus Day is more often observed with lessons like "Should We Celebrate Columbus Day?" than days given over to making paper models of Columbus' ships.

That's because many people now see Columbus' legacy as one of genocide and slaughter rather than discovery.

I'm an English teacher by trade, so I don't really bring up Columbus Day too much in my classroom, but I'm wondering how the elementary school teachers out there observe the holiday and how the history teachers approach it.

Is anybody still making paper models of Columbus' ships?