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Truitt teaches lessons on his own family
By Heather M. Smith, Staff writer
Everyday Brent Truitt, a teacher at Murphy Middle School, gets to teach his students a history lesson on his own family.
Truitt, who teaches Texas history, is a descendant from “The Old 300.” During the 1800s when Stephen F. Austin colonized Texas, he received a grant allowing him to bring 300 Anglo colonists to Texas. These colonists are now known as “The Old 300.” Truitt’s ancestors were the basis of the Texas revolution and helped found ranches in West Texas.
“I’m extremely proud of him,” said Janice Truitt, his wife and fellow educator. “Brent has been extremely dedicated to teaching Texas history. This has been his passion in life.”
“For me this was neat because it’s a unique group and the fact that my mother is a big genealogy person,” Truitt said. “This is a group that I could possibly join later and I probably will join shortly because I have the background for it. Groups like this help maintain our heritage.”
Truitt has been an educator for 34 years. He spent 29 of those years teaching Texas history for the Plano Independent School District. After graduating from Southwestern University with a degree in art and social studies education, he began teaching art in Goliad, Texas. Truitt and his family moved to Plano five years later. It was then that he had the opportunity to teach Texas history.
“I enjoy getting the kids involved. I take them through early Texas history and show how Texas has a great geography,” Truitt said. “In East Texas orchards grow while in West Texas we have deserts. There’s such variety here. Kids love the revolution part of the history, but they don’t understand how hard it was to settle here.”
Truitt said when he was younger his family would walk through cemeteries looking for their relatives. He also remembers his mother taking him to an old three-story home that was filed with books about Texas history. Some of the books were signed by James Frank Dobie. An American folklorists and writer, Dobie is best known for his books about the traditions of life in rural Texas during the open range days.
“I’ve always been involved in research. I’m a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and I’ve presented activities to the Texas Council for Social Studies on Texas history,” Truitt said. “I’ve also been to the national convention in Philadelphia.”
In his classroom, Truitt said he students studied cowboy poetry and songs when learning about cattle drives. Right now his students are studying the Galveston hurricane of 1900. During that hurricane, about 8,000 people died and to date it is the deadliest natural disaster to strike the United States.
“My students can see how in certain disasters people can overcome things,” Truitt said. “They see how things changed people’s lives.”
In addition to teaching during the year, Truitt has also taught summer school in Texas history since 1986.
Contact Heather Smith at HSmith@acnpapers.com.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
be wrote on Apr 7, 2009 1:16 PM:
" Does Mr Truitt teach the real history of Texas that is ignored , basically Native Americans who were massacred and chased out of every possible place. "
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