American History - What Will We Tell the Kids?

This is the last in the series on Critical Race Theory but there are now other elements to consider like teaching about equity and ethnic studies.

One issue that those on the Right don't seem to get - this is not all about rehashing bad historical events and practices. It is ALSO about teaching students about the stories of the gifts/talents/accomplishments that citizens of color created - that were made and continue to make - this country great. Those stories have been mostly left out and/or celebrated only during certain weeks of the school year. As Education Secretary Cardona said, students want to see themselves in lessons. 

Read below the tragedy that is unfolding in our country. States are trying to stifle teaching and learning. States are trying to threaten teachers, their schools and their districts will loss of funding. BUT states won't define exactly what they mean so it's an open-ended threat. Any parent, student or employee can tattle on a teacher? Is "My child said the teacher said, "XYZ" enough? 

Keep this up and teachers will flee. How much can we truly pile on teachers before they say, "Enough!" 

Keep this up and parents will take their kids out of public schools - and this means charter schools as well - in order for them to learn American history without a gag order in place for teachers. (Of course if your goal is to destroy public education, well, this works out well for that.)

I am on the side of telling the truth about our historical past. As I said, it is not all bad because people of color contributed mightily to the growth and greatness of our country. I think those on the Right are wrong in their fear of teaching the truth.

However, to those of us on the Left, beware of those to the far left, the uber social justice warriors who take no prisoners and seem to take glee in judging everyone. 

I think there are ways to allow students to understand our history and who stood where without shaming some. Meaning, I would not want the words "white privilege" or "white advantage" to be used in K-5. Doing that would likely confuse white children who are pretty young to understand the level of hatred and cruelty this country had for non-white citizens. 

I think middle school and high school are where kids become more sophisticated in their thinking and, without the teacher saying it, will see who stood where in history. And you can do a deeper dive into what the larger implications were/are.

I believe that any kind of name-calling will not help, only hurt. 

From Education Week: (bold mine)

Tennessee is one of 11 states this year that have drastically curtailed the ways that districts can fight systemic and individual acts of racism, homophobia, and sexism in the classroom and how teachers can talk to students about the ways America’s government has historically discriminated against minorities. Another 16 states have similar bills that are set to be considered during next year’s legislative session. 

Advocates of the bills argue that public school districts are indoctrinating students with teachers’ political agendas and, through their equity initiatives, giving students of color an unfair advantage over white students. 

Oklahoma will also allow parents the right to inspect curriculum, instructional materials, classroom assignments, and lesson plans to “ensure compliance.”

For example: 

In June, the Williamson County chapter of the national group Moms for Liberty, a group advocating for “parental rights,” wrote to Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn objecting to a lesson about Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to desegregate an elementary school in Louisiana, which they said made white students in the class feel uncomfortable.

“Targeting elementary age children with daily lessons on fighting past injustices as if they were occurring in present day violates Tennessee law and will sow the seeds of racial strife, neo-racism (and) neo-segregation,” Robin Steenman, the chair of the Williamson County chapter of Moms for Liberty wrote in the complaint. 

“Targeting elementary age children with daily lessons on fighting past injustices as if they were occurring in present day violates Tennessee law and will sow the seeds of racial strife, neo-racism (and) neo-segregation,” Robin Steenman, the chair of the Williamson County chapter of Moms for Liberty wrote in the complaint.

Just jaw-dropping. Apparently this mom lives in an alternative universe of the United States. Teaching about past injustices will not cause them again; it is much more likely to prevent them.

I have seen several Ruby Bridges books and there is also curriculum available. At the Scholastic website, there is a video that a kindergarten class made that is quite honest about what happened to Ruby. Seems like a good way to say, "We needed to learn those lessons so we don't continue to act that way."

Tennessee aims to levy fines starting at $1 million and rising to $5 million on school districts each time one of their teachers is found to have “knowingly violated” state restrictions on classroom discussions about systemic racism, white privilege, and sexism, according to guidance proposed by the state’s department of education late last week.

Teachers could also be disciplined or lose their licenses for teaching that the United States is inherently racist or sexist or making a student feel “guilt or anguish” because of past actions committed by their race or sex.

The new guidance lays out the complaint process that a current student, parent, or employee can initiate against a district if they believe an educator has violated the law, but it does not elaborate on what specifically school districts are banned from teaching, as many teacher advocates had hoped. Instead, it cites 11 broad concepts that teachers can’t teach or use materials to promote. For example, students can’t be told that they are “inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously,” or bear responsibility for past actions committed by members of their race or sex. Experts have called the language of these laws vague.

Again, I think you can teach history without making any child feel bad. But teachers cannot be responsible for every reaction a child might have to a lesson. For example, many stories have families with both a mom and dad. Many students do not have that in their lives but we don't stop reading those stories. Instead we include other stories about many kinds of families. 

Also, define "past actions." How past is past? Ten years? Twenty years? Fifty years? We can do better than this vague wording intended to shut down an honest teaching.

If this continues, then we could have anyone teach American History just by reading a script and then, allowing zero discussion. But that's not teaching. 

I know Seattle is a liberal city but there is one very openly conservative person running for Seattle School Board - Dan Harder in D5. Yes, his opponent Michelle Sarju got 80% of the vote but that was for that region. I do wonder how Harder might do in the General Election. I don't see any way he could win but he sure could start sending out dog whistles about teaching history that might just appeal to a silent group of voters.