In the Houston Chronicle today there is an article about the State Board of Education developing a new text book.
The first draft for proposed standards in United States History Studies Since Reconstruction says students should be expected “to identify significant conservative advocacy organizations and individuals, such as Newt Gingrich, Phyllis Schlafly and the Moral Majority.”
One Republican on the board, Ken Mercer, thinks that the viewpoints should include what is liberal as well but the conservative side should also include James Dobson's Focus on the Family, conservative talk show host Sean Hannity and former Arkansas Governos Mike Huckabee. Others think that the text book should include Rush Limbaugh and the National Rifle Association. Also two of the reviewers have suggested that César Chávez, the late farm workers union leader, be removed from history books because they deem him an unworthy role model.
Isn't this chilling?
This is the first draft of the textbook so who knows if it will end up with a balanced view of the United States history since reconstruction or not. But if it didn't and I had kids, I guess I would have to think about home schooling to insure that my kids learned a complete history since reconstruction.
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5 comments:
Billie, now you know why many of us do home school. Judy
Geez Louise - remove Cesar Chavez but add a TV talk show host?......Give me a break!
People who run the show set policy and use their control of policy to decide what show we get to watch. Give the kids credit, kids have brains and know a snow job when they see one. The teacher and the kids will get a good laugh and learn more about how politics works if the nut cases get to write the books. It is why essays and book reports need to be part of the daily grind in school. The contest between the right and left is an old one and nether side is going to win the contest because both sides, to a point are correct. We went too far to the right under Bush and our nation is paying the price today. The kids in school can see the damage that the right did to our nation and will be able to detect the BS they read in their school books.
The on going struggle for the hearts and minds of the people. "They" always underestimate us.
My mom had a bumper sticker on her old blue Dodge Polara:
Free People...Free Libraries.
i.e. there's a direct correlation.
I had to wait until college to get any good history education.
And more to the point of your post,
it reminds me of the book in which the dad lets his son drop out of school if he'll watch 3 movies a week with him. (The Film Club by Gilmore)
DanaJ
Chilling indeed!
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