Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Perhaps more like political accuracy. The rote memory stuff is passe. Critical thinking skills are in. And that means questioning the old yankee doodle dandy thinking that was found in 1950s text books.
When I was in grade school all I heard about black people was that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, Marian Anderson sang at the Lincoln Memorial, and George Washington Carver invented the peanut!
If it weren't for my parents I would have grown up far more ignorant about the contributions of black folk to US history. And I passed some of same stuff on to my kids. Enough so that when they had a lesson in how New York was built by immigrants and the teacher asked kids where their ancestors came from and do a project on it, both boys told the teacher how unfair the assignment was because some of us did NOT come here voluntarily! She was embarrased and surprised a bit, but she learned something by not sticking to the "book" and her lesson plan of immigration. And she was gracious and smart enough to let my kids do a project on the Deep South, where our grandparents and great grand parents were from, and also about the Great Migration that brought them to New York and other points north.
The point is that societies will change in what they value as they slowly recognize the value of, or learn about, forgotten, ignored, or marginalized contributions to America, just like my kid's teacher did. I don't think that type of change is bad. And learning about immigrants, or slaves, or women's contributions, doesn't mean that a a teacher is "politically correct" or any such silly nonsense. And it also doesn't mean you have to ignore Abraham Lincoln or the pioneers or any of the important dead white guys. It just means we know more now than we did before and there's just a lot more to teach, 'cause you have to teach it all for kids to get a good education.
My child is currently in 3rd grade and the class just completed a project about their heritage. They were to create a report based on their most dominate heritage. It needed to include a map of the country, current currency, language spoken, what ancestor was from there, famous landmarks, etc. Since both my husband and I are many different nationalities, we picked one that we were both the most of that we also had in common. After the projects were due each child read their report to the class so that they all could learn about the different cultures that made up their class.
I thought it was great that the teacher assigned this project. All of us have ancestors that are from other nations and learning about these countries are a fantastic way to learn about ourselves and our family history.
My child is currently in 3rd grade and the class just completed a project about their heritage. They were to create a report based on their most dominate heritage. It needed to include a map of the country, current currency, language spoken, what ancestor was from there, famous landmarks, etc. Since both my husband and I are many different nationalities, we picked one that we were both the most of that we also had in common. After the projects were due each child read their report to the class so that they all could learn about the different cultures that made up their class.
I thought it was great that the teacher assigned this project. All of us have ancestors that are from other nations and learning about these countries are a fantastic way to learn about ourselves and our family history.
I wouldn't have been able to do that, neither side of the family family had much interest in it. In fact it took one of my teachers to tell me I am descended from a signer of the Declaration of Independence. I asked asked about it and the response was, "So what?"
Both of them are too hard for the average high school student. I know college kids who would drown in them (a couple of them are History teachers).
And that in and of itself is pitiful, that high school.kids can't be expected to to have the reading comprehension to absorb some seriously informative work.
But you are correct. I was very naive right up until I started posting here about how many Americans cannot read/comprehend and write a clear sentence. Of course I knew there were always those who struggled or were not interested, but I thought they were a small minority. I was wrong.
I loved to read since I first learned how so I guess my POV was skewed.
Perhaps more like political accuracy. The rote memory stuff is passe. Critical thinking skills are in. And that means questioning the old yankee doodle dandy thinking that was found in 1950s text books.
Well said. We in the white suburbs didn't learn any black American history, for example. I don't recall being taught one thing. My library in the kid's section had a whole shelf of biographies of famous Americans, black and white, and I read the whole shelf. If I hadn't, I would not know anything about Frederick Douglass or George Washington Carver or Mary Mcleod Bethune or Harriett Tubman.
Not long ago I ran across a textbook that I had about American history in the 5th or 6th grade (I actually remembered the cover artwork), and kind of laughed as I paged through the book at what can only be described as aggrandizing American history. Which defeats the very purpose of learning history. History ought to be taught in an almost neutral manner highlighting both the good and bad about a nation or a culture.
I agree that learning the history of OTHER nations should be taught in this way. Unfortunately, it is only going to seem truly neutral in the case of countries that pretty much did nothing throughout history. For example, if you are discussing WWII, it would take a willfully ignorant author to present the deeds of Germany or Japan in a way that seemed balanced to a disinterested observer.
However, it is completely counterproductive to destroy the national pride felt by citizens of your own country by downplaying the good it has done and concentrate on the bad to 'make up' for our past 'aggrandizement'.
If you don't want to teach your children that they SHOULD be proud of their country, why have a country at all?
There are countless versions of history and it is ridiculous to think there is one accurate version. For example, in which country do you think students learn the most accurate version of WWII? Do you think it is the USA, Italy, Russia, Great Britain, France, Germany, Israel, China, Japan, Brazil, or Poland?
Quote:
Originally Posted by phetaroi
I'm not so sure that's true.
I don't think history is simply facts. I think history is also interpreting facts.
One of the best 8th grade history classes I ever observed was a student debate about whether or no we should have used the A-bomb on Japan. It involved critical thinking skills more than mere memorization.
These debates are good but most students haven't don't have the background and understanding to debate this topic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by montydean
I agree with the second part. But as to the first I have to disagree. As my OP states the "history" has been altered and I do not think just its interpretation but instead its entire teaching. Some examples:
Civil War now covered more than Revolutionary War or War of 1812. This is a result of influx of liberal leaning teachers who prefer the pro-abolitionist side of the war (it was a side note at the time). We also hear more about Amerindians than before - this despite their rather modest accomplishments. Lastly, the idea that we are all immigrants. Jamestown was founded in 1607. I find it difficult to think of 400 years worth or European/American citizens as "immigrants."
Again, it just seems to me that the liberal dominated classrooms are so focused on PC and inclusion that they are altering our proud history.
I don't know who is feeding your this ridiculous information but it is not correct.
I do agree with your statement that our schools have become "so focused on PC and inclusion that they are altering our proud history.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801
And that in and of itself is pitiful, that high school.kids can't be expected to to have the reading comprehension to absorb some seriously informative work.
But you are correct. I was very naive right up until I started posting here about how many Americans cannot read/comprehend and write a clear sentence. Of course I knew there were always those who struggled or were not interested, but I thought they were a small minority. I was wrong.
I loved to read since I first learned how so I guess my POV was skewed.
It is sad but the truth. Students aren't even expected to read textbooks today and have great difficulty skimming through the textbook to find simple answers to fill out worksheets. If the answer isn't in bold or highlighted, most can't find it.
Our history contains many things we should not be so proud of. Some of the things you learned in grade school decades ago were outright propaganda. Being a true patriot means loving your country despite its flaws and not being afraid of discussing and analyzing them.
Perhaps more like political accuracy. The rote memory stuff is passe. Critical thinking skills are in. And that means questioning the old yankee doodle dandy thinking that was found in 1950s text books.
Which should not equate to blindly swallowing the egalitarian socialist drivel being spoon-fed in too many contemporary classrooms, courtesy of the highly-partisan National "Education" Association.
I spent all my formative years (1955-67) in one school district, centered around an industrial community of 15000, plus 10000 in the surrounding rural area, admittedly only about 2 per cent non-white. The "peculiar institution" of slavery (and its role in both Constitutional crises and Civil War), the displacement and subjugation of Native peoples, and the distortions and abuses of the "manifest destiny" doctrines, were all touched upon in my classes -- and a lot pf us were going to get a stronger "education" in college or the military in the years which followed.
The constant caterwauling of those who think they know better to the contrary, I don't think we turned out all that badly.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
