The world militates to murder the Truth, but the Truth never dies. Truth is eternal and its promise is renewed each year at Easter.
'Tis the season for renewal in all quarters. Trees have shed their noxious pollen and leafed out; wisteria and jasmine send their joyful scents on the breeze. It's not a great year for Texas wildflowers but the seeds wait beneath the surface, full of promise for future years.
There's something brewing with the new social studies curriculum right now that serendipitously fits this theme. When last we discussed the curriculum overhaul, I told you the next step was for workgroups to review the topics provided by content advisors and make them into curriculum standards.
Two rounds of workgroups have had a go at the task since January. The Board meets next week for a first reading and possible vote on the resulting product. A thirty-day public comment period window will open, then a second reading and vote will make it official.
From the get-go, individuals have given public testimony at SBOE meetings to express their displeasure. The most common complaint I've heard is that there is too much material or that the process is moving too quickly. Some have expressed dissatisfaction with the chosen content advisors.
At the last couple of meetings, the largest group of people to speak their piece were sent by CAIR - the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Folks affiliated with CAIR are displeased that they don't see enough of their co-religionists reflected in the curriculum.
Ya can't please everybody and certainly no curriculum will.
For decades, we've been told by academia that we must engage in "uncomfortable conversations" about history. What academicians fail to realize is that most of us don't consider those conversations uncomfortable. At all.
But the curriculum conversation is a genuinely uncomfortable one because it represents a cultural clash happening in our time. It looks and feels like an inflection point. Here's why:
The TEKS draft put together by the content advisors and workgroups, which you can view HERE , puts heavy emphasis on Western Civilization, Texas, and America. The roots of Western Civ - Athens and Jerusalem - are there. Slavery, racism, segregation are also there, as are the ways slavery and segregation were eliminated in the Western world.
In other words, the draft is a document that, though not perfect, represents the history of Texas and America thoughtfully and factually. There are those who argue that this focus on domestic history will disadvantage Texas students and prevent them from becoming good "global citizens."
Here's the thing: there's no such thing as a global citizen. The globe has no zip code. Texas students play and study here, not the globe. They are neighbors to you and I, not the globe. The majority of them will live out their lives in this country. They'll work here, practice the faith of their choosing here, and vote here.
It stands to reason that they should understand the roots of here and take that knowledge with them out there.
Contrast is king, folks. It isn't wrong or shameful for American students to understand the United States and to experience the world through that unique lens. As they encounter people with different cultural lenses, they'll have the ability to compare and contrast.
The tough conversation to be had is a civilizational one. The Board of Education appears unashamed to teach Texas kids about the pillars of Western Civilization. And I'm cool with that.
It is my sincerest hope that the Board won't be shamed into retreating. 'Tis the season for renewal of truth.
No comments:
Post a Comment