Susan Myers
(summary of information from Donna Garner)
Activist leftist educators are rewriting U.S. history, government, and economics. If they have their way, what will children in Texas learn about their country? Bill Ames, a member of the Social Studies Writing Team, gives us a glimpse into this process by writing an excellent three-part series published in Texas Insider.com.
He shares that excessive multiculturalism and an overly negative view of American history—driven by liberals’ emphasis on social issues that divide, rather than on achievements and patriotic passion that unite—leads to negative descriptions of America’s finest achievements (such as the building of Erie Canal and D-Day). “U.S. expansionism” becomes “U.S. imperialism.” The “free enterprise system” becomes only “capitalism.”
Who needs Daniel Boone, Paul Bunyan, or Robinson Crusoe? Independence Day, Veteran’s Day, or Liberty Bell? Away with John Locke’s two treatises of Government and English common law. Away with children’s biographies of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Is it possible for young people to get an accurate and comprehensive history of WWII without Generals Omar Bradley and George Patton? Or flight and space without Orville and Wilbur Wright and Neil Armstrong? Are Roosevelt and Eisenhower just insignificant “dead white guys?” Are the only firsts that count multicultural? It seems today that race, gender, and class trump historical significance.
Friday, September 18, 2009, is the last day of important meetings by the Texas State Board of Education to review the new Social Studies standards, which will dictate a future generation’s understanding of this important area of education in Texas (and in many other states because of Texas’ huge influence on the textbook market).
What can you do?
First, find out who your SBOE representative is—copy and paste this link into your browser. Then enter your zip code and select the District Type (State Board of Education). That will give you the name. Then go to the Texas SBOE Web site for the e-mail address.
Succinct personal e-mails (not form letters) in which you give your name/city/state are the most effective. The SBOE members may not have time to write you back, but they do read them. They track constituent feedback as do all elected officials. Your voice does count.
Seven of the SBOE members have traditionally stood for conservative values.
Others on the SBOE need to hear your concerns over the Social Studies TEKS that the Writing Team is drafting (e.g., the exclusion of "Christmas" and "Rosh Hashanah" in the sixth-grade TEKS and the inclusion of the Hindu religious celebration Diwali (Houston Chronicle, 9.11.09).
What can you say?
Tell your SBOE representative…
that the purpose of education is the transmission of academic knowledge and skills to the next generation—not to make radical changes in the attitudes, values, and worldview of students.
to stress the Western heritage model of history, along with its leadership role in science, medicine, economics, agriculture, the arts, technology, religion, and government.
to focus on the special niche that the United States occupies among nations.
that you want factual, unbiased, balanced social studies standards that include events and individuals that are both significant and represent traditional, American Judeo-Christian values.
to produce standards that teach our youth to be proud Americans and that America is a great country that has an overall positive history.
that while many ethnic groups and individuals have contributed to America’s success, their relative contributions and inclusion in the standards must be evaluated according to a uniform, already well-established and objective set of standards.
