Texas OK's Textbook Changes - What do you think?

[Orthodox6]

What this you or were you quoting still? If you didn't know and wanted to -- She just about singlehandedly disrupted the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment with her grassroots campaign against it. The ERA was pretty big news back in the 70s, but it seems like a lot of people who grew up in the 80s and 90s really don't know anything about it (or about it at all). It's the type of recent history that we'll be figuring out whether or not to add to the text books for years to come, it's imho a good candidate for inclusion since there's still a dearth of great information in history about powerful women (regardless of whether we agree with their objectives).

 

That was I writing. I was born in 1955 so of course remember the ERA period. I remember the issues surrounding it, but do not remember individual people who lobbied either for or against its passage. In general, I tend to focus on issues, rather than on individuals, because politically-active individuals distort issues and filter them through their own viewpoints.

[angela in ohio]

So, ultimately "dating violence" and "eating disorders" are because of bad life choices??

 

An eating disorder is a psychological condition akin to other dependence disorders (check the DSM-IV for more info). Dating violence (ie rape presumably) has little to do with sex and a lot to do with forcing another person so that the perpetrator of that violence can feel powerful. I believe that it's a personal choice to rape someone. But I completely disagree that some people choose to be raped.

 

Personal responsibility IS vital, but sometimes it's helpful to understand that some things require treatment. And two of the five on that list are not choices for at least one person involved...

 

Why would you have to say that? Why couldn't you take a reasonable approach and say that we need to use personal responsibility in our choice to use drugs or have sex? Saying that you need to use personal responsibility in the choices you make as a teenager in no way is equal to saying that someone chooses to be raped.

[momof2girls]

:iagree:

 

Totally fine with it and it doesn't concern me at all since a) my kids are homeschooled b) we don't live in TX.

[momof2girls]

This debate (what will and will not be included in textbooks and how do we decide what slant to teach) is one of the major reasons we chose to home educate. I'm not limited by what can fit in a 500 page textbook and I'm so thankful for that freedom.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::D

[elizabeth]

I agree that date rape is horrible and inexcusable, BUT I knew a number of girls in college who were "date raped" that could have made a different personal choice to change the outcome of their evening. Some advice these women might give to others:

 

Don't get drunk and throw yourself at any man who walks by at a party.

Don't dress like a slut and flirt like a slut if you don't want to act like a slut.

Don't go alone with a man into a bedroom at a party, especially if you're been making out with him for the last hour.

 

Do not forget the most important thing of all. Guard your soda pop that you are drinking ,as the designated driver for your friends or simply because you do not drink alcohol as the number one way date rape often happens is by some creep putting Ketamine or Rohypnol in your soda. Link here http://studenttravel.about.com/od/springbreak/a/roofies.htm

I am so deeply troubled by this post I am not able to put words to paper so to speak. While we are making snap judgments may I say that fraternities are the number one place to avoid while we are advising young ladies on how to avoid rape .Oh yes and she should avoid all parking garages, bars, unlit supermarket lots, skirts, heels(cannot run) , never drink anything alcoholic, guard your water or pop as it can be dosed with date rape drugs(K and roofies),never get in an elevator alone or kiss a man as he might lose control and then you are responsible for his actions that follow.

I have a splendid idea. I think all women who are not convicted felons should have the right to carry concealed. If some punk rotten male tries to attack her she can fire at will with an automatic pass from prosecution. That is the natural progression of a world where we blame victims for the hideous behaviour of perpetrators.

[Orthodox6]

The "bunny rabbit" has pulled this thread down an unrelated trail. (date rape and so forth)

[stripe]

If you didn't know and wanted to -- She just about singlehandedly disrupted the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment with her grassroots campaign against it. The ERA was pretty big news back in the 70s, but it seems like a lot of people who grew up in the 80s and 90s really don't know anything about it (or about it at all).

In high school, it was ONLY in AP classes that we finished the textbook. We got all the way to the then-present day in AP US History. In all previous classes, we stopped somewhere before the end. My friends in non-AP US history classes stopped somewhere around WWII. So I wonder how many people will actually make it to the 80s, Reagan, and so forth, anyhow.

 

Apparently Texas, because of the size of its market, influences many textbook publishers to print books that meet their standards, so it actually can (and does) affect public school students outside of Texas.

[Audrey]

I think it's repulsive. Revisionist history at its very worst and most reprehensible.

 

 

:iagree: But on the bright side, it does confirm everything I ever thought about Texas. :D

[stripe]

it's conservative to mention the Black Panthers.

Unless you yourself are a Black Panther (or a supporter), in which case it might be about time.

 

I have to say, I find most "treatment" of African American history to be woefully uninteresting. Most kids I know go looking for a book about either a) Rosa Parks or b) Martin Luther King, Jr. Now, whatever nice things we can say about either of these people, is that really the sum total of the Civil Rights movement and/or the African American experience?!

[Orthodox6]

But on the bright side, it does confirm everything I ever thought about Texas. :D

 

Tread carefully, friend ! We may be extreme on some issues. We definitely are extremely diverse on some issues. We also stick together as "family" ! This is Texas ! :D

[junepep]

Why would you have to say that? Why couldn't you take a reasonable approach and say that we need to use personal responsibility in our choice to use drugs or have sex? Saying that you need to use personal responsibility in the choices you make as a teenager in no way is equal to saying that someone chooses to be raped.

 

Personal responsibility in regards to dating violence and sexuality are two of the 5 changes made under the heading of sociology which is how we got off on this tangent.

 

My point was that personal responsibility, although extremely important is not the end all be all. I've never heard of anyone blaming "society" for date rape, but I have heard people say that it's the woman's fault and that she should take "responsibility" for her poor behaviour.

 

I would like balance but I don't want sociology to turn back into 'blame the woman because she is responsible when a poor beleaguered guy was so turned on by her ankles showing that he decided that she wanted it no matter what her protests' :)

 

Balance is great for personal responsibility re: Finances, Rudeness, Illegal Drug Use, Pre-marital relations. Not so great on suicide (ie when it is depression caused by physiological factors), dating violence, and eating disorders o.O

 

I think that it's easy to say- WOW personal responsibility -- THAT is sooooo needed. But if you look at it a bit more closely it won't seem so attractive.

[Orthodox6]

Amen, a thousand times over. I can't remember which Civil War general said this--"If I owned Hell and Texas, I'd live in Hell and rent out Texas."

 

Please notice how offensive both of these posts are to us who truly love our state of Texas.

[tex-mex]

I'd like to see both liberal and conservative bias left in textbooks, along with actual facts. I like to teach my kids both sides of the story.

:iagree:History (in textbook form) is usually one-sided. As a former schoolteacher, I'd often hear complaints from my colleagues that it was impossible to get the textbook completely taught. We were lucky to get 2/3 into the book by June. :glare:

[tex-mex]

:iagree: But on the bright side, it does confirm everything I ever thought about Texas. :D

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

I so enjoy your posts, Audrey! As a native Texan (Tejano -- my family on my mother's side were original Spanish land grantees in Brackettville, TX area before the Americanos came.), I love your quote.

 

Now to enjoy the conversations... :lurk5:

[PiCO]

I have a splendid idea. I think all women who are not convicted felons should have the right to carry concealed. If some punk rotten male tries to attack her she can fire at will with an automatic pass from prosecution. That is the natural progression of a world where we blame victims for the hideous behaviour of perpetrators.

 

I don't "blame victims for the hideous behaviour of perpetrators." I was serious in my post- I know women who wish someone had given them the advice above, because it would have saved them a lot of pain. No, it's not their fault they were raped, that's silly. But you better believe I am going to tell my daughters what not to do at a college (or high school) party. There is a lot you can do to minimize the chances of being a victim of any kind, and both girls and boys should learn how to not be a victim.

 

BTW- My advice will include a lot of what you said also- including keeping your drink covered and avoiding Frat houses. (OK- that last one's toungue-in-cheek, but it's true!) Concealed carry permit's not a bad idea either.

[PiCO]

The "bunny rabbit" has pulled this thread down an unrelated trail. (date rape and so forth)

 

 

(pssst... it's not against board rules to go off on a rabbit trail.)

[PiCO]

But none of that behavior regardless of how I personally view it is justification for a man or boy not accepting the word No and then physically restraining and/or beating their partner into submission. Rape isn't oh, I decided later that sucked. Rape is the use of physical force to abuse someone sexually. Guys are not lust-driven brainless morons. Ya know???

 

I completely agree. Crimes were committed. But I want to help my daughters to not be victims, so I'm going to talk to them about how to decrease their chances of being victims.

[MSNative]

 

Also, people keep saying that they are leaving out Thomas Jefferson from the history program. This isn't totally true. He will still be in US history and will be studied as one of our leading founders. He's only been left out of World history and by leaving him out they have found space to replace him with four other people who had importance in world history. I think this is good. When we study US history we really look closely at our founders and how they interacted with Europe. I would rather spend the time in World history introducing children to some other important figures that they will not learn about anywhere else.

 

 

This underscores the concern I have with what's going on in TX - there is a lot of misinformation out there. When I first read about the changes a few weeks ago, I was shocked. However, later I read a more informative, less emotionally charged account that sounded much more reasonable. I haven't read the actual report, so I don't know exactly what is in there.

 

History - as mentioned several times in the boards - is a tough subject and it's almost impossible to make it unbiased. There is more history than time in any school so teachers/textbooks/administrators/BOE have to decide what to include and what to cut. No one will ever be happy with that because invariably something important will be cut.

[annandatje]

Here's a link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37271857/ns/us_news-life/?GT1=43001

 

What do you think about this?:bigear:

 

Kelly

 

Since I would rather laugh than cry, I will mosey on over to youtube.com to listen again to Kinky Friedman's "A______ from El Paso." Warning: not recommended for the faint of heart.

[Smithie]

"Another Republican board member, David Bradley, said the curriculum revision process has always been political — but this time, the ruling faction had changed since the last time social studies standards were adopted. "We took our licks, we got outvoted," he said referring to the debate from 10 years earlier. "Now it's 10-5 in the other direction ... we're an elected body, this is a political process. Outside that, go find yourself a benevolent dictator."

 

 

 

 

 

Ultimately, that's one it comes down to. I respect the right of the sovereign state of Texas to set its own education standards. In all honestly, I think the federal DOE is unconstitutional.

 

 

That said, I would also rather live in hell and rent out Texas. :tongue_smilie:

[Shawna in Texas]

That said, I would also rather live in hell and rent out Texas. :tongue_smilie:

 

In the summer it's one and the same.

 

Shawna (who can't imagine what her electric bill is going to be for the next few months)

[mom31257]

This underscores the concern I have with what's going on in TX - there is a lot of misinformation out there. When I first read about the changes a few weeks ago, I was shocked. However, later I read a more informative, less emotionally charged account that sounded much more reasonable. I haven't read the actual report, so I don't know exactly what is in there.

 

History - as mentioned several times in the boards - is a tough subject and it's almost impossible to make it unbiased. There is more history than time in any school so teachers/textbooks/administrators/BOE have to decide what to include and what to cut. No one will ever be happy with that because invariably something important will be cut.

 

:iagree: I've not found any history book that doesn't have some kind of bias, be it a textbook or other form of book. Honestly, when I do look at some public school textbooks, they do seem very liberally slanted to me.

 

My dh teaches public school history, and he wants a middle ground where both sides of issues can be talked about and respected. What he finds, though, is that liberals get first say and control on most issues, and to think differently than them makes you an ignorant outcast.

[chiguirre]

Amen, a thousand times over. I can't remember which Civil War general said this--"If I owned Hell and Texas, I'd live in Hell and rent out Texas."

 

Phillip Sheridan, who apparently was here in August.

 

:D

[brehon]

In the summer it's one and the same.

 

Shawna (who can't imagine what her electric bill is going to be for the next few months)

 

Phillip Sheridan, who apparently was here in August.

 

:D

 

You know, "they" say that Texas has three seasons -- hot, hotter, and July & August. Unfortunately, I can imagine what my electric bills will be for the next 4-5 months as I've been paying them for the past 10 years or so. After I come back to work (after the baby is born), I'll be an overtime hound so we can afford the A/C. I can't wait...

[lovemyboys]

I believe the BOE is a group of whackadoodles who believe that public education is some sort of perverse institution.

..............

ignorant people breed more ignorant people.

 

 

Do you feel this way historically or just with this current board?

[Spy Car]

I think it's repulsive. Revisionist history at its very worst and most reprehensible.

 

:iagree:

 

I'm with you. Absolutely reprehensible.

 

Bill

[LibraryLover]

:iagree: But on the bright side, it does confirm everything I ever thought about Texas. :D

 

 

Ha! Yes! So often I have thought, 'Why can't Austin be in South Carolina or Georgia?" (Warmer climate, closer to east coast family ;))

[Orthodox6]

It's just an opinion. I think everyone's got them.

 

Ok. So is it open shooting season for people to slap at every other state to which stereotypes appertain ? I think such would not go over well.

[Wheres Toto]

As someone born and raised in New Jersey (who spent a year and a half in Texas for college) state stereotypes are rampant all over.:glare:

 

No sense in getting upset over it.

[Jenny in Atl]

Ha! Yes! So often I have thought, 'Why can't Austin be in South Carolina or Georgia?" (Warmer climate, closer to east coast family ;))

 

Not sure you will find either GA or SC all that different. But, yes.. TX is a state of mind.

[LibraryLover]

Not sure you will find either GA or SC all that different. But, yes.. TX is a state of mind.

 

Exactly!!! But Austin...ah, Austin. Austin belongs in VT...except that it is freaking cold there.

[Paula in PA]

Ok. So is it open shooting season for people to slap at every other state to which stereotypes appertain ? I think such would not go over well.

 

Fire away at Pennsylvania all you like. I am first and foremost a citizen of the United States. I am a resident of PA. Even 'shots' fired at the USA don't bother me all that much as it's just someone's opinion and they may have it. I have my own.

[Margo out of lurking]

Hey, finally we're back to real history AND you can carry guns into the state capitol. I never thought I'd want to move to Texas, but they're making more appealing every day.

 

I'm thrilled. This is a big deal, it has the potential for a huge ripple effect. I personally find this even more encouraging than any of the recent election returns.

[Shawna in Texas]

Exactly!!! But Austin...ah, Austin. Austin belongs in VT...except that it is freaking cold there.

 

I love Austin. Unfortunately, the smog in Houston is so much more tolerable than the trees in Austin. I only see Austin in a drug-induced haze.

 

You know, "they" say that Texas has three seasons -- hot, hotter, and July & August. Unfortunately, I can imagine what my electric bills will be for the next 4-5 months as I've been paying them for the past 10 years or so. After I come back to work (after the baby is born), I'll be an overtime hound so we can afford the A/C. I can't wait...

 

We've been doing a lot of running these last few days and it's like I forget how hot it was last year. It's horrible out there and so humid. It's the same conversation between DH and I. "Was it really this hot last year?"

[TXMary2]

Why aren't parents trying to take the schools back? Why do they just go along with whatever is offered?

 

Judging solely on the public school parents I know and have encountered - they are in denial and ignorant (in the not knowing way) of what their children are being taught. They haven't a clue about grade inflation. I can't tell you how many parents I have heard say, "My Suzy gets straight A's." The thing is, Suzy isn't very articulate and seems to not have much sense and she needs remedial classes when she goes to the community college. So much for all those A's.

 

It is easier for parents to be in denial instead of tackling the problems.

[Tidbits of Learning]

I watched some of the voting for what to keep and what to lose on the news last night. I live in a neighboring state. They took Thomas Jefferson out of the history books! :confused: I can't remember who they were voting him against. They had major historical figures pitted against each other. One historical figure would be kept and the other was to be wiped from the pages of history for the next 10 years. The board that was voting got very emotional.

At one point, one of the female board members got so upset that she started throwing books in the trash and said I guess we can just throw history away and rewrite it. I am paraphrasing as I don't remember her exact response as she emotionally threw the books in a waste bin.

There was a WASPish man that was in charge. He said the decisions had to be made today and would stop debates and push forward to vote now. I only saw 2 of the votes highlighted during the news spot, but Thomas Jefferson taken out of history? My first grader learned about Thomas Jefferson in a healthy way in a CLP book this year. He helped write the Declaration of Independence for crying out loud. He was the 3rd president. He bought the Louisiana Territory. How are they going to get around the major, important role he played in shaping American history? :confused:He may not have had personal beliefs that I share, but to take him out of history altogether is an atrocity.

For the next 10 years, children in Texas will not have Thomas Jefferson in their textbooks. This means that a child could go all the way through to high school starting in kindergarten next year and not know the 3rd President of the United States that helped form this nation. :001_huh:

How can you rewrite history? A former teacher of mine used to have a saying. I am not sure if it was a quote of his or a borrowed quote. "A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. A fool must learn from his own."

If we rewrite history, how foolish we will be. If parts of history are omitted, how can we learn from the mistakes of the past?

[Guest]

Do you know how big that textbook would be? LOL.

 

But that is what I meant in an earlier post about this issue being partly why we homeschool. I can pick a wide range of books that present multiple sides of the same event. I feel it is a huge disservice to students to present a myopic view of history.

 

I hope some of the posters on this board who have high school kids are reading these developments with their kids as part of the teaching of history. One of the most crucial things for students to be aware of is that their textbooks don't just fall out of the sky but are the products of debates and struggles just like this one.

[Tidbits of Learning]

Judging solely on the public school parents I know and have encountered - they are in denial and ignorant (in the not knowing way) of what their children are being taught. They haven't a clue about grade inflation. I can't tell you how many parents I have heard say, "My Suzy gets straight A's." The thing is, Suzy isn't very articulate and seems to not have much sense and she needs remedial classes when she goes to the community college. So much for all those A's.

 

It is easier for parents to be in denial instead of tackling the problems.

 

As a former public school parent, I have to say this isn't always the parent's fault. You should try to get a look at the school books in the elementary grades. They refuse to send them home with a child. They do not have them out at open house for you to look at besides math and reading.

I honestly believe the public school system wants parents that aren't involved. They actively harass parents that are concerned or interested in the curriculum. They cajole and placate your questions all the while quietly ushering you out of the room.

I tried for 4 years to find out exactly what my child was learning and doing in public school. Trust me, they don't want you there interfering or even just enlightening yourself about their basic day to day operations and methods.

[StephanieZ]

I agree that date rape is horrible and inexcusable, BUT I knew a number of girls in college who were "date raped" that could have made a different personal choice to change the outcome of their evening. Some advice these women might give to others:

 

Don't get drunk and throw yourself at any man who walks by at a party.

Don't dress like a slut and flirt like a slut if you don't want to act like a slut.

Don't go alone with a man into a bedroom at a party, especially if you're been making out with him for the last hour.

 

:001_huh::001_huh::001_huh:

 

Wow. Just wow that someone would write such a thing.

 

May God protect you and yours.

[Melissa in FL]

but Thomas Jefferson taken out of history? My first grader learned about Thomas Jefferson in a healthy way in a CLP book this year. He helped write the Declaration of Independence for crying out loud. He was the 3rd president. He bought the Louisiana Territory. How are they going to get around the major, important role he played in shaping American history? :confused:He may not have had personal beliefs that I share, but to take him out of history altogether is an atrocity.

For the next 10 years, children in Texas will not have Thomas Jefferson in their textbooks. This means that a child could go all the way through to high school starting in kindergarten next year and not know the 3rd President of the United States that helped form this nation. :001_huh:

 

 

This is simply NOT TRUE! Kids in TX will still learn about Thomas Jefferson, in AMERICAN History classes where he belongs. ALL of those things will be covered in AMERICAN History. They only tried to remove him from WORLD History to give the kids a chance to learn about other people in WORLD History! He is well covered as a Founder, President and VIP in AMERICAN History. These board members were trying to include other important people around the world that aren't in the TX history books right now. I don't blame them. My kids have learned the most about AMERICAN History and when we come across Americans in World history I try to move quickly through it because I want them to learn about History outside our boarders.

 

The point is mute since they have given into the misrepresentation across the Country of removing Thomas Jefferson from History and have voted to include him in World History. Here is the article. The pertinent paragraph is this:

 

"Before approving the standards on Friday, board members adopted scores of additional changes - including the restoration of Thomas Jefferson’s name to a list of political philosophers that students will study in world history. Board members had come under criticism for removing Jefferson’s name earlier this year though they pointed out that Jefferson would still be studied in other areas of the curriculum such as U.S. history and government."

 

Melissa

[Tidbits of Learning]

This is simply NOT TRUE! Kids in TX will still learn about Thomas Jefferson, in AMERICAN History classes where he belongs. ALL of those things will be covered in AMERICAN History. They only tried to remove him from WORLD History to give the kids a chance to learn about other people in WORLD History! He is well covered as a Founder, President and VIP in AMERICAN History. These board members were trying to include other important people around the world that aren't in the TX history books right now. I don't blame them. My kids have learned the most about AMERICAN History and when we come across Americans in World history I try to move quickly through it because I want them to learn about History outside our boarders.

 

The point is mute since they have given into the misrepresentation across the Country of removing Thomas Jefferson from History and have voted to include him in World History. Here is the article. The pertinent paragraph is this:

 

"Before approving the standards on Friday, board members adopted scores of additional changes - including the restoration of Thomas Jefferson’s name to a list of political philosophers that students will study in world history. Board members had come under criticism for removing Jefferson’s name earlier this year though they pointed out that Jefferson would still be studied in other areas of the curriculum such as U.S. history and government."

 

Melissa

 

I can only go by what I saw on the news which was a taping of the actual voting as their names lit up on a screen to which they voted. They literally said vote to leave out Thomas Jefferson and include a different historical figure (I do not remember the name). It did not say World History or American History. They showed another vote in the same manner.

Whether it is Thomas Jefferson left out or James Madison (who did not make the cut on further reading) is a mute point. You can't pick and choose history. It all happened and these were all men who shaped our country and the world.

I think the previous poster is right about teaching our children that textbooks don't just fall from the sky. They are skewed and bias based on the people that are voting on what part of history we should include and leave out.

I don't really care who did or didn't make the cut according to Texas. I care that apparently history can be massacred and we can keep the parts we really like and just throw out those that we disagree with or that aren't as pretty.

[angela in ohio]

I can only go by what I saw on the news which was a taping of the actual voting as their names lit up on a screen to which they voted. They literally said vote to leave out Thomas Jefferson and include a different historical figure (I do not remember the name). It did not say World History or American History. They showed another vote in the same manner.

Whether it is Thomas Jefferson left out or James Madison (who did not make the cut on further reading) is a mute point. You can't pick and choose history. It all happened and these were all men who shaped our country and the world.

 

It is not a moot point whether they were left out of American or world history, though (and I have read several articles, including the ones quoted by PP in this thread, that it IS in fact a discussion of whether to include him in a world history course.) How many on this board are educating classically, so that our dc can learn about more than just the American history we had in school? If they are already learning about Jefferson in American history, why not include another world history figure in world history, so that they can learn about other parts of the world, too?

[Violet Crown]

Exactly!!! But Austin...ah, Austin. Austin belongs in VT...except that it is freaking cold there.

 

Austin could only ever be where it is. A while back I saw a pickup driving down Guadalupe that had a Greenpeace bumper sticker and a rifle rack. You ain't gettin' that in Vermont. And where else can you get decent vegan food with great salsa?

[Jenny in Atl]

 

"Before approving the standards on Friday, board members adopted scores of additional changes - including the restoration of Thomas Jefferson’s name to a list of political philosophers that students will study in world history. Board members had come under criticism for removing Jefferson’s name earlier this year though they pointed out that Jefferson would still be studied in other areas of the curriculum such as U.S. history and government."

 

Melissa

 

This is one of the main problems with history education in the US, really throughout the world... It's not just US history, it is world history. Jefferson, as with most all other US Presidents, effected far more than just events on US soil. I hate how history is always chopped and dissected, as if Spanish history only effected the Spanish. Let the TX board try to white wash their resources; students who are smart and curious will look outside their boring textbooks for a richer, deeper, and more complete record of our time on this earth.

[PiCO]

:001_huh::001_huh::001_huh:

 

Wow. Just wow that someone would write such a thing.

 

May God protect you and yours.

 

I'll protect mine, thanks.

 

I do think you're reading my post wrong, though. I have friends who were date raped in college. No, it wasn't their fault- that is a silly idea. HOWEVER, they tell their stories to all their friends, and beg people to educate young women.

[Tutor]

I am not a huge fan of textbooks (although I understand why teachers of large, diverse classrooms use them) and this exercise in the political manipulation of education is a big reason why.

 

Some of the changes I support and some I don't. I do not approve of the "we're doing it because they did it first" attitude behind the changes. If I were a teacher in the TX gov't schools, I would simply use the textbook as a springboard and bring in outside documentation/ support/ refutations as necessary. The politics of the textbook can be enhanced or suppressed by the politics of the teacher and the politics of the parents.

[Violet Crown]

If I were a teacher in the TX gov't schools, I would simply use the textbook as a springboard and bring in outside documentation/ support/ refutations as necessary. The politics of the textbook can be enhanced or suppressed by the politics of the teacher and the politics of the parents.

 

My world history teacher, a/k/a P.E. coach, in our Texas high school simply used the textbook as a springboard for talking about himself and sports.

 

My biology teacher used the textbook as a springboard for avoiding the entire subject of evolution by skipping that chapter, pleading lack of time, and no doubt concerned about the upcoming change in the composition of the ISD Board of Trustees. (A friend's bio teacher assigned their class to "read about evolution and write a paper saying what you believe." CYA.)

 

More reasons we homeschool.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I despise textbooks with a blatant liberal bias. Intellectual honesty compels me to despise this very odd bias, as well. Sane middle ground, anyone? Why not?

 

I think that the best possible outcome from this would be for the nation to wake up about the political agendas driving public education and about the absolute rubbish that passes for curriculum. Textbooks are not the best way for children to learn. They need primary source material, biographies, and living books.

 

It does matter. As has been mentioned, as CA and TX go, so goes the nation. Homeschoolers in reporting states may eventually find themselves trying to satisfy new weird guidelines for history. There will probably be a backlash of some kind about these changes, and the whole nation will be dragged through that, too. This is worth watching, for all parents.

 

Maybe more people will homeschool. Why aren't parents trying to take the schools back? Why do they just go along with whatever is offered?

 

:iagree: It matters indeed. We may have removed ourselves from the system and we may have given our children a better education, but the vast majority of children still go to ps. Those children, will also be someday voting and some may be in positions of influence. Those children will be the adults outs may work alongside with. IT matters how they think. It matters what they are taught.

[kaylk in tx]

What are the names of the history/ science textbooks and authors they will be switching to? I've read several articles, but I would like to read about the textbooks for myself.

 

having been a ps teacher in texas and going through a few of these adoption processes, let me 'splain.... no, that will take too long. let me sum up.

 

this is only the first step. the standards are written by the state. THEN textbook publishers start to put together textbooks that fit the standards. THEN those textbooks are submitted for approval by the state. the state puts out a list of those textbooks that are approved. school districts can only use state money to purchase books on the approved list. if they want a different textbook, they have to use local money instead. with books costing $40-60 a pop for ELEMENTARY texts, not gonna happen.

 

so we're probably 2-3 years from the new textbooks actually being available for use.

[SusanAR]

I think it's repulsive. Revisionist history at its very worst and most reprehensible.

 

 

Yep, and the sad thing is that it has been happening for years and years. I have two older children (30&28) who attended ps. M. Monroe received more attention than the founding fathers.