Of all the ridiculous things we have seen in the national conversation over education, this has got to be one of the most absurd. A group of educators in Texas made a proposal to the State Board of Education suggesting that teachers should teach slavery as “involuntary relocation” in second-grade social studies lessons. Fortunately, the board turned down this silly suggestion, but the fact that it was even recommended illustrates the stupidity that has entered into the discussion.
The Texas Tribune reported:
The group of nine educators, including a professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, is one of many such groups advising the state education board to make curriculum change requests. This summer the board will consider updates to social studies instruction a year after lawmakers passed a law to keep topics that make students “feel discomfort” out of Texas classrooms.
Before digging into the report, it is important to note that Texas’ law is about far more than just making students “feel discomfort” over the teaching of America’s history. It is about ensuring that teachers are not influencing students to judge one another by skin color – but it’s The Texas Tribune, so of course, they are leaving that part out.
Still, the suggestion was predictably met with criticism. Board member Aicha Davis, a Democrat, lambasted the argument, pointing out that characterizing slavery in this manner was not a “fair representation” of the peculiar institution.
“I can’t say what their intention was, but that’s not going to be acceptable,” she told The Texas Tribune on Thursday.
The draft proposal said that lessons regarding slavery should “compare journeys to America, including voluntary Irish immigration and involuntary relocation of African people during colonial times.”
READ RELATED: WATCH: This Is the California Dream of Public Transportation for All
The Lone Star State is currently developing a new curriculum for social studies. This revamping occurs about every ten years to update the material that public schools are teaching to their students. This development comes amid a heated debate over leftist ideology related to race, gender, and sexuality being infused in K-12 classrooms.
Several states have passed legislation designed to prevent teachers from presenting lessons that are not appropriate for young children. Progressives have pushed back against these measures, claiming they are rooted in bigotry and a desire to whitewash America’s history when it comes to racial matters.
Newsmax reported that the state’s education board rejected the working draft and sent it back for revision. “For K-2, carefully examine the language used to describe events, specifically the term ‘involuntary relocation,’” the group requested.
This is not the first time Texas schools have had controversy over their teachings about slavery. Newsmax also noted that “Texas attracted attention in 2015 when it was discovered a state-approved social studies textbook called slaves brought to the U.S. ‘workers.’”
This proposal only plays into the hands of progressives claiming that opposition to ideas inspired by critical race theory is nothing more than an attempt to whitewash the ugly parts of American history. Moreover, if it had been adopted, it would have been exactly that – a way to downplay an evil that the country worked hard to move away from. Not only does it diminish the severity of the practice, but it also devalues the efforts of millions of Americans to abolish the peculiar institution.
Most seem to agree that public schools can do better when teaching history. The far-left seeks only to highlight America’s flaws to undermine the reasons for being proud of our country. The appropriate response is not to water down the nasty parts of the nation’s history, but to tell all of it, including the positive.
Source:
