A few weeks ago, the Social Studies Task Force, the group of teachers and community members working on developing a meaningful curriculum for our students, received notice that material intended for K-3 students would be on display for examination on different dates at different locations and a survey would be distributed for feedback.
I have to admit examining textbooks makes me feel a bit like a fish out of water--I teach 3 to 6 year olds at an MPS Montessori school and am unfamiliar with using textbooks as a teaching tool but it wasn't difficult to see why these books are not appropriate. At first glance the books look new and shiny--something I know can seem appealing to schools and teachers in dire need of materials but the glossy exterior only goes so far. A closer look at the content makes it quite evident that our children deserve better. A few examples i remember:
*The pages that discuss Cesar Chavez do not have any mention of unions or the United Farm Workers
*The first Thanksgiving is retold in a very traditional manner without any invitation for critical thinking--the 'Pilgrims shared their harvest with the Native Americans'
*Discussions of slavery are often sanitized and omit a realistic assessment of its human cost and cruelty
I could go on. Examples were not hard to find. I do have to make special mention of my 'favorite'-- the accompanying reading booklet focused on Disney World. Seriously, this is what our children need to be studying? The existence of Disney World? Somehow I think Disney's numerous media outlets and retail machines have that covered.
Generally speaking, I find it problematic the approach the textbooks take to social studies and the study of history as it seems to piece together events and people without critique or in many cases omitting facts and narratives that are pertinent. Historian Gerda Lerner wrote:
"What we do about history matters. The often repeated saying that those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them has a lot of truth in it. But what are the 'lessons of history'? The very attempt at definition furnishes ground for new conflicts. History is not a recipe book; past events are never replicated in the present in quite the same way. Historical events are infinitely variable and their interpretations are a constantly shifting process."
We know history is important. The study of it requires more than a listing of events or brief biographies of compelling people. It is more than a recipe listing ingredients. The study of history requires depth and context in order to appreciate its richness and value. As teachers, part of the art that we do is to inspire great interest in the study of history and the world, making it relevant to our students' lives. These textbooks fall short of that task. But don't take my word for it. There is one more viewing of the books on November 20 at at Central Services in Room 210-211 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. I especially encourage teachers of children K-3rd grade to go and examine the books and to fill out the survey.
Finally, I haven't approached the other subject at hand here--that is, how appropriate textbooks are for children in the early grades. That is also a discussion we as teachers need to have with MPS administration. Perhaps that's another post for another day.
