As the kerfuffle surrounding Oklahoma’s sudden desire to de-thinkerize APUSH started making headlines this past week, NPR made a visit to the classroom of Christine Custred of Edmond, OK. The audio and transcript of the resulting piece is worth a listen and a read if you haven’t already done so.
One of the central issues, of course, is the belief by some on the right that the new APUSH course outline doesn’t sufficiently emphasize American Exceptionalism – the belief we are unique and awesome in ways others can only long for. Everyone wants to either be us or blow us up – either way, must be because we’re awesome.
Custred managed one of my favorite understated rebuffs of this century when she slid in this bit:
In most places in the world, you’ll be hauled off by some kind of Gestapo if you criticize the country and/or government, and that is exceptional that we can do that.
A few days later, still apparently fuming over state efforts to make our kids LESS prepared to function outside the Dollar General or local feed store, she posted this to her Facebook page. It is reprinted with permission here.
TOP TEN REASONS AMERICA IS EXCEPTIONAL
1. Separation of church and state. Our Founding Fathers ensured this for us. A cursory knowledge of history and current world governments (and the Puritans) enlightens us to why this us so very important.
2. The Zenger trial led the way for the 1st amendment which allows Americans to safely criticize their government.
3. As a result of our free speech, history teachers can teach all of American History (the good, the bad, and the ugly). Try doing that in North Korea. Wait, don’t.
4. America educates all of its citizens. Simply AMAZING.
5. America has a very sad and tragic history with regard to civil rights and the mistreatment of ethnic and racial minorities. But because of our 1st amendment (again, thank you Founding Fathers) demonstrations and criticism led to significant changes. We still have gains to make on this front but we now have an African American president. Really think about that.
6. Students in America will learn about that sad and tragic history.
7. There is a shop that sells cupcakes across the street from my school. They haven’t gone out of business. It seems crazy that someone would pay $4.00 for a cupcake. You go free market and the American Dream.
8. Anthropologie
9. My daughters can go to school without fear of being shot in the face. They can achieve and aim for things that would never have been available to them 100 years ago or currently in many countries of the world. The same goes for your daughters.
10. An average girl from the great state of Minnesota, who was told by her high school counselor that a community college was her only option (remember that Thomas Legierski and Marie Legierski?) can become an advocate for education.
Feel free to share your lists as well, if you prefer. Personally, I’m having a hard time topping this one.
Things have been moving rather briskly lately, and I’ve had a mite o’ difficulty keeping up. Holy wow – it’s like no one even TAKES those ‘Which 1970’s TV Commerical ARE You?’ quizzes on Facebook anymore – they just post about AP in OK and shake their collective cyber-heads.
My Current Favorites:
A Student Defends AP (I posted this on my blog, but this isn’t more me – this is actually good)
The Legislative APUSH Push-Back: An Educator’s Perspective – OkEdTruths is the definitive source for all things legislative in #oklaed, and this post is no exception. Most of this one, however, is a guest-blog from one of the state’s most successful and reputable classroom educators, Mr. David Burton.
Save AP – OkEdTruths highlights the very real danger that we’re on our way towards eliminating one of the few things actually promoting higher education in our public schools right now.
We Must #SaveAP From Our Politicians – Claudia Swisher knows her politicians, but it still hurts watching the sausage being made… welcome to The Jungle.
An Educated Person (The Problem With “Lists” as Curriculum) – This post is not only not specifically intended to be about pending legislation in Oklahoma, it’s from an English teacher in a whole other state. But the argument is entirely applicable here – lists of stuff we think “everyone” should know aren’t the same as learning or thinking.
AP U.S. History Course Description and other info – This is from the College Board website, so it’s not as completely unbiased and objective as, say, the Black Robes for Patriotic God Juice guy in our legislature. Nevertheless, in the same way I try to go to the actual legislation before ranting about the law, it might be helpful to go to the actual course description before damning its progressive contents to hell.
And of course my invaluable insights and throwing of furniture:
I’d Rather Be Aquaman(This one is from several months back when Texas was doing the whole ‘More Red in Red, White and Blue’ thing over the same issue. Plus, this is one amuses me to no end. Turns out I’m narcissistic and vain.)
Dan Fisher is SHOCKED at What’s In His Bill(NPR came to visit, and spoke to two people. A very coherent teacher with a healthy clue, and a man hurt and breathy-offended that people would suggest he means anything he clearly says)
Things To Ask Your Legislator or Others Supporting the Move to Kill AP:
I’m told I am not always the most dispassionate or rational voice on these subjects. That my ‘tone’ might be counterproductive in some situations.
I don’t know… I think the image of me kicking and crying as I shriek: “WHY DO YOU HATE OUR CHILDREN?!? WHY ARE YOU AFRAID THEY MIGHT THINK OR GROW BEYOND THIS?!? WHAT ENTITY DO YOU SERVE THAT FEARS TRUTH OR LIGHT?!?” and they drag me away, never to be seen by family or friends again – well, it has a certain poignancy, don’t you think?
Still, I live to serve. Here’s my humble effort to prioritize and organize the existing issues regarding this effort to crush whatever minimal signs of higher level thinking may remain in our students.
Feel free to make comments / corrections / suggestions below. It’s not personal – my ego will manage. It usually does.
I’m conflating the House and Senate versions for efficiency. Feel free to link to this page when you email your Representatives and Senators over these bills.
Logistics / Finances:
Q1: What is your reasoning for thinking a multi-national organization like the College Board will submit to the whims of Oklahoma and ‘revert’ to the previous course outline based on our demands? Are you aware Texas – a state which, whatever our opinions of them, has a much larger population and budget than ours – tried something similar recently with almost no impact? Is this a serious expectation written into the bill, or merely cynical grandstanding?
Q2: Will the state be reimbursing students who under the current system would be receiving college credit for their APUSH scores in amounts equal to whatever additional tuition they’ll be paying as a result of this legislation?
Q3: How many years and how many hundreds of thousands of dollars do you plan on devoting to this new, improved AP course and test you wish to design to replace the College Board course and exam? Who, exactly, will write it? How will you pilot it, analyze its effectiveness, seek feedback from universities and public school history teachers around the world – or at least the state?
Q4: Given current budget restraints, where is all of this new money coming from to create this ‘new, improved’ AP course? Or do you merely plan on adding your list of documents onto the existing framework, despite your lack of faith in the current design?
Q5: How many additional school hours are you willing to finance for students to be adequately submerged in the many hundreds – possibly thousands – of required documents you propose? Will these hours replace current hours spent in math, science, or ELA, or will they be added to the current requirements?
Purpose / Assumptions:
Q6: What is it about other points of view or critical thinking that troubles you in the new APUSH course? Would you be willing to offer examples of APUSH courses currently being taught in Oklahoma which marginalize or ignore foundational documents or ‘American exceptionalism’ as at least one way to consider our history?
Q7: We hear repeatedly that we’re supposed to help students become “college, career, and citizenship ready” (or sometimes just “college & career ready”). Understanding and appreciating multiple points of view or other nation’s or culture’s paradigms and perspectives is an essential part of any of these three. If this is NOT the primary purpose of public education in Oklahoma, what do you believe that primary purpose SHOULD be?
Q8: Should students who do not come from an Anglo-Saxon background, or share an evangelical Protestant worldview, or conform to whatever else you consider to be the ‘real American’ standards and beliefs, be denied entrance to advanced coursework? If admitted, can they only pass if sufficiently willing to conform to a single lifestyle and value system, or are other interpretations and questions acceptable if supported with proper evidence?
Q9: Do you believe the values and ideals on which America was founded are so fragile as to be in danger from questions or challenges made in an academic setting? Could you help us understand what it is you believe your faith and your state have to fear from a generation taught to question both their own assumptions and those of others?
Q10: What do you believe is the primary purpose of Social Studies and History in public education?
Q11: Is it more important for students to be able to recite from a list of sacred texts, or be able to recognize, analyze, evaluate, and otherwise explain a variety of texts which they may encounter along the way?
Credibility:
Q12: Could you explain why you chose to include ___________ in your list of required documents, and what parts of this document or this collection of documents you believe is being currently marginilized by the APUSH framework?
I suggest a theme song for efforts to eliminate this whitewashing, flag-waving nonsense:
As the kerfuffle surrounding Oklahoma’s sudden desire to de-thinkerize APUSH started making headlines this past week, NPR made a visit to the classroom of Christine Custred of Edmond, OK. The audio and transcript of the resulting piece is worth a listen and a read if you haven’t already done so.
I don’t know… I think the image of me kicking and crying as I shriek: “WHY DO YOU HATE OUR CHILDREN?!? WHY ARE YOU AFRAID THEY MIGHT THINK OR GROW BEYOND THIS?!? WHAT ENTITY DO YOU SERVE THAT FEARS TRUTH OR LIGHT?!?” and they drag me away, never to be seen by family or friends again – well, it has a certain poignancy, don’t you think?