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Texas revises history textbooks

Dittohead not!

Dittohead not!

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They can't revise history, but the next best thing is to revise the textbooks so that kids learn the "correct" version, right?

Texas School Board's Vote Could Make Nation's History Textbooks more Conservative

Yes, and what does "conservative" mean to the Texas School Board?

The tentatively approved curriculum would, among other things, question the assumption that the Founding Father's wanted a secular government and tout the superiority of American capitalism. The board also consistently voted down attempts to include more references to Hispanic role models in American history.
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Oh. So, conservative means that the FF wanted to have a religious government, American capitalism is sup.erior to other people's capitalism, and those darned minorities didn't really play much of a role in our history after all.

Now we know what conservatives believe.
 
Dittohead not! said:
They can't revise history, but the next best thing is to revise the textbooks so that kids learn the "correct" version, right?

Texas School Board's Vote Could Make Nation's History Textbooks more Conservative

Yes, and what does "conservative" mean to the Texas School Board?



Oh. So, conservative means that the FF wanted to have a religious government, American capitalism is sup.erior to other people's capitalism, and those darned minorities didn't really play much of a role in our history after all.

Now we know what conservatives believe.
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As if our history classes weren't whitewashed enough as it is.
 
All I can say is...

FANTASTIC!

It's about time steps were taken to teach the things in history that made America great. I'm all for this, and hope other states will follow.

Here are a couple of other articles on this story from the New York Times and the Houston Chronicle.

Texas Conservatives Win Vote on Textbook Standards - NYTimes.com

Conservative-backed curriculum OK’d for history classes | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Here's some of the new issues that are going to be included in history class, from the NY Times article:

They also included a plank to ensure that students learn about “the conservative resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s, including Phyllis Schlafly, the Contract With America, the Heritage Foundation, the Moral Majority and the National Rifle Association.”

Dr. McLeroy, a dentist by training, pushed through a change to the teaching of the civil rights movement to ensure that students study the violent philosophy of the Black Panthers in addition to the nonviolent approach of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He also made sure that textbooks would mention the votes in Congress on civil rights legislation, which Republicans supported.

“Republicans need a little credit for that,” he said. “I think it’s going to surprise some students.”

Mr. Bradley won approval for an amendment saying students should study “the unintended consequences” of the Great Society legislation, affirmative action and Title IX legislation. He also won approval for an amendment stressing that Germans and Italians as well as Japanese were interned in the United States during World War II, to counter the idea that the internment of Japanese was motivated by racism.

Other changes seem aimed at tamping down criticism of the right. Conservatives passed one amendment, for instance, requiring that the history of McCarthyism include “how the later release of the Venona papers confirmed suspicions of communist infiltration in U.S. government.” The Venona papers were transcripts of some 3,000 communications between the Soviet Union and its agents in the United States.
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.
 
Grim17 said:
All I can say is...

FANTASTIC!

It's about time steps were taken to teach the things in history that made America great. I'm all for this, and hope other states will follow.

Here are a couple of other articles on this story from the New York Times and the Houston Chronicle.

Texas Conservatives Win Vote on Textbook Standards - NYTimes.com

Conservative-backed curriculum OK’d for history classes | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Here's some of the new issues that are going to be included in history class, from the NY Times article:



.
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So you are all for indoctrinating school children, so long as it is the correct flavor of indoctrination.
 
There has been a dramatic leftward swing in the presentation of history for quite a while now. I'm glad to hear that somewhere is trying to bring some balance and present other ideas as well.
 
marduc said:
So you are all for indoctrinating school children, so long as it is the correct flavor of indoctrination.
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Indoctrination in public schools is nothing new, it's been going on for decades at least.

The difference is that almost all of it has been decidedly left-of-center to this point. Now someone wants to shift it a little to the right to make things a smidge more balanced.

Cry boo-hoo, why dontcha.
 
marduc said:
So you are all for indoctrinating school children, so long as it is the correct flavor of indoctrination.
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There's plenty of indoctrination going on in the schools now by leftist influence. In my opinion, it's good to present thought from all sides, not just your side.
 
Both slants have no business determining nor controlling how and what the students are taught. The education of our children should not be dictated by a political agenda period, whether it be left or right.. balancing a leftward bias in our schools by a deliberately injecting a politically motivated right leaning bias is not the answer.
 
Right now kids are being abused by not telling them a proper and accurate version of American history. Truth be told the founding fathers were very religious and America was founded on Christian principals. The Pilgrims fled Europe to escape from theocracy and Christian persecution at the hands of state churches. America's Christian roots should certainly be taught, they are a valid part of history. Our children are not taught proper history for fear of offending someone with what is true. I bet most don't know that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated to thank God for plenty, not to sit with Indians and have a feast.
 
This is great. I can't wait to read the new chapters in World History that write about Jesus and his dinosaur riding experiences. :mrgreen:
 
digsbe said:
Right now kids are being abused by not telling them a proper and accurate version of American history. Truth be told the founding fathers were very religious and America was founded on Christian principals. The Pilgrims fled Europe to escape from theocracy and Christian persecution at the hands of state churches. America's Christian roots should certainly be taught, they are a valid part of history. Our children are not taught proper history for fear of offending someone with what is true. I bet most don't know that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated to thank God for plenty, not to sit with Indians and have a feast.
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That's pretty accurate. I think the most unique of them, in my opinion, was Thomas Jefferson.

He wrote that the teachings of Jesus contain the "outlines of a system of the most sublime morality which has ever fallen from the lips of man." Wrote: "I am of a sect by myself, as far as I know." Source: "Jefferson's Religious Beliefs", The religion of Thomas Jefferson, third U.S. President

<snip>
 
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marduc said:
Both slants have no business determining nor controlling how and what the students are taught. The education of our children should not be dictated by a political agenda period, whether it be left or right.. balancing a leftward bias in our schools by a deliberately injecting a politically motivated right leaning bias is not the answer.
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Okay, so let me ask you a simple question.

Should man-made Global Warming be taught as a theory or a fact, in public schools?

Right now my son's school teaches it as fact. When my son told his teacher that he didn't believe in AGW because his father didn't, she told him that she was going to change his mind. (She failed to do so, but only because I had counter-arguments to her teachings.)

Should schools present both sides in the AGW debate then?

What about both sides of the debate about social welfare and the Great Society?

Both sides of the McCarthy issue, as the Texas board intends to do?
 
Goshin said:
Okay, so let me ask you a simple question.

Should man-made Global Warming be taught as a theory or a fact, in public schools?

Right now my son's school teaches it as fact. When my son told his teacher that he didn't believe in AGW because his father didn't, she told him that she was going to change his mind. (She failed to do so, but only because I had counter-arguments to her teachings.)

Should schools present both sides in the AGW debate then?

What about both sides of the debate about social welfare and the Great Society?

Both sides of the McCarthy issue, as the Texas board intends to do?
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That is a red herring I have no need to chase, my beef is that curriculum's are not determined by academic merit, it is determined by politics and pandering to votes, regardless of whether that is conservative or liberal, neither should be forcefully injected as illustrated by statements like this:

The board majority's conservative approach to “culture, government and the changing political landscape” was impossible 13 years ago when the social studies curriculum last was updated, said David Bradley, R-Beaumont.

“There's been a cultural and political shift in Texas, at least in the policy-making level,” he said. “We all represent a constituency. Elections matter.”
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Conservative-backed curriculum OK’d for history classes | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Should elections REALLY be the determining factor in what and how our kids are taught?
 
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Goshin said:
Indoctrination in public schools is nothing new, it's been going on for decades at least.

The difference is that almost all of it has been decidedly left-of-center to this point. Now someone wants to shift it a little to the right to make things a smidge more balanced.

Cry boo-hoo, why dontcha.
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Man they removed Thomas Jefferson from their history book and replaced him with John Calhoun, WTF!

I never want my kids in government schools to be a political football, this is retarded.
 
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The books are quite black and white, if not conservative as they already are. I find that they tend not to swing to far either in support, or in opposition to the U.S. How many of you were ever tought about General Pinochet or the Shah of Iran in school? You do, however. make a good point about learning about both sides of Mcarthy. So in consencious i guess the books are generaly balanced, for good or for worse, as they are. I find this to be expected however, as a controversial book is likly not to get published by our school system.

I do find though that the teachers, not the books, do tend to be left of center, which there really is no way to combat.
 
I think they should teach it all. All sides. But they also need to teach that all sides are suppositions. Usually the truth is found closer to the middle.

There are some classes that are rooted in facts. Math, physics, etc.

Then there are classes that are rooted in opinion and viewpoint. Politics, history, etc.

Our children should be taught to know the difference.

Our generation was no different. To this day, for example, people from my day and age STILL hold the ground JFK walked on to be sacred ground. When, after the curtain was lifted and the light was shown, he did nothing really to deserve such reverence. But that's how society wanted the history written.

I think a disclaimer: "The information in this textbook is subject to change down through the ages as we get closer to the truth" should be prefaced in each textbook presenting intrepretation."

I love Texas. I am Texas born, Texas bred. When I die I will be Texas dead. I understand why the books will be slanted to a Texas point of view as they are the biggest customer. But, having travelled the world, it is kinda scary to educate the nation from the Texas point of view. Simply because of economics. Not that the Texas point of view is a bad thing. But it is CERTAINLY unique in it's perspective.
 
Dittohead not! said:
They can't revise history, but the next best thing is to revise the textbooks so that kids learn the "correct" version, right?

Texas School Board's Vote Could Make Nation's History Textbooks more Conservative

Yes, and what does "conservative" mean to the Texas School Board?



Oh. So, conservative means that the FF wanted to have a religious government, American capitalism is sup.erior to other people's capitalism, and those darned minorities didn't really play much of a role in our history after all.

Now we know what conservatives believe.
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If you don't like it, don't read it.
 
Captain America said:
I think a disclaimer: "The information in this textbook is subject to change down through the ages as we get closer to the truth" should be prefaced in each textbook presenting intrepretation."
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Oh no, not another text-book warning sticker :doh
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
Kids are compelled to be in school by law, parents are forced to pay taxes for school, this isn't right.
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You don't have to live in Texas, and even if you do live in Texas, you don't have to send your kid to public school.
 
Jerry said:
You don't have to live in Texas, and even if you do live in Texas, you don't have to send your kid to public school.
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If you live there you still have to pay taxes for the school, directly or indirectly.

Come on Jer they removed Thom Jefferson for John Calhoun.
That is just beyond stupid.
 
Four of the five minority members on the board opposed the long list of standards, citing in particular the inadequate coverage of blacks and Hispanics in U.S. and Texas history.
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So the **** what?

This is grade school, they don't need a collage level understanding of the exact rolls every imaginable token minority group played. They just need the basic idea.
 
Jerry said:
You don't have to live in Texas, and even if you do live in Texas, you don't have to send your kid to public school.
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Your missing the point. Even if the parents agree with the curriculum, it is not fair for the child to be surrounded by a school system that is so bias.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
If you live there you still have to pay taxes for the school, directly or indirectly.

Come on Jer they removed Thom Jefferson for John Calhoun.
That is just beyond stupid.
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I live in a world where I have to pay taxes to support Leftist agendas in the school. Welcome to my world. The fact that you now have to pay to support a Rightist agenda is satisfying. Poetic justice, imo.
 
You can't send your kid to private school if you can't afford it. So what is religion doing in the public classroom?

Texas is giving more weight to the argument that the Federal gov. should control education, and not the States. It doesn't need to be that way. Most States have reasonable education curriculua, but the extremists, as usual, are shouting the loudest and souring the situation.

What would you call a "leftist" agenda in school, btw? I want examples.
 
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