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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> Mr. Martin’s solution for the
problems presented in History can be found in HS, even here in MSD.
Unfortunately, they are most often found in AP classes. These are classes
designed for the student who wants to work, that is the student knows ahead of
time that real work will be required in the class. MHS does have one AP
history course, for juniors and seniors, and one AP English course too. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> It is too bad the MHS, like many HS
around the nation, believes in the “athletic/industrial complex”
that promotes athletics as more important than academics. When a school
districts adopts a view that dribbling a basketball is more valuable than
writing, that playing football is more important than mathematics, that the
personal responsibility of a student towards the coach and the team is given a
higher priority than personal responsibility to a classroom teacher, then
expectations of academic rigor will always fail. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> The false importance that too many
school teachers and administrators give to sports contributes significantly to
the lowering of self esteem and lack of personal responsibility that has
plagued our school systems for too long. We do not need a brand new athletics
facility behind the façade of a HS. We do need a public school system that is
willing top step up and accept responsibility for the education of our
children.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>John</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> </span></font></p>
<div>
<blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt;
margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt'>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color=black
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>-----
Original Message ----- </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><b><font size=2 color=black
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;
font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> <a
href="mailto:rik82@yahoo.com">Eric Martin</a> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><b><font size=2 color=black
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;
font-weight:bold'>To:</span></font></b><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> <a
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Vision 2020</a> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><b><font size=2 color=black
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;
font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></font></b><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> </span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'>Tuesday, August 10, 2004</span></font><font size=2 color=black
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> </span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'>4:36 PM</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><b><font size=2 color=black
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;
font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></font></b><font size=2 color=black
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> Re:
[Vision2020] RE: our history books</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color=black
face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color=black
face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Yes,
quality history books are certainly available,<br>
even for the k-12 audience, but they are rarely<br>
adopted by local school boards (when they have such<br>
authority) or by state boards (such as </span></font><font size=2 color=black
face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Texas</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:black'>) that<br>
provide a short list of approved text options for<br>
local districts to select from. (I am not sure how it<br>
works in the </span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Moscow</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
Verdana;color:black'> </span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Public School</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:black'> system, so a little<br>
enlightenment would be helpful.)<br>
<br>
There are several reasons for this, but I would argue<br>
that the deciding factor is that the purpose of<br>
history as it is taught at the k-12 level in public<br>
schools across the </span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>U.S.</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:black'> has much more to do with<br>
shaping the political/cultural identity<br>
(indoctrination?) of our children than it does with<br>
teaching them how to detect, document & analyze change<br>
over time. <br>
<br>
Remember the charge the current second lady, Lynn<br>
Cheney, led against the National History Standards<br>
Project back in the 1990’s? She had two basic<br>
complaints about the curriculum developed by a large<br>
group of historians who had been funded by the NEH and<br>
the U.S. Department of Education to improve the<br>
quality of historical knowledge among </span></font><font size=2 color=black
face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>U.S.</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:black'> students. <br>
<br>
Her first problem with the curriculum was that<br>
American students would spend too much time learning<br>
about the rest of the world. <br>
<br>
Her second problem was that the curriculum did not<br>
present a narrative that duly emphasized the themes of<br>
American progress and American exceptionalism. What<br>
Lynn Cheney (and those she represented) want taught is<br>
national mythology – but they want to call it history.<br>
<br>
Take a look at the title of your kid’s history<br>
textbook & then compare that to the title of one of<br>
their science textbooks. A science text titled “The<br>
Rise of the Molecule” or “Our Glorious Genes” probably<br>
would not be taken very seriously. <br>
<br>
K-12 (& many college survey) textbooks usually present<br>
a sanitized version of the past that reads like an<br>
encyclopedia. We should not find it surprising that<br>
many of us find history boring and a matter of<br>
memorizing dates, battles, and names. The current<br>
trend towards more standardized testing is only<br>
reinforcing these (mis)perceptions of history.<br>
<br>
Additionally, because of their encyclopedic nature<br>
history textbooks usually offer no argument/thesis and<br>
no/little supporting evidence. This becomes<br>
problematic when students are asked to write a<br>
research paper on a historical topic and they have<br>
never been assigned a text that modeled the process<br>
for them. I have taught college level history for 7<br>
years to mostly working class, public school educated<br>
kids – and most of them don’t know how to critically<br>
read a book (in addition to a near 100% geographic<br>
illiteracy rate).<br>
<br>
Why not provide history students with some primary<br>
sources, a couple of differing historical<br>
interpretations (real books, presenting historical<br>
arguments, with evidence to evaluate) and let them<br>
work it out in the “History Lab”?<br>
<br>
Well one problem with that method is that it would<br>
mean actually having teachers in the class who were<br>
trained as historians. The football coach teaching<br>
history may be a stereotype, but I had several of<br>
them, as well as the basketball coach, and the drill<br>
team instructor. Even with the best intentions a<br>
teacher with no historical training who is required to<br>
teach a history course has little choice but to teach<br>
the textbook and the text. <br>
<br>
Although it can be infuriating and repetitive at times<br>
James Loewen’s “Lies My Teacher Told Me” provides a<br>
pretty good description of the problems facing </span></font><font size=2
color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:black'>U.S.</span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><br>
high school history education focusing particularly on<br>
the issue of textbooks. “History on Trial” provides an<br>
account of the battle over the National History<br>
Standards in the 1990’s. And “History Wars” is an<br>
account over the exhibition of the Smithsonian’s Enola<br>
Gay (dropped the A-Bombs on </span></font><font size=2 color=black
face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Japan</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:black'>) exhibit and<br>
provides some good insight into the political<br>
dimensions of historical education. <br>
<br>
Cheers to all the quality public ed. k-12 history<br>
teachers (trained or not) out there who still manage<br>
to spark there students intellectual curiosity about<br>
the past and the rest of the world. You are engaged<br>
in a most important and mostly thankless task.<br>
<br>
Thanks,<br>
<br>
Eric Martin<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
--- "Art Deco aka W. Fox" <<a href="mailto:deco@moscow.com">deco@moscow.com</a>>
wrote:<br>
<br>
> Bob,<br>
> <br>
> Perhaps you can provides some specific observations<br>
> to illustrate your thesis.<br>
> <br>
> There have been a number of books published which<br>
> seek to demythologize American<br>
> History as presented to el-hi schoolers.<br>
> <br>
> I for one would be interested in hearing your<br>
> concerns.<br>
> <br>
> </span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Wayne</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:black'><br>
> <br>
> Wayne A. Fox<br>
> <a href="mailto:waf@moscow.com">waf@moscow.com</a><br>
> PO Box 9421<br>
> </span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Moscow</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
Verdana;color:black'>, </span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>ID</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
Verdana;color:black'> </span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>83843</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:black'><br>
> 208 882-7975<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> ----- Original Message ----- <br>
> From: "Robert Probasco" <<a
href="mailto:rcprobasco@fastmail.fm">rcprobasco@fastmail.fm</a>><br>
> To: "'vision2020'" <<a href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</a>><br>
> Sent: </span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Tuesday, August 10,
2004</span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'> </span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:black'>2:48 AM</span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><br>
> Subject: [Vision2020] RE: our history books<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> | -- <br>
> | Robert Probasco<br>
> | <a href="mailto:rcprobasco@fastmail.fm">rcprobasco@fastmail.fm</a><br>
> |<br>
> | ----- Original message -----<br>
> | From: "Tom Hansen" <<a href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com">thansen@moscow.com</a>><br>
> | [snip] ... let's study our history books ....<br>
> [snip]<br>
> |<br>
> | If we study only the history books used in<br>
> American schools, we'll<br>
> | continue to be woefully ignorant consumers of the<br>
> mass media. The<br>
> | sanitized version of history produced by American<br>
> publishers is<br>
> | guaranteed to generate naive questions like, "Why<br>
> do they hate us?"<br>
> |<br>
> | A decade ago, I served on the </span></font><font size=2 color=black
face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Moscow</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:black'> public<br>
> schools textbook selection<br>
> | committee for Social Studies. I was so appalled<br>
> at the Pablum in those<br>
> | books I recommended none be adopted. Naturally,<br>
> the chairwoman<br>
> | ramrodded her choice through the committee. Six<br>
> months later, the<br>
> | </span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>California</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:black'> school board rejected all submissions<br>
> from social studies<br>
> | publishers as unworthy.<br>
> |<br>
> | I would recommend each student acquire a World<br>
> Almanac so they can<br>
> | reference basic facts and dates, then creative<br>
> assignments would enable<br>
> | them to research and recreate historical events. <br>
> They would gain an<br>
> | appreciation for the complex and contradictory<br>
> events that led to the<br>
> | seminal events in the historical (or is that<br>
> hysterical?) record.<br>
> | Bob Probasco<br>
> |<br>
> |<br>
><br>
_____________________________________________________<br>
> | List services made available by First Step<br>
> Internet,<br>
> | serving the communities of the Palouse since<br>
> 1994.<br>
>
|
<a href="http://www.fsr.net">http://www.fsr.net</a><br>
> | <a
href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</a><br>
> |<br>
><br>
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ<br>
> |<br>
> |<br>
> <br>
><br>
_____________________________________________________<br>
> List services made available by First Step<br>
> Internet, <br>
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <br>
> <br>
>
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<br>
> <br>
> <a
href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</a><br>
><br>
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> <br>
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