I have been debating about writing this post since Friday afternoon. At least two people that read this blog will disagree, but I think they will both keep reading. Friday I talked with a social studies colleague in my building. Thursday the social studies teachers in the district were told not only that they needed to teach about 9/11 in their classroom, but that they needed to follow the plans given by the district. If they chose to do something on their own, it needed to be OK'd by the district curriculum person. Immediately I was angered about the process and relieved that I didn't have to teach it. We have district standards and state standards that we uphold. 9/11 is not part of either of these. Not only was the mandate issued late, it has little to do with current curriculum. Basically one family in the district made this mandate.
Of course it is the tenth anniversary of 9/11, and it should be mentioned to these middle school students because they will need to understand the current media frenzy around the event. It is an event in our history like the Oklahoma City bombing that should be recognized, but it shouldn't be "taught" as part of the curriculum. Certainly mandating it to appease one family is ludicrous. Mandating how the event is taught is another problem. Many questions still remain about the event which have not been answered. The teacher should be able to talk about those questions. Also, the United States has retaliated causing the death of American soldiers perhaps without knowing all of the facts. All sides of 9/11 should be covered. Good teaching looks at the controversies and different sides. A mandated "binder" of lesson plans does not cover these.
Yesterday in church we talked about love. Since the 10th anniversary of 9/11 is upon us, it was mentioned. The day of the plane crash people acted heroically and out of love. The weeks and years following the actually day people have acted out of hatred and fear. When I see the news footage and commentary, I will turn off the television. It is a day of history, but it is also a day that has caused more fear and hatred than love.
Of course it is the tenth anniversary of 9/11, and it should be mentioned to these middle school students because they will need to understand the current media frenzy around the event. It is an event in our history like the Oklahoma City bombing that should be recognized, but it shouldn't be "taught" as part of the curriculum. Certainly mandating it to appease one family is ludicrous. Mandating how the event is taught is another problem. Many questions still remain about the event which have not been answered. The teacher should be able to talk about those questions. Also, the United States has retaliated causing the death of American soldiers perhaps without knowing all of the facts. All sides of 9/11 should be covered. Good teaching looks at the controversies and different sides. A mandated "binder" of lesson plans does not cover these.
Yesterday in church we talked about love. Since the 10th anniversary of 9/11 is upon us, it was mentioned. The day of the plane crash people acted heroically and out of love. The weeks and years following the actually day people have acted out of hatred and fear. When I see the news footage and commentary, I will turn off the television. It is a day of history, but it is also a day that has caused more fear and hatred than love.
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