Texas State Board of Education...I Guess

January 14, 2010 — The Texas State Board of Education is currently undergoing an examination of what revisions are to be made in social studies curriculum for Texas school children over the next 10 years. The board will take action on recommendations from a panel that the board appointed and will make final decisions by March. In an editorial by the Editorial Board of the Austin-American Statesman titled "Another trip down biblical lane thanks to State Board of Education" states that the panel has members that "...are pushing a theocratic view of American history, taking the line that the founders had a vision of a country based on biblical principles." The editorial board correctly points out that history is influenced by many factors and to ignore some of those facts over others is folly. I could not agree more. For those interested in the editorial boards piece it can be read here http://www.statesman.com/opinion/another-trip-down-biblical-lane-thanks-to-state-173977.html.

To deny our children a fair and unbiased reading of history (American or World) based on fact is just flat out wrong! Do we do this in English, math, science curriculum...I don't think so. It is this sort of biased and ultra-conservative thinking that is strangling the abilities of our children to understand the world around them. It is one reason why our kids have difficulty in competing with other children of the world. It risks the danger of causing long term problems when these children become adults and don't understand how a world war came about or how civil rights were enacted or what were the influences on heath care reform to name just a few.

Whatever happened to just the facts? The very good 50's/60's TV actor/producer Jack Webb seem to always included a line in the script of his TV series Dragnet where he would say to the little ol' lady "...the facts ma'am...just the facts." It matters not whether a historical event was influenced by a theology, the weather, someone making a wrong turn, someone stubbing their toe, or whatever...if it's factual then it should be included in a study of that event...it's what really matters!