http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/historyeducation/ en-us Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:45:48 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407503/posts This is my latest post for NewsReal. I thought I'd post it here, because I'm pretty sure you guys will enjoy it. You would think that someone who writes a book called A People’s History of the United States would at the very least believe there is such an entity as the “United States,” wouldn’t you? Well, you’d be mistaken in historian and radical leftist Howard Zinn’s case. In his most famous work, he writes: The pretense is that there really is such a thing as “the United States,” subject to occasional conflicts and quarrels, but fundamentally a community of... David Horowitz's NewsRealblog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407503/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:45:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406962/posts <p>In 1997, Matt Damon played the part of a janitor who turned out to be not only a math wizard, but one of the most brilliant men you could find anywhere. Trying to impress an arrogant Harvard student, who thought he knew everything, Damon’s character quotes from Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. He tells the Harvard kid and a psychiatrist at the hospital he works at that “you’re surrounding yourself with all the wrong fuckin’ books. You wanna read a real history book, read Howard Zinn’s People’s History of the United States. That book’ll [explitive deleted] you on your [explative].”</p> Pajamas Media http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406962/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:57:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385886/posts It seemed like a good idea -- take an elementary school class on a field trip to a historical plantation. But things turned awkward when the tour guide decided to choose black students to demonstrate how slaves were forced to pick cotton. The incident happened last Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina on a visit to the historic Latta Plantation. When the subject turned to slavery, tour guide Ian Campbell, who is black, picked three black students out of the mostly white class to illustrate slaves picking cotton. "I am very enthusiastic about getting kids to think about how people did... Opposing Views http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385886/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:21:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361018/posts Christopher Columbus' stature in U.S. classrooms has declined somewhat through the years, and many districts will not observe the explorer's namesake holiday on Monday. Although lessons vary, many teachers are trying to present a more balanced perspective of what happened after Columbus reached the Caribbean and the suffering of indigenous populations. "The whole terminology has changed," said James Kracht, executive associate dean for academic affairs in the Texas A&M College of Education and Human Development. "You don't hear people using the world 'discovery' anymore like they used to. 'Columbus discovers America.' Because how could he discover America if there were... CBS News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361018/posts#comment Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:48:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2360582/posts TAMPA, Fla. - Jeffrey Kolowith’s kindergarten students read a poem about Christopher Columbus, take a journey to the New World on three paper ships, and place the explorer’s picture on a timeline through history. Kolowith’s students learn about the explorer’s significance, but they also come away with a more nuanced picture of Columbus than the noble discoverer often portrayed in pop culture and legend. “I talk about the situation where he didn’t even realize where he was,’’ Kolowith said. “And we talked about how he was very, very mean, very bossy.’’ Columbus’s stature in US classrooms has declined somewhat through... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2360582/posts#comment Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:05:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2324837/posts At a time in which US student lag behind their foreign counterparts in reading, writing and arithmetic; and at a time in which 250 years of American history is taught in selective sound bites with little focus on the complexity of the event, Governor Quinn signed into law legislation requiring schools to educate students as to the forceful removal of Mexican migrants during the Great Depression. The law, written by State Senator, Willie Delgado (D), states, "that the teaching of history shall include ... The Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2324837/posts#comment Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:08:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2320657/posts If you thought Tom Cruise's character in "The Last Samurai" represented a real figure from history, you were wrong. But don't feel ashamed. A new study shows that even students, with facts staring them in the face, tend to substitute Hollywood fiction for historical fact in their minds. "What we found is that there's something really special about watching a film that lets people retain information from that film, even when they had read a contradictory account in the textbook," said Andrew Butler, a psychology researcher at Washington University in St. Louis during the time he and his colleagues conducted... livescience http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2320657/posts#comment Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:30:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283726/posts A generation of teenagers know almost nothing about the history of Britain because schools are sidelining knowledge in favour of trendy topics and generic skills, a university academic has warned. Professor Derek Matthews, an economics lecturer at Cardiff University, was so concerned at his students' lack of historical knowledge that he decided to investigate by setting them five simple questions. Daily Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283726/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 00:41:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2272369/posts To the pessimists evidence that the field of diplomatic history is on the decline is everywhere. Job openings on the nation’s college campuses are scarce, while bread-and-butter courses like the Origins of War and American Foreign Policy are dropping from history department postings. And now, in what seems an almost gratuitous insult, Diplomatic History, the sole journal devoted to the subject, has proposed changing its title. For many in the field this latest suggestion is emblematic of a broader problem: the shrinking importance not only of diplomatic history but also of traditional specialties like economic, military and constitutional history. The New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2272369/posts#comment Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:59:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2272162/posts Gray Lady Wakes Up by: Malcolm A. Kline, June 15, 2009 The dearth of history courses in American colleges and universities has become so obvious that even the New York Times has noticed. “In 1975, for example, three-quarters of college history departments employed at least one diplomatic historian; in 2005 fewer than half did,” Patricia Cohen reported in an article that appeared in The New York Times on June 11, 2009. “The number of departments with an economic historian fell to 31.7 percent from 54.7 percent. By contrast the biggest gains were in women’s history, which now has a representative... Campus Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2272162/posts#comment Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:51:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271058/posts To the pessimists evidence that the field of diplomatic history is on the decline is everywhere. Job openings on the nation’s college campuses are scarce, while bread-and-butter courses like the Origins of War and American Foreign Policy are dropping from history department postings. And now, in what seems an almost gratuitous insult, Diplomatic History, the sole journal devoted to the subject, has proposed changing its title. For many in the field this latest suggestion is emblematic of a broader problem: the shrinking importance not only of diplomatic history but also of traditional specialties like economic, military and constitutional history. The... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271058/posts#comment Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:32:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2238126/posts Social Studies curriculum group had tossed out traditional American history to make room for left-leaning agenda The Texas State Board of Education on Wednesday came down with a reprimand on its social studies curriculum working group after a draft proposal of the group’s new curriculum came to light showing a series of far-left changes that education bureaucrats wanted to install in place of the traditional Texas social studies curriculum. Texas Republic News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2238126/posts#comment Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:30:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2151377/posts What we know and learn about our country during our lifetime we get from media reports; what happened before we were born we learned through the history books we read in school. Knowing the truth about what goes on in the United States today is difficult because our media is increasingly biased and often dishonest. As it turns out, American history textbooks, both old and new, are inaccurate and biased, too, and some of what we thought we knew is false. American Sentinel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2151377/posts#comment Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:05:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2139117/posts Wampanoag Indians in a History Channel scene, filmed at Plimoth Plantation (AP Photo) (CNSNews.com) – A nine-year-old girl was recently asked to remove her “Indian” costume before entering the Wampanoag Homesite of the Plimoth Plantation, a historical site that allows visitors to experience Plymouth, Mass., as it was in the 17th century. The outdoor museum features a 1627 English village beside a Wampanoag home site. The purpose of the museum is to educate visitors (school-children and adults) about what happened between the Native Americans and the colonists, especially during the first Thanksgiving. The nine-year-old was one of thousands who flock... CNSNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2139117/posts#comment Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:16:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2138781/posts CLAREMONT, Calif. (KABC) -- There is a costume controversy in Claremont. The school board changed a decades-long tradition of students dressing up to celebrate Thanksgiving, and some parents are outraged. The tradition involves kindergarten students at Mountain View and Condit elementary schools. The kids usually dress up in costumes. Each school takes turns dressing up as pilgrims and Indians, and then join together for a Thanksgiving feast.This year, however, there is a big change. The school board decided to continue holding the feast, but they are not allowing the students to dress up. The board is concerned the Indian costumes... KABC-TV (Los Angeles) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2138781/posts#comment Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:50:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2138214/posts Claremont parents clash over kindergarten Thanksgiving costumes Some say having students dress up as pilgrims and Native Americans is 'demeaning.' Their opponents say they are elitists injecting politics into a simple children's celebration. By Seema Mehta November 25, 2008 For decades, Claremont kindergartners have celebrated Thanksgiving by dressing up as pilgrims and Native Americans and sharing a feast. But on Tuesday, when the youngsters meet for their turkey and songs, they won't be wearing their hand-made bonnets, headdresses and fringed vests. Parents in this quiet university town are sharply divided over what these construction-paper symbols represent: A simple child's depiction... LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2138214/posts#comment Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:29:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137752/posts CLAREMONT - Audience members at the school board meeting argued among themselves about whether elementary school students should dress in costume for a Thanksgiving feast. "The Thanksgiving story has been disproved as a myth," parent Diana Linden told the Claremont Unified school board on Thursday night. The board meeting - held for the first time in new district offices at 170 W. San Jose Ave. - was packed with opinionated people on both sides of the issue. The audience cheered loudest for speakers in favor of having the feast in costume. One parent told the school board not to be... The Inland Empire Daily Bulletin http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137752/posts#comment Tue, 25 Nov 2008 01:20:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080725/posts Think the history your kids are being taught in school is fair and balanced? Think again says Larry Schweikart, University of Dayton professor and author of "48 Liberal Lies About American History (That You Probably Learned In School)." Here are four examples from Schweikart's "worst offenders": • "The American Pageant," by Bailey and David Kennedy Schweikart's take: "One of the most long-running and flawed, of these texts, esp. in the Reagan years. On p. 237, I actually have two charts, one from the book, and one reflecting the REAL data (i.e., "real" dollars as a share of GNP — which... FoxNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080725/posts#comment Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:25:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2020819/posts TIPP CITY, Ohio — When 83-year-old Edmund Jackson uses a hand trimmer to clip the grass, one of the 22 pieces of shrapnel in his right arm dances under the skin of his wrist. ---- snip ---- The schoolbook program is designed to spark greater interest in history by giving students an emotional connection to it and showing them it’s made by real people like themselves. Sierra Vista Herald/Bisbee Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2020819/posts#comment Sat, 24 May 2008 20:11:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009313/posts Five years into the war in Iraq, military history seems to be experiencing a golden age. Hollywood has been cranking out war movies. Publishers have been lining bookstore shelves with new battle tomes, which consumers are eagerly lapping up. Even the critics have been enjoying themselves. Two of the last five Pulitzer Prizes in history were awarded to books about the American military. Four of the five Oscar nominees for best documentary this year were about warfare. Business, for military historians, is good. MSN/US News and World Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009313/posts#comment Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:20:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2008618/posts One of the authors of "Mosaic of Thought" has apologized for mistakenly writing that Spartanburg was the scene of some violent incidents during the desegregation era. Inaccurate college textbook slams Spartanburg Violent integration incidents occurred in another city; errors to be fixed in 2nd edition By Linda Conley Published: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 | Updated: 9:16 am Picture this: A teacher is discussing with her students the violence and unrest that occurred in America when public schools integrated almost 40 years ago. The example she is using from her class textbook is the violence that occurred in Spartanburg County. The... Spartanburg Herald-Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2008618/posts#comment Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:30:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1988545/posts The New York Times reported Feb. 27 that fewer than half of American teenagers know when the Civil War was fought, and one in four believe Columbus sailed to the New World some time after 1750. About a quarter of the teenagers were unable to correctly identify Hitler as Germany's chancellor in World War II, instead identifying him in a multiple-choice test as a munitions maker or premier of Austria. Why is anyone surprised? The academic curriculum is the "cover," the "front." The real goal is not to ensure, but rather to ensure against successive generations developing a cohesive philosophy... The Las Vegas Review Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1988545/posts#comment Thu, 20 Mar 2008 02:10:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1986274/posts "I don't want to read anymore of this!" My son angrily threw his history book on the ground. When he cooled down a little, I asked him what was wrong, and he told me in tears about The Trail Of Tears. He couldn't take it. He didn't want to face the fact that our blessed Nation could do something so wrong. He couldn't believe that a lot of our Founding Fathers had been slave owners that had written about freedom while benefitting from the fruits of slave ownership. He was shutting down before my very eyes as to the love... Red State http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1986274/posts#comment Sat, 15 Mar 2008 20:24:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1970855/posts PARIS (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy, facing a tide of criticism over his call for schoolchildren to "adopt" Jewish child victims of the Holocaust, hit back on Friday saying France had to raise children "with open eyes". In a speech praising faith that also drew fire from secularists, Sarkozy told France's Jewish community on Wednesday that every 10-year-old schoolchild should be "entrusted with the memory of a French child victim of the Holocaust". The proposal unleashed a storm of protest from teachers, psychologists and his political foes who said it would unfairly burden children with the guilt of previous... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1970855/posts#comment Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:19:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1936529/posts My 12 year old son is developing an interest in history. About five years ago, I read a book review of an American History book written by a woman that was considered unbiased, that is it did not blame America for everything that has gone wrong in the world. The book was written for younger students. There may have been more than one book written. What I recall from the review was that it was well written and kept the kids interested (no mean feat for my 12 year). Does anyone know about the book or who the author is. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1936529/posts#comment Sat, 8 Dec 2007 05:07:46 GMT