IS TEACHING TRADITIONAL "HISTORY" HISTORY AT CARSON HIGH SCHOOL?

Common Voice ^ | 11.02.05 | Chuck Muth

[Coleus]

Meet Joe Enge.

Joe is an award-winning, 15-year veteran history teacher in Carson City who has, among other things, written two history textbooks and served on the 1997 task force which drew up Nevada's history standards.  But according to school district administrators, he's a "bad" teacher.

You see, Joe has this crazy idea that American history should include our colonial period, as well as the Revolutionary War period.  You know, where the Founding Fathers fought for independence from England and wrote the greatest governing document the world has ever known - the United States Constitution.  You know, that period of time which gave us patriot heroes such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Tom Paine, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, Sam Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, John Paul Jones, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Hancock.

And Joe has REALLY ticked off the local school district bureaucrats and the education establishment.

You see, unbeknownst to most parents in Carson City, the school district believes that high school American history should start with the Civil War era, not the days of America's Founding.  Indeed, the curriculum forced on history teachers at Carson High School ignores pre-Civil War history completely - other than a little optional "refresher" at the beginning of the school year or if you're in an Advanced Placement class.

Joe Enge has fought the district's History-Lite curriculum for the past three years by teaching ALL of his students ALL of America's history, starting with the colonial period (remember the Pilgrims?).

In addition, Joe believes...get this...that the teacher should teach and the students should learn.  He embraces and practices the "traditional" teacher-centered method of education, as opposed to the fashionable student-centered "discovery learning" method currently all the rage in San Francisco and Portland.  What a trouble-maker.

So the school district wants to get rid of him.

Joe's supervisors - including Carson High's principal, Fred Perdomo - have given Joe unsatisfactory evaluations in retaliation for his refusal to teach a Founding-free version of American history.  And although Joe's a "tenured" teacher, three such bad evaluations would be grounds for running this maverick out of town on a rail (students would have to read Revolutionary War-era history to know just what this phrase means).  So Joe challenged the administrative evaluations; however, the Carson City School District Superintendent, Mary Pierszynski, sided with the principal.  Big surprise there.

Last month as part of a mediation effort, Ms. Pierszynski offered to buy Joe off by paying him one year's salary if he'd quit.  And considering the pure hell this one-man fight has put his family through, Joe actually considered it.  But at the last minute, Pierszynski withdrew her offer, and now the dispute is moving to binding arbitration.  Which means if Pierszynski's ruling backing Perdomo's evaluations stands, this Fulbright Scholar and Madison Fellowship award-winner will likely be tossed out on his kiester - and his Carson High students will finally be taught that American history began when Lincoln freed the slaves.

Of course, the teacher's union could always ride in and defend this experienced, professional classroom educator.  Yeah, right.  Fat chance.  You see, Joe has chosen not to join the teacher's union, so these "principled" defenders of teaching professionals are more than happy to see the guy thrown to the wolves.

This entire episode is an outrage.  Joe Enge is the kind of teacher we should WANT educating our kids.  He loves history.  He knows history.  And he's darned good at teaching history.  Indeed, Enge's spirit of resistance to this great injustice would make our Founding Fathers - who the Carson City School District would prefer to pretend never existed - proud.  Especially Thomas Jefferson who (not that Carson City high school students would know it) once said, "The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive."

It's time for Superintendent Pierszynski, Principal Perdomo and the entire Carson City education establishment to call off the dogs and let professional American history teacher Joe Enge do what he's been trained to do and has been successfully doing for 15 long years: TEACH AMERICAN HISTORY.  The FULL American history, not the district's "Reader's Digest" version.

Please help keep American history IN ITS ENTIRETY alive at Carson High School by signing our online petition urging the Carson City School District to allow Joe Enge to do what he's been trained to do: Teach ALL of American history. 

Just go to the "Online Petition" page at www.citizenoutreach.com

[Coleus]

The Carson City school board email system has either been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of petitions sent in defense of history teacher Joe Enge (over 5,000 by late this morning), or the district has intentionally shut the system down.

They can run, but they can't hide.

Here are the phone numbers to call should you care to continuing showing our support for Mr. Enge's desire to teach ALL of American history to ALL of his students.

Carson High School Principal Fred Perdomo (775) 283-1600 Ext. 3

Carson City School Superintendent Mary Pierczynski (775) 283-2100

Carson City School Board President James Hukari (775) 841-0525

It is critically important for these school administrators to know that what they're trying to do behind-the-scenes is no longer "secret" and that Joe Enge is no longer fighting this fight by himself. I would, however, ask that phone calls be polite but firm; adamant but professional. We do not want to give these folks the ability to undermine our message by attacking the messengers.

Chuck Muth President Citizen Outreach

[Rummyfan]

Joe Enge is a hero. As for the ignoramuses who run the school district and seem to want to turn out new ignoramuses, they are Exhibt Number One of what is wrong with public education.

Support Joe Enge!

[Mulch]

Having a good day Mr. Perdomo?

[saquin]

I'd need to know a little more about this before I'm willing to get my knickers all in a twist. Do they cover the Founding Fathers, Revolutionary War period etc. in 8th grade and then move on to the Civil War and post-Civil War period in Freshman year in High School, European history in Sophomore year, World History in Junior year, etc? Are you saying they're not teaching the pre-Civil War period at all? I find that hard to believe. It does say the curriculum calls for a "refresher" on that period in the freshman year.

[R. Scott]

… his Carson High students will finally be taught that American history began when Lincoln freed the slaves.

And cast in stone the idea that all rights come, not from The People, but from the Federal Government – and the States are nothing more than provinces with only that power granted them by Congress.

[L98Fiero]

"It does say the curriculum calls for a "refresher" on that period in the freshman year."

That's for AP students. Why do AP students need a "refresher" but not regular students?

[Stag_Man]

There's a big difference between the American history you learn in 8th grade and that which you learn as a junior in High School.

[KC_for_Freedom]

That's for AP students. Why do AP students need a "refresher" but not regular students?

Answer: The AP students do not get passing credit for history unless they score a 4 or a 5 on the AP history exam given at the end of the junior year. With the likelihood of some questions related to the discovery or the revolutionary period or for that matter the roaring twenties or expansion periods, the kids need this little refresher or the AP kids lose out. This exam is not made up by the high schools, but given to the kids across the country. Some have Real history classes.

[saquin]

That's for AP students. Why do AP students need a "refresher" but not regular students?

No, it's not for AP students. It says there's a "refresher" (presumably for those who didn't learn it the previous year) and also AP students cover that period (presumably because AP classes go over material in greater depth). The refresher is not for AP students.

I'm not making a judgement on this one way or the other. I'd like to know the full facts. This opinion piece does not provide enough facts for me to have an informed opinion on this curriculum.

[saquin]

There's a big difference between the American history you learn in 8th grade and that which you learn as a junior in High School.

Who says they'd necessarily cover the Revolutionary Period in Junior Year? (I didn't, if I remember correctly). If they cover it in Freshman Year, is there that big a difference between covering it in 8th grade as opposed to 9th grade?

[H. Paul Pressler IV]

You may want to check with the State Standards which dictate what is taught in a High School History Class.

BTW-In the State of Texas the only US History that is Taught to Students is 1877 to the present.

[H. Paul Pressler IV]

Joe Enge is a hero. As for the ignoramuses who run the school district and seem to want to turn out new ignoramuses, they are Exhibt Number One of what is wrong with public education.

While I agree with Mr. Enge, the history curriculum is dictated by the State and very heavily influenced by NCLB.

History is taught in this manner even in the Great State of Texas!

[H. Paul Pressler IV]

This is a State Standard and not dictated by the Principal.

[LS]

You might want to alert them to our book "A Patriot's History of the United States" (Sentinel, 2004), now in its SIXTH printing in just 11 months.

http://www.patriotshistoryusa.com

[H. Paul Pressler IV]

In Texas the State Decides What textbook will be used in History. The teacher has no say in the matter and must teach to the Standardized Test or be Fired.

[LS]

Yes, but the teacher might like a SUPPLEMENTAL book with a point-by-point refutation of the lib texts.

[H. Paul Pressler IV]

I teach history in Texas.

If I am to survive in my profession my Students must pass the TEKS (standardized test). The Concepts that the students must learn are dictated by the state and only include events after the Civil War. If my students score lower than kids at other schools I am on the hook. Thus far I have been lucky with 90-94% of my kids passing, a rate far better than the state as a whole.

If I were to spent time telling them about the Articles of Confederation I could not tell them about the events during the Progressive Era and their scores would fall.

BTW-Statewide Standardized testing was imposed by Gov. Bush in Texas in 1997 and in 2002 was implemented across the country.

Now you know who to blame.

[Bogeygolfer]

You have this one dead on. Not enough facts. We read enough garbage from the left to see the slant without thinking and this is no better than those. The usual methods of the left MSM are being used to get us riled up and I'm not buying without hearing details.

[H. Paul Pressler IV]

Read my posts. This is a result of NCLB!