We are about to embark on a debate about setting national standards for English & Math
The Free Press
As Americans we have a shared history. But our self-identity is anything but shared. We argue constantly over what it means to be an American something that common sense tells us should be fairly settled.
There is probably no better example of Americas identity crisis (with the possible exception of the health care debate) than what has recently occurred in Texas.
We should think that if anybody could reach a consensus on anything it would be the textbooks that teach our children American social history. After all our history is shared by all of us; it is the story of ourselves.
And yet the conservative and liberal factions that fought over social studies standards argued over concepts that seemed utterly foreign to people on the other side.
The issue matters of course because Texas is the biggest buyer of textbooks in the nation and what they include tends to be included in textbooks chosen by the rest of America.
The Texas State Board of Education divided itself earlier this month between extremes conservative and liberal to decide what students in grades K-12 should learn about U.S. government U.S. history world
history and more.
Bloggers are still outraged about it.
The right decries liberal attempts to remove Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison in favor of heroes that offer more diversity.
The left is appalled that Judeo-Christian influences for the nations founding are to be studied but not the philosophical underpinnings for separation of church and state.
Conservatives complain that liberals want to gloss over American exceptionalism" and capitalism.
Liberals cry wolf that conservatives dont give civil rights issues their due.
Turns out there were more conservatives than liberals on the board. The conservatives won. A final vote is expected in May a vote that will affect the rest of the nation as well.
We shouldnt think for a moment that what happens regarding textbooks in Texas might not have happened elsewhere in the country. But we must wonder to ourselves why something like this should so quickly degenerate into left-right political mudslinging.
But wait a minute. Isnt that what happens in Washington every day? Just one more example perhaps to
remind us that this identity crisis is not only about our political leaders its about ourselves.
We dont seem to define ourselves from the same set of principles anymore. We fight among ourselves in a way that we used to fight against our real enemies.
A popular syndicated columnist wrote last week that politicians dont just believe in two Americas; they believe in two Constitutions. Perhaps we all do.
This does not portend well for the future with all the difficulties we face at home and abroad. If all we can do is engage in infighting how will we be able to come together to face real challenges?
On the education front we are now about to embark on a debate on the setting of national standards on English and math. Youd think we could find agreement on what all American students should learn about English another of our shared American experiences.
Dont count on it.
