18 votes

Texas board votes to eliminate Helen Keller and Hillary Clinton from history curriculum

20 comments

  1. [2]
    delicious_grownups
    Link
    Perhaps the most troubling aspect was the decision to include "a requirement that students explain how the "Arab rejection of the State of Israel has led to ongoing conflict" in the Middle East"...

    Perhaps the most troubling aspect was the decision to include "a requirement that students explain how the "Arab rejection of the State of Israel has led to ongoing conflict" in the Middle East"

    Just seems like such a weird thing to add.

    14 votes
    1. [2]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. delicious_grownups
        Link Parent
        Right! That was so strange, but the madness of evangelism is so commonplace now that I'm desensitized to it and didn't even really register it

        Right! That was so strange, but the madness of evangelism is so commonplace now that I'm desensitized to it and didn't even really register it

        5 votes
  2. [3]
    spit-evil-olive-tips
    Link
    The Texas school board is famous / infamous for this sort of thing, and because of its buying power as such a large state, decisions they make affect textbooks across the country. How Texas...

    The Texas school board is famous / infamous for this sort of thing, and because of its buying power as such a large state, decisions they make affect textbooks across the country.

    How Texas Inflicts Bad Textbooks on Us

    13 votes
    1. kfwyre
      Link Parent
      There's also a documentary called The Revisionaries (2012) that covers this aspect as well. Worth a watch for anyone interested in the topic.

      There's also a documentary called The Revisionaries (2012) that covers this aspect as well. Worth a watch for anyone interested in the topic.

      6 votes
    2. delicious_grownups
      Link Parent
      Fucking monsters. Only hope is that one day those people will be gone, their kind lost to time

      Fucking monsters. Only hope is that one day those people will be gone, their kind lost to time

      4 votes
  3. [4]
    4rm
    Link
    I wonder if our era will be remembered as the era of information, or the era of misinformation. So much more is available to us, but it's so much less trustworthy.

    I wonder if our era will be remembered as the era of information, or the era of misinformation. So much more is available to us, but it's so much less trustworthy.

    7 votes
    1. [2]
      zaluzianskya
      Link Parent
      Either option would require someone to be there to remember us.

      Either option would require someone to be there to remember us.

      9 votes
      1. delicious_grownups
        Link Parent
        Please, I'm already terrified enough without this

        Please, I'm already terrified enough without this

        2 votes
    2. delicious_grownups
      Link Parent
      Historians of the future are gonna be so confused

      Historians of the future are gonna be so confused

      1 vote
  4. [4]
    hotcouch
    Link
    Wow lol this is the first bit of news about the GOP that has actually shocked me in quite some time.

    Wow lol this is the first bit of news about the GOP that has actually shocked me in quite some time.

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      Gonzo
      Link Parent
      Does the Texas GOP still officially oppose teaching kids critical thinking?

      Does the Texas GOP still officially oppose teaching kids critical thinking?

      8 votes
      1. Lynndolynn
        Link Parent
        Oh lord, I forgot about that entirely. Heaven forbid teachers do anything to undermine parental authority. Kids might start thinking for themselves and questioning what their parents teach them!...

        Oh lord, I forgot about that entirely. Heaven forbid teachers do anything to undermine parental authority. Kids might start thinking for themselves and questioning what their parents teach them! /s

        Critical thinking skills are such an important part of daily life. It's just so sad seeing kids discouraged from thinking just to make sure they believe the same things their parents do.

        2 votes
  5. [4]
    ChelsInMotion
    Link
    Texas politics are all sorts of shitty right now...

    Texas politics are all sorts of shitty right now...

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      Lynndolynn
      Link Parent
      With any luck we get some Democrats in the legislature to stop another Senate Bill 6 from passing. More realistically, with any luck I leave Texas this December when I start my new job. ×_×

      With any luck we get some Democrats in the legislature to stop another Senate Bill 6 from passing. More realistically, with any luck I leave Texas this December when I start my new job. ×_×

      4 votes
      1. ChelsInMotion
        Link Parent
        Oh yeah, that's a big one. Wife and I have already started talking about what our backup plan would be, none of it is great...

        Oh yeah, that's a big one. Wife and I have already started talking about what our backup plan would be, none of it is great...

        1 vote
  6. [2]
    Lynndolynn
    Link
    I mean, I guess that's nice. But then Accountability's not important to teach, right? Definitely not age appropriate for 4th graders. /s Cool, I guess an old guy in the Bible is more important...

    #Grade 5
    Amend section on the Civil War to recognize the "central role of the expansion of slavery in causing the Civil War and other contributing factors including sectionalism and states' rights." Previous language included a list of factors, among them slavery and states' rights.

    I mean, I guess that's nice. But then

    #Grade 4
    Remove the phrase "such as holding public officials to their word" from a requirement that students learn "how individuals can participate voluntarily in civic affairs at state and local levels" (this phrase was removed from fourth grade for "not being grade appropriate" and from third grade for "redundancy." However, it is still included in the first-grade social studies curriculum).

    Accountability's not important to teach, right? Definitely not age appropriate for 4th graders. /s

    #U.S. Government (High School)
    Reinsert the biblical figure of Moses and remove Thomas Hobbes from section on "individuals whose principles of laws and government institutions informed the American founding."

    Cool, I guess an old guy in the Bible is more important than a contemporary philosopher.

    #World History (High School)
    Reinsert reference to "the Judeo-Christian legal tradition" in section on "the development of democratic-republican government from its beginnings."

    Wait, is that even true?

    #U.S. History from 1877 (High School)
    Remove Hillary Clinton from a section on "the contributions of significant political and social leaders in the United States such as Andrew Carnegie, Thurgood Marshall, Billy Graham" and more.

    Nice to see Billy Graham get a call out by name. Definitely an incredibly significant and important figure in America. 🙄

    3 votes
  7. Ellimist
    Link
    I’ve grown up in Texas. This horrifies me. If it wasn’t for Texas slowly....slowly.....turning Blue, I’d be strongly considering moving out of the state But as it is, I have hope for the future of...

    I’ve grown up in Texas.

    This horrifies me. If it wasn’t for Texas slowly....slowly.....turning Blue, I’d be strongly considering moving out of the state

    But as it is, I have hope for the future of this state. Not much. Just a spark.

    2 votes