| When, for example, so-called social studies expert Peter Marshall declared last spring that "to have César Chávez listed next to Ben Franklin is ludicrous," he revealed the simplistic give-and-take mentality that too often passes for historical reflection: I'll give you César Chávez if you give me Benjamin Franklin and Jefferson Davis.
How dare anyone tell my son and his fellow Texas public schoolmates that César Chávez doesn't deserve their rapt attention?
Just as important: How dare anyone cheapen history by mistaking a list of names for unforgettable encounters between great persons and challenging times?
This week, the State Board of Education will revise the Texas social studies standards (the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies) that will define learning in Texas public schools for the next decade. This occasion presents the perfect opportunity for clearheaded leaders to rise above the shortsighted politicization of the Texas public school curriculum. I hope that all participants keep in sharp focus the real needs of Texas schoolchildren, including the priceless gift of wonder that waits in store when history unfolds in all its vexed glory, rather than mount their political hobby horses.
No matter what the State Board decides, my son will learn about Chávez's legendary courage in the face of great danger and even greater odds. He'll learn about the rich tradition of non-violent resistance to tyranny that animated Chávez's actions, a lineage that stretches back in time from Chávez to Gandhi to Thoreau to Christ. He'll also learn about Chávez's shortcomings, the intellectual roadblocks that sometimes stood in the way of lasting workplace reform.
My son will learn about the spirit and wisdom and even about the humanizing folly of Benjamin Franklin.
My son will learn that, just as it is appropriate to look up to Chávez and Franklin, it is also right to view the example of Jefferson Davis with deep suspicion.
Most of all, he'll learn that history is far more exciting, and infinitely more rewarding, than a list of names.
He'll learn all of these things at home and, I sincerely hope, at his public school. After all, doesn't every Texas public schoolchild deserve the gift of wonder?
Michael Soto, associate professor of English at Trinity University, is the Democratic Party candidate for the State Board of Education in District 3. |
