Opinion
Curriculum Letter to the Editor

Writers Criticize Publication of History Commentary

March 05, 2013 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

Having respected Education Week as the newspaper of record in education for many years, I was truly sorry to see the Commentary “Let’s Overhaul How We Teach History” (Jan. 30, 2013).

As a retired social science teacher of 38 years, I have no particular problem with the issue Vicky Schippers raises, i.e., the teaching of history. Nonetheless, it is her lack of supporting data that makes her opinion that of the uninformed, and of those least qualified to make the type of judgment she makes.

For every one of the type of student Ms. Schippers describes, I can name hundreds of students who love how their history teachers engage them in relevant learning activities.

Does not an Education Week editor bear some responsibility for presenting opinion that is fully informed and grounded in evidence? If Education Week wants to publish Ms. Schippers’ Commentary, should an editor have not required her to narrow her focus to her own students without generalizing about the “vast majority”?

Would Education Week publish a Commentary written by me about the state of special education in schools today without first affirming I have certification, experience, and, most of all, supporting data to inform my Commentary? I hope not.

Moreover, I hope Education Week has not stooped to presenting Commentary simply for the sake of contention. The argument she makes is old, stale, and has been leveled against teachers of history as long as I can remember—and I began studying to be a teacher of history in 1967.

If Ms. Schippers wants to further the issue of what constitutes good teaching of history, she needs to go about it in a very different way. Her Commentary and Education Week‘s publishing it do virtually nothing toward that end.

Richard E. Morales

Kerman, Calif.

The writer taught at the K-12 and higher education levels.

To the Editor:

As a former high school history teacher I was initially glad to see the title of Vicky Schippers’ Commentary on teaching history. While others have already addressed the substance of her piece, I am writing to express my deep disappointment with your decision to publish it.

Teaching history is exceptionally important for a wide range of reasons, from developing critical-thinking and communication skills to building an understanding of who we are in the world. We should be talking about how we do it and what makes history teaching effective.

There are brilliant, innovative, and articulate educators who can speak to this issue. Ms. Schippers is articulate, but her limited anecdotal experience should not qualify her to call for a complete overhaul of how history is taught in U.S. high schools.

I can’t imagine a similar call for an overhaul of the teaching of writing or mathematics based on such limited experience being published in your newspaper.

John Beebe

Toronto, Ontario

The writer is a former teacher and social studies department chairman at Yarmouth High School in Yarmouth, Maine.

A version of this article appeared in the March 06, 2013 edition of Education Week as Writers Criticize Publication of History Commentary

Events

Student Well-Being Webinar After-School Learning Top Priority: Academics or Fun?
Join our expert panel to discuss how after-school programs and schools can work together to help students recover from pandemic-related learning loss.
Budget & Finance Webinar Leverage New Funding Sources with Data-Informed Practices
Address the whole child using data-informed practices, gain valuable insights, and learn strategies that can benefit your district.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
ChatGPT & Education: 8 Ways AI Improves Student Outcomes
Revolutionize student success! Don't miss our expert-led webinar demonstrating practical ways AI tools will elevate learning experiences.
Content provided by Inzata

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Curriculum Opinion Making the Case for Restoring Wisdom to America’s Schools
A Johns Hopkins professor discusses how to improve what he sees as a siloed, incoherent education system to best serve students.
7 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Curriculum Swim Lessons Save Lives. Should Schools Provide Them?
A push is on in some states to make swim lessons part of the school curriculum.
5 min read
Close up of African American person's legs in the pool.
E+/Getty
Curriculum Audio Climate Change Is Tough to Teach. 5 Ways to Approach It
Listen to a conversation about how educators can approach teaching about climate change.
6 min read
Students from Bridger School learn about water filtration from Carmellē Muñoz, Portland General Electric employee, during an event to announce Portland General Electric's partnership with Portland Public Schools on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Portland, Ore. This experiment created by In4All is one example of how this climate change curriculum could come to life through in-classroom experiences nationwide.
Students from Bridger School learn about water filtration from Carmellē Muñoz, Portland General Electric employee, during an event to announce Portland General Electric's partnership with Portland Public Schools on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Portland, Ore. This experiment created by In4All is one example of how this climate change curriculum could come to life through in-classroom experiences nationwide. <br/><br/>
Carlos Delgado/AP
Curriculum The Case for Choosing a Physical Book Over a Digital Reader
Physical books encourage a deeper reading of a text than digital devices do, some experts argue.
2 min read
Stack of library books with two blurred people in the background.
iStock/Getty