Dyson College of Arts and Sciences
Issue link: http://dysoncollege.uberflip.com/i/128987
Politically, from the right and the left there is considerable pressure to teach about 9/11 and encourage "patriotism," "citizenship," and "global awareness"—all terms which are heavily value-laden and with meanings quite different to diverse communities and their constituencies. Schools practically must be aware of and sensitive to community sentiments in evaluating how or if we will teach the lessons of 9/11. How will schools frame the liberty v. security issue? How will we present extremist ideology as distinct from the Muslim religion? Should we encourage active discussions and dissent on public policy decisions as values of a vibrant democracy and open society? Should we encourage students to see things from the Islamic citizens' point of view? These are questions that have also brought to light our de-emphasis on teaching social studies. Despite the hundreds of articles and commentaries with political, social, and economic implications that dominate the media, Education Week reports, "Fewer than half the states explicitly identify the 9/11 attacks in their high standards for social studies" ; the relatively few schools that do, often spend just a few minutes on it (Sirota, 2011). In addition to the practical implications and limitations for teachers and school leaders there is growing concern that schools are shying away from the topic because increasingly it is becoming part of the divisive national dialogue on what story should be told and from what perspective. As Sirota (2011) contends in Why Schools Need to Teach 9/11, pursuing the worthy goal of raising complex questions and broadening the context for understanding the 9/11 attacks would require kids to explore inconvenient historical truths about America's less than admirable history in the Islamic World. In our enthusiasm for NCLB and its narrow and arguable goals we have lost our focus on the primary mission of public schools. Perhaps Diane Ravitch says it best that if we want 9/11 and its lessons to be relevant once again we need to return to the more traditional role of public education. In speaking of what we need for our students she states: Certainly we want them to be able to read and write and be numerate. But that is not enough. We want to prepare them for a useful life. We want them to be able to think for themselves when they are out in the world on their own. We want them to have good character and to make sound decisions about their life, their work, and their health. We want them to face life's joys and travails with courage and humor. We hope that they will be kind and compassionate in their dealings with others. We want them to have a sense of justice and fairness. We want them to understand our nation and our world and the challenges we face. We want them to be active, responsible citizens, prepared to think issues through carefully, to listen to differing views, and to reach decisions rationally. We want them to learn science and mathematics so they understand the problems of modern life and participate in finding solutions. We want them to enjoy the rich artistic and cultural heritage of our society and other societies (Ravitch, 2010). Under current curricular limitations and restricting mandates, Ravitch warns that we cannot hope to accomplish these goals or prepare students for responsible citizenship in a post-9/11 society without knowledgeable individuals who are critical thinkers and thoughtful debaters of key events in our history (Ravitch, 2010). For Pace University and all schools of education, our task and duty is to keep the discussion of 9/11 alive by embracing the new technologies of learning and preparing our future teachers to build upon the unique and multifaceted opportunities that are presented every day to our students. We need to encourage and support our students in embracing this challenge by fostering the techniques of having school children construct their own questions and achieve deeper understandings of key events in our history. We need to help them in the methods of constructing meaning, questioning the status quo and making connections to the past. 70