Sunday, March 21, 2010

Revising Educational Textbooks

An ongoing debate about the state of education has (although in a lesser extent in Canada)  been heating up in the U.S. This article from the Toronto Star outlines changes the right in Texas want to make in history textbooks that students in their educational system must adhere to.

Generally I have read with interest about the trends in education. In the past I have remained silent but unhappy about how we in Ontario teach history to our children. To my mind little is cast in iron. Researching history is a chancy affair. We have to cut through decades of propaganda, and in many cases faulty research. We also have to beware of judging our ancestors through 21st. Century  biases. One thing that bothers me is that our leaders today seem to have little or no appreciation for our past.

I have been always been in favour of open debate. But it looks like human nature will win out at least for the moment.

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