A top SC teacher: I’ve become a culture war piñata | Opinion

Editor’s note: The writer was South Carolina’s 2023 History Teacher of the Year.

American history must be taught fully, fairly and honestly or else we have a limited understanding of the past, with no way to explain the present, and no hope of building a better future.

This means instead of creating a safe space for our students we are charged with building a brave space for the free exchange of ideas. This is accomplished through the implementation of interactive protocols that help develop the necessary critical thinking and analytical skills essential to true comprehension. Only through this can our students learn the rich history of our nation and become active, involved, informed citizens.

Any grasp of who we are as Americans requires a deep understanding of American history. Without it we are an uninformed and flawed citizenry at best. At worst, we are the authors of our own demise as a nation. Therefore, it is essential that every generation understands American history and its legacy. We are failing our children in this task.

We are at a crossroads in South Carolina with how American history is to be taught in our classrooms. We are trapped between those who want to whitewash and sanitize our state and national story to omit those truths we find uncomfortable and those who want to erase any part of our past that does not meet our 21st century social and cultural norms.

There is a perception that the dedication to learn, embrace and understand American history is lost among our youth, but this is false. It is the current system, which restricts our ability to teach American history, that has failed our children.

We do not devote enough time to teaching American history at the elementary, middle or high school levels. Our standards do not require a thorough teaching of key figures and events in American history. We are losing our best U.S. History teachers as a consequence of large class sizes, long hours, low pay, bureaucratic overreach that seems to micromanage everything from when you can sneeze to when you can go to the bathroom. And, U.S. History teachers are the focus of a war being waged against them by groups who wish to whitewash or erase our history.

A feeling of Custer’s Last Stand has emerged among our history teachers. We have become a culture war piñata for all sides to take a swing at. Many U.S. History teachers believe it is safer to create neutral, vanilla, plain-rice-cake learning experiences which fall short of needed instruction, but avoid the onslaught of those who tear teachers down.

Recent scores on the nation’s report card prove that lack of time, micromanaging teachers, and the rising fear among teachers about challenging students will yield students who know little of our nation’s past or their role as citizens.

If we want American history to be told and taught fully, fairly and honestly, and if we want our children to be prepared to lead this nation forward, we must make significant changes to the way we approach teaching American history. We need two years of U.S. History taught in middle and high schools, with S.C. history blended in. We need to set a standard of time for U.S. history instruction in elementary school. We need standards that balance required content and skills. We must restore autonomy to the classroom and away from the monstrous bureaucracies that choke innovation and creativity. We need people to support and stand with our teachers, not bombard the profession with innuendo and false accusations for the wrongdoings of a few rogue actors.

George Orwell once wrote “The most effective way to destroy a people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” This will be our reality if we don’t change our attitude toward the teaching of American history and those we have entrusted to do it.