My posting is for the edification of those who may wish to follow this path. Please do not copy this, in part or whole. That is considered plagiarism in academic circles and could land one out of school, with a bad mark on their academic record. Know and use the APA and/or MLA standards if you find this useful for any of your works.
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Cultural Literacy (Academic Area Initiatives)
“Cultural literacy gives precedence to an overriding American culture and the English language, rejecting the concept of pluralism espoused by some in which aspects of all subcultures in the nation are studied with equal concentration.” (Oliva, 2009, p 474)
Anyone who has seen Jay Leno’s Jaywalking! must surely have been amused by the respondents’ answers and behaviors to basic American cultural questions. (Vickers, 2010) Beyond amusement though, this author would argue that the knowledge base of the average American that Jay Leno found on the street is appallingly poor in regards to our American cultural heritage. Having served abroad with the United States military, this author can further attest that this general lack of American cultural knowledge, by Americans, is a point of contention, and in some instances, has been a point of loathing amongst some of the foreign nationals he has encountered. The overall viewpoint being: how could we tell other nations how to be when we do not know, let alone understand, our own history?
Another point to be made on the dismal knowledge of American culture comes from one whom some call a right-wing hate-monger. However, as students, we are taught to research the truth for ourselves and, quite possibly, not only accept but also proclaim that our hypothesis may be wrong. In the April 8, 2010 episode of Glenn Beck, entitled Faith of Our Founders, Beck discussed what our current educational system teaches and how greatly that differs from what past generations learned in regards to what the Founders actually believed. (Cliff, 2010) The greatest of these is the separation of church and state. Last year President Obama cancelled a Day of Prayer service. The administration claimed he was “simply reverting back to pre-Bush administration practice.” (Duin, 2009) While attending Day of Prayer services may not have occurred prior to George W. Bush, an outspoken belief of, and faith in, God is very evident in the writings of our Founding Fathers and first Presidents. From there one can readily argue that each Founder outwardly displayed their personal Faith in their words and actions as well.
The Texas State Board of Education recently “approved sweeping and controversial changes” to the states Essential Knowledge and Skills. (Preston, 2010) It has been claimed that these changes will also alter what content will be put into newly published textbooks. Since Texas is the largest purchaser of textbooks, publishers would find it unprofitable to not incorporate those changes. It is further argued that “the enormous print run for Texas textbooks [will leave] most districts in other states adopting the same course materials, so that the Texas School Board effectively spells out requirements for 80 percent of the nation’s textbook market.” (Dykes, 2010)
The various states’ standards of learning have been changing since Benjamin Franklin developed his Academy. (Oliva, 2009, p 23) Each of the major curriculum developers since has had their hand in what would be taught in our schools. Along the way, compromise was obviously made in order to incorporate what leaders of that particular time thought more important. Perhaps this was not done with bad intentions, but with the thought that some knowledge of our cultural heritage was simply inherent and as such would not be lost over time. It is apparent through the works of Leno and Beck that our American cultural heritage is in fact dissipating rapidly!
The following strategies are developed upon the worldview perspective that this author is an American who is also happens to be a Catholic Christian. Strategies that would help in returning students back to a cultural depth of knowledge in America would require little effort. First and foremost, politicians need to get out of the schools! In early America, education began at home by the parents, the first teachers. Later, teachers would be found in one-room schoolhouses where they would teach the same subject to all ages. Today, politicians, many of whom have spent no time as teachers or working within the education system, are making up what, how, when and where students are to be learning. Politicians are part of the problem, not part of the solution. Second, textbooks must reference and be based upon original works, especially those of the Founders. Yes, it is important to include scholarly studies upon these original works, but care must be taken in verifying the accuracy of these studies; e.g. that there are references of original materials vice only secondary source reviews. Third, God must be allowed into our daily lives, not only in the classroom, but in the public square as well. Whether one thinks of Christ, Allah, or some other deity when they hear the name God must be irrelevant. One of the principles America was founded upon is the Freedom of Religion, the freedom of all peoples to worship whomever they call God without forcing it upon their neighbors or denying them the same right. As Americans, we have an obligation to return to this line of reasoning, especially as they apply to our Rights!
References
Cliff, C. (2010, April 8). Faith of Our Founders, The Glenn Beck Program [Television broadcast]. New York: FOX News Network. Retrieved May 2, 2010 from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,590642,00.html.
Cliff, C. (2010, April 8). The Glenn Beck Program [Television broadcast]. New York: FOX News Network. Retrieved April 12, 2010 from http://www.watchglennbeck.com/video/2010/april/watch-the-glenn-beck-show-april-8-2010/.
Duin, J. (2009, May 6). Obama to be prayer day no-show. The Washington Times. Retrieved May 2, 2010 from http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/06/prayer-day-no-show/.
Dykes, B. (2010, March 15). U.S. history textbooks could soon be flavored heavily with Texas conservatism, Yahoo! News. Retrieved May 2, 2010 from http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100315/ts_ynews/ynews_ts1253?om_rid=DKrZBL&om_mid=_BLn3R8B8GcIg$0&.
Oliva, P. F. (2009). Developing the Curriculum. Boston: Pearson Education.
Preston, M. (2010, May 16). The Texas Textbook Controversy and the Failing American Consensus, True/Slant. Retrieved May 2, 2010 from http://trueslant.com/michaelpreston/2010/03/16/the-texas-textbook-controversy-and-the-failing-american-consensus/.
Texas Education Agency. (2010). Text of Proposed Revisions to 19 TAC, Chapter 113. Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies. Retrieved May 2, 2010 from http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/board/proposed/0310/ch113A-one.pdf.
Vickers, D. (Executive Producer). (2010). Jaywalking! The Tonight Show with Jay Leno [Television series]. New York: National Broadcasting Company. Retrieved May 2, 2010 from http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/jaywalk-427/1223211/?__source=tnt%7Chome%7Cleftcolumn%7Cjaywalking.
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