Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Kindergarten History Lessons in Virginia to Focus on Slavery
FrontPage Magazine ^ | Jul 31, 2020 | Sara Dogan

Posted on 07/31/2020 7:06:21 AM PDT by SJackson

"Activism and action civics" opportunities for young students will be promoted.

Most adults who attended public school remember early history lessons about American leaders and symbols—George Washington crossing the Delaware, Betsy Ross sewing the American flag. But starting this fall, kindergarteners in Loudon County—a wealthy suburb of Washington D.C.—will be taught a new radicalized history curriculum focusing on slavery and social justice.

Loudon County has elected to partner with the disgraced far-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to develop the new curriculum which deliberately paints America in a highly negative light.

"Sugarcoating or ignoring slavery until later grades makes students more upset by or even resistant to true stories about American history. Long before we teach algebra, we teach its component parts," the curriculum reads. "We should structure history instruction the same way."

The new curriculum also highlights "activism and action civics" opportunities for young students in kindergarten through second grade.

"Students should study examples of role models from the past and present, and ask themselves, ‘how can I make a difference?'" the guidelines explain. "These conversations [about slavery] should lead into discussions about current injustices — particularly those that continue to disenfranchise and oppress the descendants of enslaved people — and possibilities for activism and reform."

In short, public school teachers must prepare their students to take up the mantle of Black Lives Matter.

While the decision to teach five-year-olds about one of the most disturbing chapters in American history may seem extreme, it is being mirrored in school districts across the nation. The New York Times’ much-vaunted but counterfactual “1619 Project” claims to prove that “nearly everything that has made America exceptional grew out of slavery.” Despite the objections of numerous historians who dispute the narrative provided by the Times, curricula based on the Project are now proliferating at public schools across America.

The political tenor of the new lessons was confirmed by a longtime Loudon County elementary teacher who spoke with the Washington Free Beacon on the condition of anonymity because she feared for her job if her real views about the new curriculum were made known.

"I teach lower grades in elementary school.… [Never before] did I have to teach about slavery," the teacher said. "Our standards were always [to] teach about famous Americans, George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., people like that. But, it was all very general and the bigger picture, we highlighted their accomplishments." She noted that the slavery is usually taught beginning in the fourth grade when students have greater maturity to understand it in its historical context.

"What they're really trying to do is divide people as early as they can, starting now with kindergarteners. They're really going to be inciting hate," the teacher added. "They're pointing out that there's ‘whiteness' and ‘blackness' and that's crazy. We never taught about that in school…. We learn about how to get along with one another and be kind and respect others. But now, with this new curriculum that they're adding, it's going to do the total opposite."

Max Eden, an education policy expert at the libertarian-minded Manhattan Institute, concurred that the curriculum was not suitable for young children. "Students aren't prepared when they're five years old to develop a nuanced sense of history and political processes, and pros and cons of different side effects, and unintended consequences," Eden said. "What the real goal of this is, by introducing [slavery] this young, is to try to get the left-wing, Nikole Hannah-Jones [creator of the 1619 Project], meta-political narrative into kids' heads as soon as possible, which is basically trying to compel them to believe that because slavery happened, therefore, America is evil and you must follow the leftist idea of … how we need to overturn power in society."

Parents in the district also expressed their anger at the politicized curriculum. "SPLC is pushing Marxist ideology more or less. They're really pushing those concepts of ‘revolution' and ‘dismantling the system' that we have," one father stated. "So rather than everyone coming together and building something great together, it's about destroying what's been built."

* * *


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: blm; kindergarten; loudouncounty; publiceducation; slavery; splc
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last

1 posted on 07/31/2020 7:06:21 AM PDT by SJackson
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SJackson

“...will be taught a new radicalized history curriculum focusing on slavery and social justice...”

Parents, get your kids out of Democrat-destroyed schools. Find alternate education for them.


2 posted on 07/31/2020 7:11:37 AM PDT by EagleUSA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SJackson

Why should five year olds have to ask, how can I make a difference, and be taught about activism and reform?

It’s not their responsibility. It’s manipulation of children for political ends.

The present day problems needing reform are going to very selectively presented.


3 posted on 07/31/2020 7:14:34 AM PDT by heartwood (Someone has to play devil's advocate other.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: EagleUSA

Parents, get your kids out of Democrat-destroyed schools. Find alternate education for them.

*************

And grandparents should be prepared to help out financially, if they can, to ensure their grandchildren receive a good education and at the same time preserve family unity.


4 posted on 07/31/2020 7:16:44 AM PDT by Starboard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Starboard

Amen to that.


5 posted on 07/31/2020 7:17:56 AM PDT by Ouchthatonehurt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: SJackson
Teacher: “ Children, if you are white in this classroom today, you are the children of slave owners. Your great grandparents Enslaved, beat, raped, and killed All people of color in the name of Jesus, the God of the white man. You can never assuage this sin because the land you now occupy is Indian land... pray to Gaia for penance...”

Child: “Teacher, What does ass-sewage mean?“
6 posted on 07/31/2020 7:20:00 AM PDT by Jan_Sobieski (Sanctification)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: heartwood

It’s manipulation of children for political ends.

*************

Its indoctrination at the earliest stages of childhood. Its despicable, but this is how the Left rolls.


7 posted on 07/31/2020 7:20:31 AM PDT by Starboard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Starboard

This is the lesson needed...

Teacher: Children, if you become a leftist or support such ideas, you’re life will be a malignancy and worthless.


8 posted on 07/31/2020 7:24:05 AM PDT by hal ogen (First Amendment or Reeducation Camp???)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: SJackson

There is a downside to reopening government schools. “Teach your children well.”


9 posted on 07/31/2020 7:29:42 AM PDT by windsorknot
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SJackson

SPLC is a hate group, they hate America and Americans.


10 posted on 07/31/2020 7:31:29 AM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizens Are Born Here of Citizen Parents|Know Islam, No Peace-No Islam, Know Peace)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SJackson

Completely insane.


11 posted on 07/31/2020 7:38:26 AM PDT by EEGator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: heartwood

A five year old’s problem solving skills are improving by the day. He/she can probably tell you that money is needed to buy things or gas is needed to help cars move. She can describe an object’s position in space – he/she will say the ball is “under” the table. He/she is also starting to grasp the basics of addition and subtraction. He/she probably knows four colors or more and can distinguish uppercase letters and lowercase letters. He/he seeks creative solutions to problems and might approach solutions differently than you would.

But these basic skills do not qualify a 5 year old, with approximately a 90% developed brain, to evaluate a problem that adults haven’t been able to recognize and/or comprehend since the end of the civil war over 150 years ago. You might as well ask them questions and try to teach them about nuclear fusion. Their limited understanding of the failures of their fellow man isn’t even a focal point, yet. But they are supposed to decipher the failure of man instructed by someone who already failed? Blind leading the blind.

rwood


12 posted on 07/31/2020 7:38:42 AM PDT by Redwood71
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: SJackson

Should add the Democrat party involved in it.


13 posted on 07/31/2020 7:47:51 AM PDT by SkyDancer (~ Pilots: Looking Down On People Since 1903 ~)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SJackson

The brainwashing needs to start early to be totally effective.


14 posted on 07/31/2020 7:50:28 AM PDT by Fresh Wind (China kills over 650,000 and the sheeple sleep. Cops kill one person, and cities burn.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: EagleUSA

Somewhere the school district rule parents will have no say in the sexual orientation teaching of children in classes.

I can’t remember any details so don’t blast me-—I just remember the parents having to butt out. That says it all about 2021 America and beyond.


15 posted on 07/31/2020 8:10:27 AM PDT by frank ballenger (End vote fraud,harvesting,non-citizen voting & leftist media news censorship or we are finished.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SJackson

The reason Democrats control the schools is they are politically active. They work to elect like minded people to the school boards who hire the administrators who develop the curriculum. In addition they have taken over the education schools where new teachers are trained as well as future administrators.

How many times have conservative parents organized and attended local school board meetings in mass demanding the madness stop? How many times have parents run a slate conservative candidates for the school board and aggressively gone door to door informing their neighbors.

Leftists win because they have social justice organizations keeping the pressure on daily and ensuring the elections go their way.

Apathy and inactivity has consequences.


16 posted on 07/31/2020 8:13:00 AM PDT by Soul of the South (The past is gone and cannot be changed. Tomorrow can be a better day if we work on it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: EagleUSA

They will not cover the slave labor clause in the Yalta Agreement. Why? Because it was the work of progressives. It has been written out of the history books entirely.


17 posted on 07/31/2020 8:17:38 AM PDT by Vehmgericht (12)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: EagleUSA

My kids history lessons in their elementary school seems geared to make them feel ashamed, and hate their nation. I had to get them to read about the real history of america. Rush Limbaugh’s children’s history books are a good place to start.


18 posted on 07/31/2020 8:31:37 AM PDT by ThinkingBuddha
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Starboard

When I was a child in Canada a traveling activist troupe came to our school. We were told we were Incas and given paper to make crowns of gold. Then the evil Spanish imprisoned the king, took our paper gold for ransom, and killed the king.

This was nearly fifty years ago, and I was angry that they didn’t think I would know the Pizarro and his men were greedy killers without being required to participate in this emo-drama.

Twenty-five years ago my daughter came home crying because the eagles and whales were all dying. I spoke to the principal of her private pre-2 school. It isn’t a child’s responsibility to prevent extinction, it is abusive to deliberately distress children to teach them, AND the animals were making good recoveries by then.

Remember Inherit the Wind and The Crucible? Lessons of the left dramatized into teaching hours, more readings in schools than ever on stage. I wonder if the left would ever apply those plays to themselves.


19 posted on 07/31/2020 8:36:21 AM PDT by heartwood (Someone has to play devil's advocate other.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: EagleUSA

So, just leave the public system, and all will be well?


20 posted on 07/31/2020 8:36:50 AM PDT by The_Media_never_lie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson