Posted on 08/30/2002 4:29:50 PM PDT by rhema
For those of you who have been asking if the AAE [Association of American Educators] could recommend a 9-11 lesson plan that would be a sensible alternative to the nonsensical NEA lesson plans – this is it!
Go to EdExcellence.net. See “September 11: What Our Children Need to Know,” Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.
The centerpiece is 23 short essays by a distinguished array of Americans. The essays offer a wide range of perspectives but do not politicize or psychologize the topic, and they are not presented by those who reverence tolerance above other compelling civic virtues. The authors all responded to the question: “What civic lessons are the most imperative for U.S. K-12 teachers to teach their pupils, as the ‘anniversary’ of the 9-11 attacks draws near, about the United States and what it means to be an American?”
It will help educators help their students learn their nation’s true history, how precious and hard-fought our liberty is, what it’s like in countries that don’t enjoy our freedoms, how to appreciate heroism, and how to conduct ourselves as Americans.
Besides expert essays and an introduction, the new Fordham report provides an extensive reference bibliography for educators who wish to teach these lessons throughout the school year. We’re sure that AAE members will resonate with this report and we highly recommend this approach to teaching about 9-11.
In commenting on the NEA’s website suggestions about how to “observe” the anniversary of 9-11, Chester Finn, Jr. says, “….a mishmash of pop-psychotherpeutics, relativism and overblown multiculturalism, even more noteworthy for what’s not there: history, civics, and patriotism.”
He went on to describe what we feel accurately identifies AAE members – “Fortunately, there are plenty of competent educators doing right by their students who pay no heed to the nonsense emitted by [the NEA]. They know their stuff, care deeply for their country and are both serious and capable when it comes to forging children into knowledgeable citizens.”
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