Texas school leader tells teachers to 'balance' Holocaust books with opposing views

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

A top administrator in Southlake, Texas, last week advised teachers that if they have a book about the Holocaust, they should have a book from an "opposing" perspective, NBC News reported, citing an audio recording.

Gina Peddy, Carroll Independent School District's executive director of curriculum and instruction, made the comment during a training session on which books were allowed in classroom libraries. A staff member secretly recorded the meeting and shared it with NBC.

"Just try to remember the concepts of [House Bill] 3979," Peddy said during the meeting, referring to a new Texas law that requires educators to present multiple viewpoints for "widely debated and currently controversial" issues, NBC reported. "And make sure that if you have a book on the Holocaust," Peddy continued, "that you have one that has an opposing, that has other perspectives."

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-...ells-teachers-to-balance-holocaust-books-with

Besides this, it probably makes some white children of German descent feel guilty.

 

[Bronzeage]

Is the opposing perspective that the Holocaust never happened, or that there were benefits resulting from it?

 

[Patooka]

I don't have a problem with schools showing opposing views of the holocaust, as it provides context to how such movements came about.

Promoting the idea that they are equivalent is however pretty fucked. I have no doubt the distinction is lost on this prominent and influential educator from Texas.
EDIT: Upon reading further, an argument can be made that this is a result of Texas' new legislation combatting the evils of CRT. I wonder if this will cause Texan legislators even a nanosecond of reflection and wonder the ramifications of the law they've passed.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Promoting the idea that they are equivalent is however pretty fucked.

Let's not make White children feel guilty. There are good people on both sides.

 

[laughing dog]

This is precisely the type of response the opponents of these illiberal "anti-CRT" bills predicted would occur.

 

[Trausti]

If you read to the end:

However, some are saying that the book guidelines at Carroll are misinterpreted. Three other Texas education policy experts agreed, according to NBC.

"We find it reprehensible for an educator to require a Holocaust denier to get equal treatment with the facts of history," said Clay Robison, a spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association. "That's absurd. It's worse than absurd. And this law does not require it."

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

"...if you have a book on the Holocaust".

Unless she is referring to a novel about the Holocaust, of which an opposing novel could only be unspeakably inappropriate for school, the typical books on the holocaust are called History Books. Opposing books to said history books would be called Fiction.

Speaking of fictional, the holocaust isn't "widely debated and currently controversial". It fucking happened. It was so well documented by the Nazis that the Allies killed those in charge.

And finally, why in the fuck is that the subject that comes to her mind. Not CRT, not slavery and the Civil War, but it goes to the Holocaust. She needs to be fired... and given free admission to the Holocaust Museum..

 

[laughing dog]

If you read to the end:

However, some are saying that the book guidelines at Carroll are misinterpreted. Three other Texas education policy experts agreed, according to NBC.

"We find it reprehensible for an educator to require a Holocaust denier to get equal treatment with the facts of history," said Clay Robison, a spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association. "That's absurd. It's worse than absurd. And this law does not require it."

As usual, you miss the point. While the law does not require people to misinterpret or act stupidly, apparently it is easy for them to do so. The point is that it is having a chilling effect.

Which, of course, is exactly what conservotards want - stifle knowledge.

 

[Patooka]

If you read to the end:

However, some are saying that the book guidelines at Carroll are misinterpreted. Three other Texas education policy experts agreed, according to NBC.

"We find it reprehensible for an educator to require a Holocaust denier to get equal treatment with the facts of history," said Clay Robison, a spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association. "That's absurd. It's worse than absurd. And this law does not require it."

I see. The law's fine, you just need a man to 'splain it.

 

[Trausti]

If you read to the end:

However, some are saying that the book guidelines at Carroll are misinterpreted. Three other Texas education policy experts agreed, according to NBC.

"We find it reprehensible for an educator to require a Holocaust denier to get equal treatment with the facts of history," said Clay Robison, a spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association. "That's absurd. It's worse than absurd. And this law does not require it."

I see. The law's fine, you just need a man to 'splain it.

Good point. Never before in the history of new laws has someone misinterpreted the new law. Note that no one agrees with this lady’s interpretation. Not even her own district. No need for pearl clutching.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Speaking of fictional, the holocaust isn't "widely debated and currently controversial". It fucking happened.

Yes, the Holocaust did happen. So does evolution.

Take a breath and break a moment because this is an emotional topic.

Okay, now go back and consider the literal meaning of the phrase in the bill: "widely debated and currently controversial." How much is "wide?" How to measure "controversial?" These are some few of the very vague words that are present in the legislation I've been warning about.

Evolution is widely debated across the Internet and idiotic fundies would call it controversial. That word might be subjective. Even so, consider how many anti-Semitic people are in the world--not just ordinary American and European white supremacists, but also radical Islamists and others who do not like Jews because of their own personal religions that are anti-Semitic. We might have like 3% Holocaust deniers in the US, but in the world? 10%-20%?

Perhaps, the wording could be improved by adding the word "academically," as in "widely academically debated and currently academically controversial." But then the authors of the bill would suggest that "liberal academia" is the problem and it's probably the reason they never put the word in, in the first place.

 

[TV and credit cards]

Speaking of fictional, the holocaust isn't "widely debated and currently controversial". It fucking happened.

Yes, the Holocaust did happen. So does evolution.

Take a breath and break a moment because this is an emotional topic.

Okay, now go back and consider the literal meaning of the phrase in the bill: "widely debated and currently controversial." How much is "wide?" How to measure "controversial?" These are some few of the very vague words that are present in the legislation I've been warning about.

Evolution is widely debated across the Internet and idiotic fundies would call it controversial. That word might be subjective. Even so, consider how many anti-Semitic people are in the world--not just ordinary American and European white supremacists, but also radical Islamists and others who do not like Jews because of their own personal religions that are anti-Semitic. We might have like 3% Holocaust deniers in the US, but in the world? 10%-20%?

Perhaps, the wording could be improved by adding the word "academically," as in "widely academically debated and currently academically controversial." But then the authors of the bill would suggest that "liberal academia" is the problem and it's probably the reason they never put the word in, in the first place.

(2) teachers who choose to discuss current events or
widely debated and currently controversial issues of public policy
or social affairs shall, to the best of their ability, strive to
explore such issues from diverse and contending perspectives
without giving deference to any one perspective;

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/pdf/HB03979I.pdf#navpanes=0

The issue will be chickenshit teachers/admin avoiding everything and anything that so much as brushes up against anything that can be construed as controversial to appease the students ill-informed parents just for the sake of avoiding conflict. So until legislators keep parents out of the classroom (not gonna happen) or schools learn to tell parents no, public education will continue to flounder.

 

[ideologyhunter]

January: San Francisco teacher writes op ed referring to Bernie Sanders' gloves as "a lesson in white privilege". Conservative site members: Horrors!! Did you ever???? She needs to be fired!!! Can you believe this??? What have we been telling you???

October: Texas curriculum coordinator tells staff to balance Holocaust books with "opposing viewpoints". Conservative site members: Really, get over it. Nothing to get alarmed about.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

January: San Francisco teacher writes op ed referring to Bernie Sanders' gloves as "a lesson in white privilege". Conservative site members: Horrors!! Did you ever???? She needs to be fired!!! Can you believe this??? What have we been telling you???

October: Texas curriculum coordinator tells staff to balance Holocaust books with "opposing viewpoints". Conservative site members: Really, get over it. Nothing to get alarmed about.

Also, "stop pearl clutching!"

 

[Trausti]

January: San Francisco teacher writes op ed referring to Bernie Sanders' gloves as "a lesson in white privilege". Conservative site members: Horrors!! Did you ever???? She needs to be fired!!! Can you believe this??? What have we been telling you???

October: Texas curriculum coordinator tells staff to balance Holocaust books with "opposing viewpoints". Conservative site members: Really, get over it. Nothing to get alarmed about.

Also, "stop pearl clutching!"

Yes, please stop.

 

[ZiprHead]

Promoting the idea that they are equivalent is however pretty fucked.

Let's not make White children feel guilty. There are good people on both sides.

Robin DeAngelo was right about one thing, white fragility.

 

[Elixir]

If you read to the end:

However, some are saying that the book guidelines at Carroll are misinterpreted. Three other Texas education policy experts agreed, according to NBC.

"We find it reprehensible for an educator to require a Holocaust denier to get equal treatment with the facts of history," said Clay Robison, a spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association. "That's absurd. It's worse than absurd. And this law does not require it."

I see. The law's fine, you just need a man to 'splain it.

Right.
Still waiting...

 

[Keith&Co.]

Thing is, if the LAW doesn't identify controversies, then anyone in a classroom is free to decide that evolution, the great replacement, gravity theory, pre- and post-tribulationism, last night's call on the final touchdown-winning play, Trump's rape trial, and 4-color map theory is a controversy worth bringing up in the lesson plan.

 

[Swammerdami]

How close to the present do U.S. history textbooks come? What do they write about Benghazi? When the 2020 election is covered, surely Texas high-school textbooks will cover both sides, suggesting that some believe Biden won legitimately as well as the fair and balanced view that the election was stolen.

For decades it has been a complaint in states like California that they have Texas school textbooks foisted upon them. (Texas is a big market so publishers kow-tow to their demands; economies of scale make publishers unhappy to print different books for other states.) Perhaps this latest nonsense will finally sever that link.

A decade or two ago, the suggestion that schools needed to teach Holocaust denialism would have been laughed at almost universally. But today we see instead ...

If you read to the end:

However, some are saying that the book guidelines at Carroll are misinterpreted. Three other Texas education policy experts agreed, according to NBC.

"We find it reprehensible for an educator to require a Holocaust denier to get equal treatment with the facts of history," said Clay Robison, a spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association. "That's absurd. It's worse than absurd. And this law does not require it."

Wow! At least THREE (3) Texas educators don't think the law requires teaching Holocaust denial!

In other breaking news, Susan McGillicuddy, vice-chair of the Altoona Ladies Republican Guild, is no longer certain that an audit will demonstrate that Trump won the 2020 vote in Pennsylvania.

The Altoona Ladies Republican Guild has long been at the fore-front of progressive Republican thought. Last month they passed a resolution that Pennsylvanian women should be allowed abortion during the first two months of their pregnancy (though only in the case of rape or incest). In 2009 there was significant support for a motion affirming that Barack Obama was born in Hawaii; the motion was only narrowly defeated.

 

[Keith&Co.]

For decades it has been a complaint in states like California that they have Texas school textbooks foisted upon them. (Texas is a big market so publishers kow-tow to their demands; economies of scale make publishers unhappy to print different books for other states.) Perhaps this latest nonsense will finally sever that link.

Well, no, this won't. But moving to electronic textbooks lessens the impact. Costs the same to publish the 'indians weren't doing much with the land til we came' history books as the 'land stolen, treaties ignored' books.