Do You Know What Is (Or Isn't) In Your Child's Textbooks? You Might Not Be So Content With The Content.

When our children are young we scramble to get them the latest Dr. Seuss book, relish their small "sound-it-out" victories, and before you know it...they are reading. We send them to school confident that they will continue down that path of discovery and wonder, which reading can bring. For most of us, our job is done. We rely on the school system to greet them, seat them, and complete them. Do the majority of us look into their curriculum? How about their textbooks? Today I was perusing a World History textbook (new) belonging to one of our area high schools. I looked up the definition for socialism. Oddly enough, it was not what they did say about socialism, but rather what they omitted that had me concerned. With the sugar-coated explanation of it I would have expected the Disney carriage to arrive at any moment. Some of the key points below were conspicuously absent:

1: any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods 2 a: a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b: a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state 3: a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done. (Merriam-Webster Online).

Americans have handed over the reins of the most precious commodity our nation has to offer...our youth. We teach them about the bad people offering them drugs and booze, but what about "bull". Now, I am not suggesting that we ban books or storm the PTA meetings because the hidden agenda sources are too vast and embedded to uncover. What I am hoping you will do is talk to your students about simple principles of governments...from time-to-time...so if topics come up in the classroom there can be discussion and not just lecture. Confidence and not just acceptance. Believe me, when a teacher says something it is usually accepted as "the" explanation...unless a parent (or parental figure) has a preemptive dialogue.

Note: If you want to be quoted then say something worthwhile!

May God bless America...and may America deserve it!

Zanne Booker 02-13-09