Trump alleges ‘left-wing indoctrination’ in schools, says he will create national commission to push more ‘pro-American’ history

 

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My professionalism allows me to objective when teaching; politics does not enter my decision making overtly. (Surely my subconcious bias can and probably does affect what I teach and how I teach it, but to assume I am trying to indoctrinate students is pretty laughable. My job, as an American history teacher, is to teach our complicated past, the good and the bad. The only indoctrinating I'm doing is (hopefully) giving my students a habit of questioning and analyzing, with the ultimate goal to think for themselves. My favorite quote in the article was from the 16 year old student from New Jersey, Emma Chan: “You can love a country and feel it’s worth defending and still criticize it." Exactly. This student echoes a quote from the Constitution's preamble: "...in order to form a more perfect union." Evolving and growth is the march of civilization and this country (hopefully). Have you felt indoctrinated by your schooling? Is there a liberal bias in American education in your experience? 

How Ruth Bader Ginsburg became the ‘Notorious RBG’

 

An amazing person and American who's life has impacted us all, whether we know it or not. What I find fascinating about cultural icons is that they can be for trivial reasons or important reasons. It was fun to call Ruth Bader Ginsburg the 'Notorious RBG', but we were all a part of this inside joke: we valued this women's input, perspective, and career. What elements of Ginsburg's life do you wish to emulate? What characteristics of hers do you wish to make your own?  

12 People in a 3-Bedroom House, Then the Virus Entered the Equation

 

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When we talk about racism, we think of discrimination by one person to another. When we think about a virus, we assume that "all [people] are created equal" to contract it. Right? Well, apparently that's wrong. This New York Times article talks about how overcrowding and poverty dramatically affect who gets Coronavirus. While the trend is true nation wide, the problem hits home when the focus is a family here in San Mateo. Have you seen disparate effects of the Coronavirus in our community or across the nation? How has it affected people you know? [share if you are comfortable doing so]

Biden is "favored" to win the election

 

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I love fivethrityeight.com. The statistics behind this polling average website/forecast model is ingenious and helpful to figure out the state of the presidential election. (They also have a good podcast once or twice a week). One takeaway I find helpful they repeat a lot: no one poll is definitive. Look at a wide range of polls and then weight by reliability. While Biden has a 77% chance as of Saturday, Sept 26, that is not 100%. In fact, Trump had a 29% chance to win in 2016 on election night, according to 538.com. While that seems like a mistake, the mistake was in the polls, not 538's forecast algorithm. After looking through the entire forecast (article link), what stands out to you about the state of the presidential race? 

San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury: Schools must stop hate

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I know the problem of hate speech is not just a Burlingame high school problem. Last year, teachers at Aragon were told by Black Student Union, an Aragon student club, about the prevalence of hate speech on campus, both in the hallways and in classrooms. Many of my colleagues, including myself, were shocked. But being shocked isn't enough. Explicit teaching needs to happen on my end. But then students have a responsibility too to police each other. Aragon is a community, whether you think that's hokey or not, and a culture of tolerance and acceptance is only a true as the people consistently push to make it one. Do you hear hate speech at Aragon? What should be done about it? 

Why don't more people vote?

[Warning: You may like the play Hamilton more if you watch this.] This creative video, while not a news article, relates to a very real current event: low voter turnout. Why don't more people vote? Specifically, why don't more young people vote? 

Maybe it's because they think their ONE vote won't make a difference. Or possibly because they are self-absorbed and don't recognize the collective responsibility of participation in a representative democracy that is the United States. I know these two scenarios because I didn't vote in my first presidential election. It was the fall of 2000 and I was in college 2 hours away from where I grew up. My dad told me to vote by mail (absentee ballot) and I missed the deadline. So the only way I could vote would be to drive the 2 hours home on election day and vote in my old elementary school gymnasium. I came up some excuse and didn't do it. While it's true my ONE vote wouldn't have swayed that election result, I know I didn't vote, am I ashamed. Knowing what I know now about the millions of Americans who fought, died, protested, petitioned, and sacrificed for the right to vote -- the right I was privileged to have but took for granted -- I will forever vote and hope you all will too when you are of age. 

If you are a citizen age 16-17, you can pre-register to vote before you turn 18 by going to this link. 

If eligible, do people in your family vote? Do you plan to vote (if eligible) once of age?