Over the past two weeks an issue
developed in one of our local middle schools over the study of World History
and specifically the inclusion of Islam in our Tennessee
Social Studies Standards (TN Department of Education, n.d.). Parents are upset over the position of the
school officials, and ministers and members of the Tennessee state legislature
have become involved. Most of the statements
I have read from these sources are not borne out by the facts.
First, I have heard the claim that the Tennessee Social Studies Standards are Common Core Standards. Not really, we only have Common Core Standards
for Math and English Language Arts (National Governors Association Center for Best
Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010). You may want to look up my previous blog
that discussed the Common Core Standards (Simpson, T. 2015).
Second, I’ve read numerous claims that the Tennessee Social Studies Standards
favor Islam over Christianity.
Representative Andy Holt, R-Dresden said, “After Reviewing the standards
set by the Tennessee Department of Education, it has become abundantly clear
that a strong bias in favor of Islam over all other religions is being taught
to our children in public schools” (Stewart, 2015, p. A1). Really?
I’m not sure which standards he read because this statement in not true
for the Tennessee Standards.
The topic for 7th
Grade Social Studies in TN (TN Department of Education, n.d.) is World History and Geography: The Middle Ages to the Exploration of the
Americas. Teachers are given 75
standards to cover, and only 10 of these standards deal with Islam. Only one of the 10 standards addresses the
Qur’an as the primary source of Islamic beliefs and practices, and only one of
the 10 standards addresses the Sunni and Shi’ite sects.
Under the study of the Middle Ages in Western Europe 5 different standards
address Christianity during this time period.
One standard addresses the Crusades and the military struggle between
Christians and Muslims over control of the Holy Land. The spread of
Christianity through the exploration of the Americas is also addressed.
Under the study of the Renaissance and Reformation, 9 standards deal with
Christianity. In this topic Standard
7.55 is interesting.
Outline
the reasons for the growing discontent with the Catholic Church, including the main ideas of Martin Luther (salvation by faith), John Calvin
(predestination), Desiderius Erasmus(free will), William Tyndale (translating
the Bible into English), and their attempts to reconcile what they viewed as
God’s Word with Church action.
None of the standards addressing other religions go into as much detail
about specific beliefs as this standard.
One could argue that the standards for 7th Grade Social
Studies are biased toward Protestant Christianity.
Furthermore, an examination of the 6th
Grade Social Studies Standards (TN Department of Education, n.d.) sheds
additional light on our topic. The topic
is World History and Geography: Early Civilizations through the Decline of
the Roman Empire (5th Century C.E.).
The students study ancient Africa, Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt,
Ancient India, Ancient China, Ancient Israel, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome. Seven standards address Ancient Israel, and
specifically Standard 6.41 is applicable to our discussion.
Describe the
monotheistic religion of the Israelites, including:
·
the belief
in one God (monotheism)
·
the Ten
Commandments
·
the
emphasis on individual worth and personal responsibility
·
the belief
that all people must adhere to the same moral obligations, whether ruler or
ruled
·
the Torah
and the Hebrew Bible as part of the history of early Israel.
Under Ancient Rome, several standards address the rise of Christianity, and
Standard 6.68 is significant.
Describe the
origins and central features of Christianity:
·
monotheism
·
the belief
in Jesus as the Messiah and God’s Son
·
the concept
of resurrection
·
the
concept of salvation
·
belief in
the Old and New Testaments
·
the lives,
teachings and contributions of Jesus and Paul
·
the
relationship of early Christians to officials of the Roman Empire.
The 6th Grade Social Studies Standards place more emphasis on the
beliefs of Judaism and Christianity than any of the other religions addressed
in the same Standards. If the Standards
are biased, they are biased toward Judaism and Christianity.
Growing up in a rural part of East Tennessee during the 1950s and 60s was both a
positive and negative experience. I came
to understand the positive influence of family and community and the importance
of the concept of place. However, there
was a negative side. I met my first
Roman Catholic when I went to high school, and I remember she had to eat fish
on Fridays. I remember many sermons in
our rural Baptist church condemning all Roman Catholics to hell. I only knew one African American until our high
school integrated in 1964-65; then I knew 10!
When I went to college in Nashville, for the first time in my life I had
contact with Jews, Asians and Hispanics.
I became fascinated by diversity in race and religion.
Teaching has given me the opportunity to travel to China, the
Philippines, Brazil, Mexico, Haiti, England, France, Switzerland, Germany (East
and West), the Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, Estonia, and Saudi Arabia. I have attended conferences, taught or given
presentations in 6 of those countries. The
differences between those I have met in other countries, cultures, and
religions are striking; however, the similarities are dominant. Most of us want the very same things for our
children and grandchildren—love, health, safety, opportunities. As a grandfather, I cannot protect my
grandchildren from diversity; nor should I want to. I want to prepare them to live in a diverse
world, not the world of the 1950s and 60s in rural East Tennessee.
One of my favorite quotes comes
from Mortimer Adler, “One should never say ‘I disagree’ until one can say ‘I
understand’”. My dear friend, we cannot
hide or protect our children from Islam. We must equip them to live in a world
more diverse than we could ever imagine.
Bless you my children,
Dr. Terry L. Simpson
Director of Teacher Education
Dr. Terry L. Simpson
Director of Teacher Education
Useful teaching resources
- The First Amendment Center's A Teacher's Guide to Religion in the Public Schools
- American Academy of Religion's Guidelines for Teaching about Religion in K-12 Public Schools in the US
Sources:
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common Core State Standards. Washington, DC: Authors.
TN Department of Education (n.d.). 6th Grade Social Studies
Academic Standards for Students. Retrieved from http://www.tennessee.gov/assets/entities/education/attachments/std_ss_gr_6.pdf
TN Department of Education (n.d.). 7th Grade Social Studies
Academic Standards for Students. Retrieved from http://www.tennessee.gov/assets/entities/education/attachments/std_ss_gr_7.pdf
TN Department of Education (n.d.). Social Studies Academic Standards
for Students. Retrieved from http://www.tennessee.gov/education/article/social-studies-standards
Simpson, T.
(2015, August 28). Why Are We Afraid of National
Educational Standards? Retrieved from http://blessyoumychildren.blogspot.com/2015/08/why-are-we-afraid-of-national.html
Stewart, M. (2015, September 13). Carpenters Middle
volunteer dismissed due to conversation about Islam. The Daily
Times, p. A1. Retrieved from http://www.thedailytimes.com/news/social-studies-standards-divide-blount-state/article_f7f17ed2-1aee-54df-a060-87d945ab6495.html
