Anti-american vs. Anti-education?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/changes-in-ap-history-trigger-a-culture-clash-in-colorado/2014/10/05/fa6136a2-4b12-11e4-b72e-d60a9229cc10_story.html?tid=pm_politics_pop

Controversy in Colorado has flared due to the upholding resistance of the Jefferson County school district against College Board. The mainly conservative Board of Education is taking a stand against the new AP US History curriculum that has been initiated. Two new topics have been added to the course material, including conflict between Native Americans and European settlers from 1491 to 1607, and 1980 to the present which addresses touchy social issues like abortion and the terrorist attacks on September 11. America's past conflict, internal and external, proves that we are not perfect. This bothers the conservatives who believe that putting such knowledge in students heads will condone or encourage civil disorder. A new founded committee meant to ensure censorship of the material exposed to students has been organized, run by the district's very conservative board of education. Teachers, students, and parents are all highly disturbed and disapproving of the new committee's intentions. The community of Jefferson County has rallied together in protest, staging teacher "sick" days, marches in the streets, and even face to face confrontation at board meetings. One student even presented a signed petition of 40,000 names from across the country, clearly demonstrating that the committee had gotten under the skin of people all over. Still, republicans defend their arguments with claims that the course is so "anti-American" that graduating students will be ready to join the Islamic State and that the removal of such uncomfortable subtopics of American history is necessary. Some parents with children enrolled in Jefferson county schools agree with such actions too, saying that American exceptionalism should be a main focus and that the new curriculum deprives students of that knowledge. I say, extreme much?


I have been taking courses in US history since 6th grade and not once have I turned my back on America due to learning about past negative actions. These mistakes and conflicts must be learned from. Avoiding the problem is never the answer, something that we have been taught since elementary school as well. Also, I recognize many of the things that we as Americans enjoy daily and take for granted, such as food, a roof over our heads, and clothes on our backs. In that way, I know that where I live is exceptional, I am safe and comfortable and happy. But when I sit through a history class, I expect to learn the history of America, not a curriculum that has been picked through and scrubbed clean. We have no shortage of accomplishments that we can brag about, but at the same time it is imperative that we get to know the entire story of our past. It all boils down to one question: With such a censored curriculum, are we as students truly LEARNING? No, we are being spoon fed a nonsensical load of lies. As high school students, we need to be educated and aware of our nation's past and present, opposed to what a "censored" education would bring us. Going off to college with a completely different set of knowledge compared to those who have actually been informed of ALL aspects of the United States of America would not do us well in the real world. Patriotism does not come from what we learn, it comes from who we are as Americans in the present and what we chose to become. We need to learn from our mistakes, know what NOT to do again, admit we as a nation are not flawless but work to maintain order through unity AND awareness.