How do you ensure your kids to get a balanced view of culture war issues discussed at school?

[Anonymous]

My middle school kids seem to always be getting assignments that focus on highly politicized current events and topics. The school seems to be emphasizing one point of view. I would like them to understand that many people outside of the “DC Bubble” do have different viewpoints.

[Anonymous]

Good luck, is all I can say to that.

[Anonymous]

I think you can talk to them about your beliefs on topics and how it differs from what is being taught in school and why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My middle school kids seem to always be getting assignments that focus on highly politicized current events and topics. The school seems to be emphasizing one point of view. I would like them to understand that many people outside of the “DC Bubble” do have different viewpoints.

So tell them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good luck, is all I can say to that.

Same here.

MCPS pushes some crazy propaganda on our middle schoolers. We spend a great deal of time talking about how you need to examine sources and how to look for bias.

On the plus side, it’s good to talk about this political stuff and explain why we think MCPS is inappropriate in its teaching. But on the other hand, there are surely plenty of kids who take what is taught in school (eg Stamped) as the gospel and assume it is all the ‘truth’.

[Anonymous]

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. But really I think the way to win any argument is to know what the other sides argument is. You can just pretend it doesn’t exist. So I think there’s benefits on learning different things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. But really I think the way to win any argument is to know what the other sides argument is. You can just pretend it doesn’t exist. So I think there’s benefits on learning different things.

+1. To read a book is not necessarily to endorse it.

[Anonymous]

Well, first of all, you stop with the us-vs-them “culture war” mindset. That’s how we get extremists of all stripes, when they’re led to believe that their “side” is under attack.

[Anonymous]

Going out on a limb but you talk to them about things?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, first of all, you stop with the us-vs-them “culture war” mindset. That’s how we get extremists of all stripes, when they’re led to believe that their “side” is under attack.

Yup. +1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My middle school kids seem to always be getting assignments that focus on highly politicized current events and topics. The school seems to be emphasizing one point of view. I would like them to understand that many people outside of the “DC Bubble” do have different viewpoints.

I’m guessing that you are objecting to assignments that analyze primary source historical material from different perspectives and other work that’s designed to foster critical thinking?

In my experience, MCPS does a very good job of educating kids to develop these skills without imposing ideological viewpoints. Everything I’ve seen is pretty plain vanilla but designed to promote thought. They’re just trying to get your kids brain cells moving. What direction those brain cells go is entirely up to the kid (and you).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My middle school kids seem to always be getting assignments that focus on highly politicized current events and topics. The school seems to be emphasizing one point of view. I would like them to understand that many people outside of the “DC Bubble” do have different viewpoints.

Slightly different take:

We are a liberal household but the overwhelming amount of information in the curriculum and other types of assemblies (virtual) about systemic racism, etc. has really turned off my kid. I've been battling this for the entire year, trying to tone down the school message and make it more practical (and less personal) for him because I don't like where his opinions are headed. And of course, at 13, he's beginning to develop opinions that differ from mine. So that's a bit scary to me.

OK, yeah, I guess that's his white fragility. And I'm not an educator or a psychologist. So I don't know the best way to present this information in a way that doesn't alienate some white kids. (and my son isn't the only kid having this reaction). It's not just his being defensive. It's also his learning, or I should say his takeaway is that Black people can't advocate for themselves, that they are victims of everything. And no matter what choices they make in life, they will be beaten down by racism. Instead of having my son become more introspective about systems and how they may negatively impact people of color, he's beginning to see Black people as inferior. Helpless. And it's killing me. It really is. And if it's turning off some (of course not all, maybe not even a significant number) of kids from liberal homes, imagine what it's likely doing to kids in conservative homes. (I'm not putting down conservative beliefs; just that I know they are generally more focused on personal agency of people of color to get ahead and not on systems).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My middle school kids seem to always be getting assignments that focus on highly politicized current events and topics. The school seems to be emphasizing one point of view. I would like them to understand that many people outside of the “DC Bubble” do have different viewpoints.

Don't think this is a real issue since this mainly exists in the imagination of Fox viewers.

[Anonymous]

My 11 and 16 year olds have not received anything of note from MCPS.

They are level-headed kids with dual nationalities and relatives all over the world with varied political and religious belief systems, and are used to evaluating situations for themselves.

I have a hard time understanding why it is that this topic exercises DCUM posters so much. Is it just a few trolls faking concern? Because this is really so minor. What would you say to my monarchist grandmother or my communist cousin, I wonder. Or my extended family in Egypt with strong restrictions on women's freedoms... My point is, there are far worse things out there. Why don't you tackle those.

[Anonymous]

I am a (white) liberal dem and also a teacher. I am not sure about my feelings on what I have to teach. A lot of it comes off as very vague focusing on identity and feelings rather than discussing merits of the issues. I can imagine this being very frustrating for a lot of students. Unfortunately, I also think there is a perception building that the opinions of minorities are of higher value than of other students. Because of the hot and cold thinking of adolescents, this has led to the feeling that unless you are minority your opinion doesn’t matter in the discussions. I hope I am wrong about this, it but seems to explain how I perceive the participation I see in the middle schools.