Life in an American Fourth Grade: George Washington Sighting! Updated

By Barry Rubin

For those following my blogging on a fourth-grade class, this morning during the opening "warm-up" period, the students read one page on George Washington's childhood. No discussion. The next day there was a brief discussion of the text. This is apparently the total official county program to deal with the founder of the United States. One day after Abraham Lincoln's birthday, however, he still hasn't been mentioned at all. For an earlier "accidental" brief mention of Washington, see here.

But the next day there was a very long discussion about the same topic as has been the overwhelming one for the whole year: How the white settlers mistreated blacks, Indians, and just about everyone else. Again, no discussion of the courage of the settlers, their development of democracy, the advantages of the new society over the one they had left behind, the growth of religious freedom but just racial exploitation and racism. America=racism about sums up the almost six months of instruction the children have received.