Let’s not give the legislature the job that social studies teachers are trusted to do
If I could teach a middle or high school social studies class during the beginning of March 2022, I would begin with two sentences from President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address in 1961. “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what America can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” I would ask students, “What do you think Kennedy meant? What could you do for your country? What could you and others do for the freedom of people here and in other parts of the world? What does freedom include? What does it mean for Ukrainians just now? Beside political freedom, what other freedoms are important?”
Then I would say: “I heard that inaugural address on January 20, 1961, and when President Kennedy established the United States Peace Corps by executive order on March 1, 1961, I and many others applied to become Peace Corps volunteers. I was a social studies teacher for two years in Liberia, and it changed my life. Since 1961 240,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers in education, health, environment, agriculture, youth development, and community economic development. March 1, 2022 was the 61st anniversary of the Peace Corps, and after two Covid years when all volunteers were evacuated, all 62 nations, including Ukraine, that hosted volunteers prior to the pandemic have said they want volunteers return. Zambia and Dominican Republic will welcome back volunteers this month and 22 others will do so in spring and summer.”
I would then ask students to choose one of the following: 1) invite a Returned Peace Corps volunteer to speak in class or on zoom about their experiences; 2) listen to or watch an interview of a volunteer in the extensive Peace Corps collection at UK’s Nunn Center for Oral History, perhaps one of the interviews with Ukraine volunteers; 3) research AmeriCorps Vista opportunities to serve in the US; 4) organize a debate about whether national service should be required in the US; 5) research national service programs in other countries such as Ghana and Nigeria and check out Corps Africa in which African young people serve in Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Malawi and Rwanda; 6) use National Peace Corps Association’s recent reports and its award-winning magazine WorldView to research experiences of and recommendations for changes in Peace Corps by volunteers of color.
As social studies teachers challenge students to learn about the meaning and results of a President’s speech, they are also helping students relate history to current events and vice versa and to use many and diverse sources in studying American history. Another example: students know about recent trials in the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. Both “Four Hundred Souls” and ”The 1619 Project” books are excellent resources for teachers wishing to broaden the history of African Americans beyond Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and Martin Luther King Jr. to Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, and Fannie Lou Hamer and many, many more.
Of course, I wonder why Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, especially those two important sentences, was not included in Kentucky Senate Bill 138 Teaching American Principles mandated list of documents. But it is NOT the job of our legislature to mandate specific curriculum nor how current events and controversial topics are taught. Let’s trust social studies teachers who are professionals, who work hard at local and state levels to develop curriculum standards, and who know how to engage students in learning. Let’s encourage these teachers with good salaries and appreciation as they prepare students to be thoughtful citizens who will serve our country and the world in a very challenging 21st century.
Angene Wilson is a retired Peace Corps volunteer who served in Liberia and a retired social studies teacher and teacher educator.