"The times, they are a-changin'"

 There have been many periods of time in my life where I simply stood back, shook my head, and continued to tell myself what had just transpired could not possibly be what was really happening in my world. I guess I have reached an age where nothing surprises me any longer. 

People are not nice in the world today. Many people believe that their rights as individuals override the rights of the many. I did not grow up in a generation that believed that. If the truth be told, I don't know where this generation of naysayers and angry individualists have come from. I can say this with certainty, I am glad they did not show up until I became old. 

Since the advent of the internet, there is a lot more disinformation and false claims which circle around and around ad nauseum. Most of us have become immune to this crap, but sometimes it hits very close to home.  Another propensity of internet cruising is the petition. There are petitions for everything in the alphabet from A-Z. I read them all the time and if they are something I think is important, I will sign it. You see, I was brought up to believe that was my right to do. I had a right to petition; I had right to speak my mind; I had a right to disagree with others, as long as I did no harm to them. I have always tried to follow that. No harm. 

Yesterday, I found out that a petition I had signed about history, or the teaching of history, was the subject of some kind of news article screaming about bad teachers who were wilingl to break the law to teach Critical Race Theory. There was a "hit list" of sorts, of teachers all over the country who were "willing to break the law to teach CRT". See, this is not what I signed. I signed a petition to teach the truth of history, which is what is so irritating to people right now. What is wrong with the truth? We don't teach CRT in high school. The concepts included in it are what could be determined to be higher order thinking concepts, which most high school students have not conquered yet. They may get pieces of CRT during college, but most, unless they are majoring in history, the law, or perhaps sociology, won't hear much of it. 

Why is it so important for these people to use teachers to try and continue to perpetuate their personal thoughts on history? I remember when I was a kid growing up and the discussion of prayer in the classroom was the hot button ticket. My father, who always insisted we attend church and Sunday School, yelled at the television to these protestors to enroll their children in private school and pay for it. That way, they could be indoctrinated in the way the adults wanted. 

I have news for those who are opposed to the truth of history from my point of view. I don't teach U.S. History any longer. I teach World History. I like teaching it. I love history. I love to see the light go off in a student's eyes when they understand a concept. I like showing them how to get from point A to point B. What does Africa have to do with the Cold War or why did tensions with Cuba continue to escalate between the West and the East?

I learn more every day. I hope to continue to learn every day so my students will have access to as much true information as I have, but the ability to understand the differences in propaganda and opinion. What they need to study concepts, whatever those concepts are. We need to come back to having the ability to have an educated discourse; to have those necessary discussions about hard topics that people are uncomfortable talking about. 

Bob Dylan, when he wrote "The Times They Are A-Changing" in 1963 probably had no idea this song would continue to be used past the Civil Rights Movement, past Vietnam, past the sexual revolution and carry on in the 21st century to the issues facing our country today. I had always believed they were changing for the better. Time has shown me that might not be the case.