This commentary is by Gerry Silverstein of South Burlington, who taught courses related to human health and disease at the University of Vermont for 22 years.
Rep. Maida Townsend of South Burlington has introduced a resolution (H.79) in the Vermont House of Representatives that would require all public school teachers to have completed at least one three-credit course in African American history at an accredited college or university.
I know of no requirement that teachers in public schools in Vermont must take a course in American history that teaches about the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the American Revolutionary War, the actions of the United States in fighting against the attempt at global hegemony by the Japanese and German empires in World War II, and much much more
I know of no requirement that teachers who teach in Vermont public schools must take a course that studies the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany, which led to the eradication of 6 million Jews and millions of other “undesirables” by the most virulent racists the human species has ever spawned.
I know of no requirement that teachers who teach in Vermont public schools must take a course in human health and disease that includes a thorough understanding of human nutrition and the serious health consequences of obesity, which now affects 42% of adults and 20% of children in the USA.
In 2030, current trends detail that 48.9% of adults will be obese and in 29 states more than 50% of all adults will be obese.
I know of no requirement that teachers in Vermont public schools must take a course that teaches about economic sustainability and the consequences of a current $28.2 trillion aggregate federal debt, headed to $40 trillion in 2030.
That is the fiscal legacy that adults are leaving to society’s children who are now in public schools.
Maybe if teachers who teach in Vermont public schools were required to take a course that profiles for them the consequences of unions making unsustainable fiscal demands on Vermont communities, such teachers might gain insight into what is necessary for the students they teach to graduate into a more sustainable fiscal future.
H.79 introduced by Rep Maida Townsend in my opinion profiles one of the great failings in this country: Although we live in a three-dimensional universe (four if one includes time), all too many Americans think in one dimension.
As a college-level educator, I have seen all too many students arrive at college with serious deficiencies in math, science, English (spelling and essay construction are often frightening to behold), and what appears to be a total absence of critical thinking and critical analysis abilities.
Requiring teachers to take a course in African American history will not address the most serious shortcomings of public school education in Vermont and nationwide.
Perhaps well-intentioned, H.79 is nonetheless likely to promote further division in an already highly polarized society.
Addendum: Obviously, citizen-taxpayers will pay the cost of teachers taking the three-credit course in African American history. Is there some obstacle that prevents teachers learning about African American history on their own by accessing something known as the internet and something called books on American history?
