Everywhere we go these days, we see American flags. Patriotic songs fill the air. But is it really patriotism we are sing, or a negative form of jingoism? (Jingoism refers to an unhealthy attitude of ?My country, wrong or right?, coupled with a disposition toward a belligerent foreign policy.)

The key to raising educated children is to help hem learn discernment, so they can avoid extremist views. Young children don’t need to be exposed to all the horrible images we have been seeing. They do need to be taught something of the country’s past, including a knowledge of the Christian founding fathers. One of my favorite books for this purpose was the ?Light and the Glory for Children? series by Peter Marshall. I also tended to read a lot of biographies and historical fiction books to my children when they were younger.
But what is our responsibility to our children as they get older? Do we really need to bore them with history texts or geography projects? What kinds of skills or knowledge are really necessary at the upper levels in the area of social studies?

To me, the single most important goal I have with my older teens in this area is to help them learn discernment. They need to understand the importance of ‘point of view’ in history books.

Because most Christian young people have been primarily taught history from books written by Christian publishers, it is important at some point for them to read something written from a different slant. For this purpose, I have often encouraged high school students to read ?The People’s History of the United States?. Take the story of Columbus, as one example. In Christian books, he is portrayed as the ?Christ-Bearer?...the man responsible for bringing the light of Christ to a heathen people. However, in ?The People’s History?, he is portrayed as a foolish, vain man who was single-handedly responsible for wiping out the Tainos, the indigenous Indian tribe. Where is the truth? Probably somewhere in between. It is important at some point to take these American heroes, and help teens to separate myth from reality.

Although I don’t think it’s important to cover every single topic known to man, it is important to recognize those that have immediate impact and fill in any gaps. For example, this past week in my U.S. History class, we studied Vasco da Gama and other explorers. At one point daGama, mad at the Arabs in the Middle East, fired on a ship of Islamic worshippers bound for a pilgrimage in Mecca. Many of the people on board were women and children (collateral damage?), but that didn’t stop daGama from locking them in the hold and setting the ship on fire. When they broke out, he watched for three days as they cried and begged for mercy, periodically firing his cannon to kill a few more Muslims.

So, was deGama a Christian? I can’t see how that would be possible under these circumstances, but like many explorers of the time, he did claim he was advancing the cause of Christendom. So here was this guy, many years ago, doing the exact same thing to the Muslims as some of them did to us (on September 11.) And people in other parts of the world have a long memory. Ours tends to be a bit short-sighted, and basically starts with George Washington.

Please don’t misunderstand me. We have our flag out, too. And I fully support the president and our military in whatever moves they may feel are necessary. However, if we are to be educated people, we have to have a larger vision of history.

So what do I think is important to teach our children in this area? Here’s a partial list:

Before age of 12

• A sense of connection with the past. This is often best done through learning about local history or the history of one’s own family.

• A feeling of admiration for the heroes of the past, whether Christian heroes or secular, brave men and women who have done things or even given their life to make our lives more free and secure. This is often done best through the reading of interesting biographies.

• A familiarity with basic geography - through puzzle maps, coloring books, globes and atlases.

•A knowledge of wars - an understanding of what war is, so they can appreciate peace.

After the age of 12

• An understanding of point of view. This is best obtained by reading a variety of books written by people with various agendas, religious beliefs, and philosophies.

• A connection with the people of the past as PEOPLE, not as myths, seeing them as we see other people in today’s world - not as all good or all evil, but as people who are some kind of mixture. Like most of us, they were people who made choices and faced the consequences of their behaviors and actions.

• An understanding of how history is collected and written down; the difference between primary sources, such as journals or tapes, and secondary sources, which contain more interpretations based on point of view. This can often be obtained best by original research on a topic, or by collecting current history from living sources. (Like talking to the older gentlemen down the street about his experiences in World War II.)

• An understanding of political and economic forces at work today in our world. This shouldn’t be obtained in some dry, boring manner, through a textbook, but by real life experiences. If your community has a program for teens at the state capitol, consider getting involved. Or work for a political candidate, or discuss current issues in economics with your students. Textbooks can have a place in this type of study, but all by themselves,they will simply bore the kids to tears, and they won’t feel any connection with the topic.

• Finally, if possible, get a group of teens together to discuss these ideas together. In our history class, the teens are not only learning to be more discerning about their political views, but they are learning how to communicate those views to others, and how to disagree without name-calling or hatred.

Before Leaving This Topic:

I want to make sure you understand that I do NOT advocate the ideas expressed in the book, ?The People’s History of the United States?...I just think it is a good resource for helping people understand that (a) just because something is written down in a history text doesn’t mean it is true, and (b) history texts, like science texts, are often heavily biased by the religious or philosophical belief system of the writers(s).

A Brief Tale of Two Men

Two of the men who have most impacted my own views of the world both came to my mind during the days following the World Trade Center collapse. One is David Wilkerson, whose ministry is in New York City, not far from ?ground zero?. He has often been criticized for being too negative, with his constant emphasis on the bad times that are coming. The other was Norman Vincent Peale, author of ?The Power of Positive Thinking?, who also lived and worked in that general area. He was often criticized for being too positive... So why were these two supposed opposites both on my own ‘highly admired’ list? We need both of these type of individuals to stay balanced. David Wilkerson reminds me constantly of the need to re-examine my own wicked heart. Reading Norman Vincent Peale’s books reminds me that no matter how bad things get, God is still in charge, and a person’s own attitude can always make a huge difference. How I wish he were still around. We need him so badly today. In my next book, I’m going to try hard to find the balance between the two views. We need to recognize the dangers that re present in the world, especially as a result of our new status of being at war with terrorists.... but we also need to remember to remain focused on God and stay in good spirits. So my next book is going to be called, ?The Enthusiastic Homeschooler?....because that means ?in God (en Theos).... Watch for publication, hopefully next spring.

This article was reprinted with permission from Mary’s newsletter, The Relaxed Home Schooler, Fall, 2001. To receive a free sample issue, write to P. O. Box 2524, Cartersville, GA 30120. Mary Hood is the author of the books The Relaxed Home School, The Joyful Home Schooler. She has a Ph.D. in education, and is the director of a homeschooling resource center in the Atlanta, Georgia area.