1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,990
[Music]

2
00:00:09,750 --> 00:00:07,190
maybe you could give us

3
00:00:10,549 --> 00:00:09,760
start by giving us an update on because

4
00:00:15,110 --> 00:00:10,559
you've

5
00:00:17,750 --> 00:00:15,120
many years

6
00:00:18,550 --> 00:00:17,760
what you've seen from your early days as

7
00:00:21,269 --> 00:00:18,560
an educator

8
00:00:22,710 --> 00:00:21,279
up till today as far as changes and how

9
00:00:25,589 --> 00:00:22,720
u.s history is being taught

10
00:00:27,269 --> 00:00:25,599
in schools well it's changed

11
00:00:30,390 --> 00:00:27,279
dramatically

12
00:00:33,670 --> 00:00:30,400
i know as a student myself

13
00:00:35,910 --> 00:00:33,680
uh when when i was in elementary school

14
00:00:37,190 --> 00:00:35,920
history was taught pretty much the

15
00:00:39,670 --> 00:00:37,200
traditional

16
00:00:41,830 --> 00:00:39,680
boring way okay there are so there are

17
00:00:44,709 --> 00:00:41,840
two parts to history it's

18
00:00:46,310 --> 00:00:44,719
a record of past events but that's not

19
00:00:49,830 --> 00:00:46,320
the most important

20
00:00:53,270 --> 00:00:49,840
of history

21
00:00:57,110 --> 00:00:53,280
is that it is stories of people

22
00:00:59,189 --> 00:00:57,120
and what they did and what they felt

23
00:01:00,310 --> 00:00:59,199
and history is more than political

24
00:01:04,549 --> 00:01:00,320
history

25
00:01:07,670 --> 00:01:04,559
or government what we were taught

26
00:01:11,510 --> 00:01:07,680
were basically we had a textbook

27
00:01:13,270 --> 00:01:11,520
and you read the textbook and you

28
00:01:15,190 --> 00:01:13,280
assimilated the facts and then you

29
00:01:18,390 --> 00:01:15,200
regurgitated the facts

30
00:01:21,350 --> 00:01:18,400
uh that somehow changed a bit

31
00:01:23,590 --> 00:01:21,360
uh when you got to high school you you

32
00:01:26,390 --> 00:01:23,600
studied western civilization

33
00:01:26,870 --> 00:01:26,400
to give you a more global perspective

34
00:01:30,469 --> 00:01:26,880
and

35
00:01:34,230 --> 00:01:30,479
also studied civics

36
00:01:37,270 --> 00:01:34,240
which now isn't really taught at all

37
00:01:39,910 --> 00:01:37,280
uh when i first started teaching uh

38
00:01:41,030 --> 00:01:39,920
history was a more important part of the

39
00:01:44,630 --> 00:01:41,040
curriculum

40
00:01:48,469 --> 00:01:44,640
although it was much diminished

41
00:01:52,630 --> 00:01:48,479
from the time when i was a young student

42
00:01:56,069 --> 00:01:52,640
and now it's

43
00:01:57,429 --> 00:01:56,079
just kind of an add-on uh since common

44
00:01:59,510 --> 00:01:57,439
core

45
00:02:01,510 --> 00:01:59,520
uh teachers spend all of their time

46
00:02:04,870 --> 00:02:01,520
teaching to the test

47
00:02:08,309 --> 00:02:04,880
and most of that is teaching math

48
00:02:09,510 --> 00:02:08,319
and teaching english uh and in an

49
00:02:13,030 --> 00:02:09,520
attempt to bring

50
00:02:16,630 --> 00:02:13,040
all students up to an equal

51
00:02:17,670 --> 00:02:16,640
level we kind of dumb down education for

52
00:02:20,229 --> 00:02:17,680
everyone

53
00:02:22,630 --> 00:02:20,239
um and we're back to really

54
00:02:25,589 --> 00:02:22,640
regurgitating facts so you

55
00:02:25,990 --> 00:02:25,599
you teach to that test and you attempt

56
00:02:31,910 --> 00:02:26,000
to

57
00:02:33,830 --> 00:02:31,920
but in the meantime everything else is

58
00:02:37,430 --> 00:02:33,840
pretty much ignored they're not

59
00:02:40,630 --> 00:02:37,440
thought they're not going to be

60
00:02:42,869 --> 00:02:40,640
um researchers and they're

61
00:02:44,470 --> 00:02:42,879
they're just learning what they need to

62
00:02:46,869 --> 00:02:44,480
know to pass the test

63
00:02:48,070 --> 00:02:46,879
so they're not developing critical

64
00:02:51,670 --> 00:02:48,080
thinking skills

65
00:02:53,589 --> 00:02:51,680
which is a big part of studying history

66
00:02:55,030 --> 00:02:53,599
and why isn't history part of common

67
00:02:58,710 --> 00:02:55,040
core

68
00:03:02,550 --> 00:02:58,720
uh well social technically uh

69
00:03:05,509 --> 00:03:02,560
history is taught in what they classify

70
00:03:06,869 --> 00:03:05,519
as social studies and social studies

71
00:03:11,030 --> 00:03:06,879
takes in

72
00:03:14,869 --> 00:03:11,040
history geography

73
00:03:16,149 --> 00:03:14,879
social science and civics is supposed to

74
00:03:19,910 --> 00:03:16,159
be included in that

75
00:03:21,910 --> 00:03:19,920
but this very very little attention paid

76
00:03:25,750 --> 00:03:21,920
to it and over time

77
00:03:27,430 --> 00:03:25,760
um the amount of time that a teacher

78
00:03:30,470 --> 00:03:27,440
spends in the curriculum

79
00:03:33,910 --> 00:03:30,480
with social studies had been

80
00:03:36,869 --> 00:03:33,920
pushed down and you know it's

81
00:03:38,550 --> 00:03:36,879
only a couple hours a week if that and

82
00:03:40,789 --> 00:03:38,560
depending on the school system and

83
00:03:43,910 --> 00:03:40,799
depending on the needs of the students

84
00:03:46,789 --> 00:03:43,920
if the students are

85
00:03:48,550 --> 00:03:46,799
second language students if this if

86
00:03:51,110 --> 00:03:48,560
there are a lot of special needs

87
00:03:52,949 --> 00:03:51,120
students they spend more and more time

88
00:03:55,750 --> 00:03:52,959
teaching to the test i know

89
00:03:57,270 --> 00:03:55,760
one of my last positions before i uh

90
00:04:01,270 --> 00:03:57,280
retired i was

91
00:04:04,869 --> 00:04:01,280
doing team teaching in a public school

92
00:04:06,390 --> 00:04:04,879
and i was the teacher that went in to

93
00:04:09,589 --> 00:04:06,400
address

94
00:04:13,589 --> 00:04:09,599
students that had some special needs

95
00:04:16,150 --> 00:04:13,599
and also i did

96
00:04:17,110 --> 00:04:16,160
some tutoring after school so after

97
00:04:20,069 --> 00:04:17,120
school was

98
00:04:20,550 --> 00:04:20,079
additional tutoring for the students who

99
00:04:22,710 --> 00:04:20,560
they

100
00:04:24,310 --> 00:04:22,720
felt would have difficulty meeting

101
00:04:26,710 --> 00:04:24,320
standards so not only

102
00:04:28,790 --> 00:04:26,720
did they spend many hours during the

103
00:04:29,749 --> 00:04:28,800
school day teaching to the test but they

104
00:04:33,909 --> 00:04:29,759
spent time

105
00:04:37,749 --> 00:04:33,919
after school teaching to the kids so

106
00:04:41,350 --> 00:04:37,759
i think it really turns kids off to

107
00:04:43,430 --> 00:04:41,360
learning well according to

108
00:04:44,710 --> 00:04:43,440
the national assessment of educational

109
00:04:48,150 --> 00:04:44,720
progress

110
00:04:49,749 --> 00:04:48,160
a recent study showed that only 18

111
00:04:51,590 --> 00:04:49,759
of american high school kids were

112
00:04:54,950 --> 00:04:51,600
proficient in u.s

113
00:04:58,310 --> 00:04:54,960
history i'm not surprised

114
00:05:00,950 --> 00:04:58,320
i'm not surprised at all um and

115
00:05:02,550 --> 00:05:00,960
and and the ramifications of that can be

116
00:05:05,270 --> 00:05:02,560
obvious i mean if you don't understand

117
00:05:06,870 --> 00:05:05,280
the underpinnings of america

118
00:05:08,310 --> 00:05:06,880
and and and the importance of the

119
00:05:11,830 --> 00:05:08,320
founding of america

120
00:05:14,790 --> 00:05:11,840
and what america was based upon

121
00:05:15,830 --> 00:05:14,800
then you've got no foundation for for

122
00:05:17,670 --> 00:05:15,840
judging

123
00:05:19,590 --> 00:05:17,680
anything that's going on today and

124
00:05:20,950 --> 00:05:19,600
you've got no foundation for wanting to

125
00:05:24,550 --> 00:05:20,960
preserve it either

126
00:05:27,990 --> 00:05:24,560
right so it's

127
00:05:30,790 --> 00:05:28,000
it's just a shame uh

128
00:05:31,990 --> 00:05:30,800
and it's something that's been you know

129
00:05:35,270 --> 00:05:32,000
it's a cumulative

130
00:05:37,510 --> 00:05:35,280
effect over time uh and

131
00:05:39,430 --> 00:05:37,520
unfortunately the circumstances that

132
00:05:42,790 --> 00:05:39,440
have all coalesced

133
00:05:45,990 --> 00:05:42,800
at this point in time

134
00:05:49,270 --> 00:05:46,000
just exacerbate the problem

135
00:05:56,550 --> 00:05:52,310
we're trying to destroy history because

136
00:05:58,390 --> 00:05:56,560
of singular points of view well one of

137
00:05:58,950 --> 00:05:58,400
the things you need to understand when

138
00:06:02,550 --> 00:05:58,960
studying

139
00:06:05,590 --> 00:06:02,560
history is you don't study

140
00:06:07,670 --> 00:06:05,600
history in isolation all right so

141
00:06:08,790 --> 00:06:07,680
when you want to study a particular

142
00:06:11,990 --> 00:06:08,800
thing in history

143
00:06:13,110 --> 00:06:12,000
you you choose a subject or a topic to

144
00:06:16,230 --> 00:06:13,120
study

145
00:06:19,990 --> 00:06:16,240
and then with that topic

146
00:06:22,309 --> 00:06:20,000
uh you have to learn how to

147
00:06:23,670 --> 00:06:22,319
assess the evidence all right because

148
00:06:26,870 --> 00:06:23,680
history is based on

149
00:06:30,390 --> 00:06:26,880
facts it's not based on opinion it's not

150
00:06:33,749 --> 00:06:30,400
based on bias

151
00:06:36,950 --> 00:06:33,759
it's based on facts and today's students

152
00:06:38,550 --> 00:06:36,960
don't know how to research they they

153
00:06:40,230 --> 00:06:38,560
think that if they go online on the

154
00:06:41,430 --> 00:06:40,240
internet the first thing they find well

155
00:06:43,990 --> 00:06:41,440
that's the answer is

156
00:06:46,390 --> 00:06:44,000
you know here's the answer to my problem

157
00:06:46,870 --> 00:06:46,400
uh they don't understand that you have

158
00:06:49,350 --> 00:06:46,880
to go

159
00:06:52,230 --> 00:06:49,360
back to the time to look at the primary

160
00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:57,589
diaries journals photographs

161
00:07:03,830 --> 00:07:01,189
what was the person thinking who

162
00:07:05,270 --> 00:07:03,840
who was this person being influenced by

163
00:07:08,390 --> 00:07:05,280
what was the context

164
00:07:11,510 --> 00:07:08,400
in which what other things were going on

165
00:07:14,550 --> 00:07:11,520
while this well this event was happening

166
00:07:17,510 --> 00:07:14,560
what connections did it have to

167
00:07:18,230 --> 00:07:17,520
the other events and the other people

168
00:07:22,070 --> 00:07:18,240
and

169
00:07:24,870 --> 00:07:22,080
um how is it communicated because

170
00:07:26,390 --> 00:07:24,880
one big thing that's changed history is

171
00:07:29,430 --> 00:07:26,400
modern technology

172
00:07:31,189 --> 00:07:29,440
because people change people evolve in

173
00:07:34,070 --> 00:07:31,199
the course of human history

174
00:07:35,510 --> 00:07:34,080
if you go back to the beginning of

175
00:07:37,990 --> 00:07:35,520
mankind

176
00:07:39,189 --> 00:07:38,000
how did we communicate we communicated

177
00:07:42,390 --> 00:07:39,199
by oral tradition

178
00:07:45,510 --> 00:07:42,400
okay so when you wanted to

179
00:07:48,629 --> 00:07:45,520
have something remembered parents

180
00:07:50,869 --> 00:07:48,639
grandparents told their children

181
00:07:52,150 --> 00:07:50,879
what they wanted them to remember what

182
00:07:55,350 --> 00:07:52,160
was important

183
00:07:59,589 --> 00:07:55,360
then as language evolved they began to

184
00:08:03,110 --> 00:07:59,599
write things down whether it be on

185
00:08:05,589 --> 00:08:03,120
cave paintings or monuments and they

186
00:08:08,710 --> 00:08:05,599
began to kind of memorialize

187
00:08:12,309 --> 00:08:08,720
history but nowadays

188
00:08:15,990 --> 00:08:12,319
we have instant communication

189
00:08:19,350 --> 00:08:16,000
and that changes the way

190
00:08:24,710 --> 00:08:19,360
history is driven

191
00:08:27,589 --> 00:08:24,720
and when people hear something

192
00:08:30,070 --> 00:08:27,599
uh they immediately form an opinion

193
00:08:34,550 --> 00:08:30,080
everybody wants to have an opinion

194
00:08:37,029 --> 00:08:34,560
all right everybody wants to say

195
00:08:37,670 --> 00:08:37,039
what they think is correct and they

196
00:08:46,550 --> 00:08:37,680
don't

197
00:08:49,509 --> 00:08:46,560
at the context the people

198
00:08:50,630 --> 00:08:49,519
the influences they they look at the uh

199
00:08:53,750 --> 00:08:50,640
the content

200
00:08:55,110 --> 00:08:53,760
the subject that they're thinking about

201
00:08:57,829 --> 00:08:55,120
and then they jump right to the

202
00:09:02,230 --> 00:08:57,839
conclusions and the conclusions

203
00:09:05,750 --> 00:09:02,240
are very often not based on the evidence

204
00:09:08,870 --> 00:09:05,760
so you have the media involved and

205
00:09:12,150 --> 00:09:08,880
the media uh is

206
00:09:15,509 --> 00:09:12,160
not delivering news the

207
00:09:16,070 --> 00:09:15,519
uh for the most part i i think of my

208
00:09:19,430 --> 00:09:16,080
father

209
00:09:21,750 --> 00:09:19,440
and i remember as a young child

210
00:09:24,230 --> 00:09:21,760
watching my father every night he'd

211
00:09:26,949 --> 00:09:24,240
watch the six o'clock news

212
00:09:27,829 --> 00:09:26,959
he'd listen to walt concrete and when

213
00:09:29,829 --> 00:09:27,839
walter con

214
00:09:31,990 --> 00:09:29,839
cronkite finished his broadcast he would

215
00:09:34,870 --> 00:09:32,000
always say and that's the way it is

216
00:09:37,829 --> 00:09:34,880
what he delivered was the news he didn't

217
00:09:40,389 --> 00:09:37,839
deliver

218
00:09:41,750 --> 00:09:40,399
a group of people's opinions on the news

219
00:09:46,470 --> 00:09:41,760
he delivered the facts

220
00:09:49,990 --> 00:09:46,480
and he let those who listen to him

221
00:09:53,030 --> 00:09:50,000
figure out what to do with those facts

222
00:09:56,150 --> 00:09:53,040
so now we have opinion panels

223
00:09:59,190 --> 00:09:56,160
we have experts

224
00:10:03,750 --> 00:09:59,200
who say what they think is correct

225
00:10:07,350 --> 00:10:03,760
and then people listen to the experts

226
00:10:11,030 --> 00:10:07,360
but the media is often invested

227
00:10:14,470 --> 00:10:11,040
in delivering the news

228
00:10:18,550 --> 00:10:14,480
a certain way so they if you watch

229
00:10:20,389 --> 00:10:18,560
the same clip on television on different

230
00:10:22,470 --> 00:10:20,399
channels you might see very

231
00:10:24,470 --> 00:10:22,480
different things because a lot of it

232
00:10:27,910 --> 00:10:24,480
winds up on the cutting room floor

233
00:10:31,509 --> 00:10:27,920
okay so they're interested in delivering

234
00:10:36,310 --> 00:10:31,519
an opinion and uh this is why

235
00:10:40,310 --> 00:10:36,320
people um want

236
00:10:43,670 --> 00:10:40,320
nowadays they want things delivered fast

237
00:10:45,190 --> 00:10:43,680
and conveniently and then they talk to

238
00:10:46,710 --> 00:10:45,200
their friends and

239
00:10:49,269 --> 00:10:46,720
if their friends heard the same thing

240
00:10:51,590 --> 00:10:49,279
they did then they're probably aligned

241
00:10:52,870 --> 00:10:51,600
with similar opinions and those that

242
00:10:56,310 --> 00:10:52,880
don't

243
00:10:59,910 --> 00:10:56,320
and have a different opinion are very

244
00:11:01,190 --> 00:10:59,920
often said well you just don't

245
00:11:04,550 --> 00:11:01,200
understand the facts

246
00:11:06,230 --> 00:11:04,560
so there's an inherent bias uh

247
00:11:07,829 --> 00:11:06,240
with everything so this trend that

248
00:11:09,110 --> 00:11:07,839
you've seen in the media where it's no

249
00:11:11,110 --> 00:11:09,120
longer just reporting

250
00:11:13,269 --> 00:11:11,120
the facts that it's reporting the facts

251
00:11:14,630 --> 00:11:13,279
along with opinion at the same time

252
00:11:16,069 --> 00:11:14,640
i don't think there's any question that

253
00:11:17,990 --> 00:11:16,079
that's what we see whether it be the

254
00:11:19,190 --> 00:11:18,000
cable news networks or whether it be the

255
00:11:21,269 --> 00:11:19,200
six o'clock news

256
00:11:23,030 --> 00:11:21,279
you're getting opinion at the same time

257
00:11:25,030 --> 00:11:23,040
the facts are being delivered

258
00:11:26,310 --> 00:11:25,040
to you they're being delivered in a way

259
00:11:28,389 --> 00:11:26,320
that either

260
00:11:29,430 --> 00:11:28,399
supports one side or the other are you

261
00:11:31,670 --> 00:11:29,440
seeing that same thing

262
00:11:33,110 --> 00:11:31,680
happening with the teaching of history

263
00:11:34,870 --> 00:11:33,120
then that history is

264
00:11:37,430 --> 00:11:34,880
not being taught as just the facts that

265
00:11:41,030 --> 00:11:37,440
it's being taught with a certain

266
00:11:42,710 --> 00:11:41,040
political bent to it uh to a large

267
00:11:45,670 --> 00:11:42,720
extent yet but we know that

268
00:11:46,389 --> 00:11:45,680
on the university level more than 90

269
00:11:49,590 --> 00:11:46,399
percent

270
00:11:52,790 --> 00:11:49,600
of the professors uh

271
00:11:55,030 --> 00:11:52,800
have a liberal tendency a liberal bias

272
00:11:56,550 --> 00:11:55,040
i mean they identify themselves as

273
00:12:00,150 --> 00:11:56,560
liberals

274
00:12:01,030 --> 00:12:00,160
a lot of colleges implement required

275
00:12:04,949 --> 00:12:01,040
courses

276
00:12:07,350 --> 00:12:04,959
that are aligned with their values like

277
00:12:08,310 --> 00:12:07,360
some colleges require a social justice

278
00:12:11,590 --> 00:12:08,320
course

279
00:12:14,230 --> 00:12:11,600
they don't require

280
00:12:15,670 --> 00:12:14,240
studying history per se when i went to

281
00:12:18,790 --> 00:12:15,680
college

282
00:12:22,230 --> 00:12:18,800
uh there there were requirements uh

283
00:12:24,310 --> 00:12:22,240
i studied western civilization i studied

284
00:12:28,389 --> 00:12:24,320
american history there was a

285
00:12:30,550 --> 00:12:28,399
core curriculum that

286
00:12:31,590 --> 00:12:30,560
emphasized many different areas of

287
00:12:35,269 --> 00:12:31,600
learning

288
00:12:37,110 --> 00:12:35,279
that isn't the case now so students can

289
00:12:40,949 --> 00:12:37,120
pick and choose take whatever they want

290
00:12:44,389 --> 00:12:40,959
they're not required to have any kind of

291
00:12:44,949 --> 00:12:44,399
basic foundation but you have heard

292
00:12:48,949 --> 00:12:44,959
about a

293
00:12:51,829 --> 00:12:48,959
social justice course there are i just

294
00:12:52,790 --> 00:12:51,839
heard the other day that one of the

295
00:12:55,910 --> 00:12:52,800
schools in the

296
00:12:57,910 --> 00:12:55,920
in the uh california university system

297
00:12:59,910 --> 00:12:57,920
is going to require students to take

298
00:13:01,590 --> 00:12:59,920
deception wow that's incredible

299
00:13:04,470 --> 00:13:01,600
that's basically take a class to be