terrorism? (Students write an op-‐ed supporting one foreign policy.)
September 11? Which of these measures should Americans uphold and which should they remove? (Students research security measures and analyze them in terms of the Bill of Rights.)
PBS: How do Afghans suffer under Taliban rule? What are Americans responsible for doing in order to prevent further terrorist attacks from Muslim extremists? (Students research the Taliban and write editorials about human-‐rights violations.)
Smithsonian: What artifacts are most important in creating a memorial to September 11? What responsibility do Americans have to remember September 11 in order to prevent such tragedy in the future? (Students choose which artifacts should be placed in a memorial for September 11.)
We the People: What fundamental ideas and values do all Americans share? How can they better direct our government to fulfill those ideas and values? (Students examine the values in quotes from famous Americans and then discuss whether America still espouses those values. They then write suggestions for improving the government.) Voices for Peace: Why is nonviolent activism preferable to violent activism? When are Americans responsible for acting to prevent trauma in society? (Students analyze nonviolent activism strategies and then choose one to apply to a current societal problem.)
All of the second questions, those of the solution, can be termed in some sort of responsibility for the student. These are all controversial issues and problems that arguably have not been solved sufficiently in today’s society; the implication is that the students are responsible for solving them in the future when they are adults. The
emotional weight of these responsibilities are intense—if the adults in these students’ lives have not been successful in balancing security and freedom, creating working relationships with Muslim countries, or guaranteeing an end to terrorism, imagine the pressure students must feel in trying to work these issues out themselves. It is this issue that perhaps could be addressed with some measure of shelter, but none exists.
Shelter in the Mission Statements
While the expectations of the students in the curricula are provoking in terms of student responsibility, the actual mission statements of the program cloud the purposes of the programs and thus provide a muddled landscape of what the programs want students to understand and do in the future. As a framework for comparison, I analyzed the mission statements against the ideals of democratic education (Pinar, 2010;
discussed further in Chapter 4). The chart below gives the mission statements of each of the programs that produced the curricula used in this study. A rhetorical analysis of the words in the statements highlighted phrasing along the lines of democratic education; phrasing that goes against the ideals of democratic education is italicized, and phrasing that is particularly aligned with democratic education is bolded. The chart is arranged beginning with the most anti-‐democratic and continues through the most heavily democratic, and the shading gets darker according to the weight.6
Table 4. Mission Statements TimeCycle Academy: September 11 and the War on Terror Series: Learn Our History: Take Pride in America’s Past
Source: Brad Saft and Governor Mike Huckabee, a noted Republican pundit and Fox News commentator
Mission:
The Learn Our History series uses the incredible lessons of history to present important themes to your child, such as:
• The need to stand up to bullies
• The importance of self-respect and respect for others, including their elders • Belief in democratic values such as freedom and equality
• Faith in God as a key principle in America’s development and greatness
Our dedicated team of historians and writers has designed the series to help young viewers connect the stories of the past to the world we live in today. You can make sure your child gets the most out of Learn Our History DVDs by engaging in
discussions with them about the lessons they’ve learned in our history videos. September 11 and the Constitution
Series: We the People
Source: Center for Civic Education, funded by No Child Left Behind legislation Mission: The program, subtitled “On American Identity, Diversity, and Common Ground,” commemorates the anniversaries of the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, and the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787, providing us an opportunity to:
reflect upon who we are as Americans,
examine our most fundamental values and principles and affirm our commitment to them, and
evaluate progress toward the realization of American ideals and propose actions that might narrow the gap between these ideals and reality September 11 Memorial Curriculum
Series: National September 11 Memorial and Museum
Source: Collaboration with September 11 Education Trust and Social Studies School Service
Mission(s):
The mission of the Memorial Museum, located at the World Trade Center site, is to bear solemn witness to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. The Museum honors the nearly 3,000 victims of these attacks and all those who risked their lives to save others. It further recognizes the thousands who survived and all who demonstrated extraordinary compassion in the aftermath. Demonstrating the consequences of terrorism on individual lives and its impact on communities at the local, national, and international levels, the Museum attests to the triumph of human dignity over human depravity and affirms an unwavering commitment to the fundamental value of human life.
Curriculum
Series: Social Studies School Service
Sources: September 11 Educational Trust, Anthony Gardner, Taft Institute for Government, Professors Jack Zevin and Michael Krasner
Mission: Evolving from its genesis as the WTC United Family Group—one of the original and largest of the September 11 community organizations—
the September 11 Education Trust produces comprehensive, flexible, and engaging September 11 and civic literacy education programs that protect the legacy and memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks, preserve and harness the lessons of September 11 and its aftermath, unify and direct our nation’s youth toward informed and effective civic participation. Our lesson plans are personalized and enriched through first-‐hand accounts, filmed oral histories, and authentic, primary archival materials to permanently record this shared historic event in a way that is not stagnant, but inspiring and relevant to the nation’s youth.
September 11