In late September, the Tennessee Board of Education released a draft of its revised social studies standards. For the 7th grade classes, this draft included the removal of the section “Islamic World, 400 A.D./C.E. - 1500s” from most 7th grade Social Studies standards.
According to a statement by State Board of Education staff, which was obtained by email, the major world religions, including Islam, will continue to be taught in 7th grade social studies classes. However, the email reads, “some of the social studies standards have been adjusted, reorganized, and simplified during the standards review process by the team of experienced social studies teachers and educators from across our state that have conducted the review.”
This review process is cause for concern, particularly as just one year ago this month, Tennessean parents and even some lawmakers vocalized their outrage and fears over a perceived Islamic indoctrination of students. Most notably, U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee commented, “It is reprehensible that our school system has exhibited this double-standard, more concerned with teaching the practices of Islam than the history of Christianity. Tennessee parents have a right to be outraged and I stand by them in this fight.”
Currently, the draft standards for social studies in Tennessee schools are under review by the public. For students who belong to minority or marginalized communities, representation in curricula can have a lasting impact on their notions of identity and belonging.
According to one former student, whose siblings are currently enrolled in a Tennessee public school, and therefore wishes to remain anonymous:
“My childhood was completely transformed by 9/11, and I know that this election season will change [my younger siblings’ childhoods], and it terrifies me so so much. I didn’t realize it then, but I read and re-read the chapter on Islam in my history textbooks so many times because it made me feel that I existed. That what I knew Islam and Muslims to be wasn’t a complete fiction – look we had a paragraph in the textbook, the teacher was talking about it, we were real.”
Holidays and Holy Days
Another important area for identity representation in school is in the recognition of religious holidays and holy days. For Americans who are Muslim, this has become an important advocacy issue. Namely, for school districts to recognize the two holidays of Eid. For some school districts, recognition simply means that Eid is listed on the school calendar. For others, it translates to the closure of schools for the day. And for others still, recognition in the form of school closure is voted down entirely.
One of the latest public school districts to recognize Eid is Philadelphia. Beginning with Eid ul Fitr in June 2018, all public schools in the city will close in observance. According to the vision of the Philadelphia Eid Coalition:
“Muslims living in Philadelphia should feel acknowledged and included in the City they live and the schools they attend. The recognition of the two Eids will be a tremendous step in affirming them and silencing the voices of religious bigotry and intolerance wherever they are heard.”
Note the Coalition’s choice of words – “acknowledged,” “included,” “affirming” – in describing what such a step would mean for the communities on behalf of which it advocates. Incredibly, the Coalition is not stopping there. It also seeks to include Philadelphia City workers and charter schools as well. If it is able to achieve paid religious observance days for its City workers who are Muslim, it will be the first city in the country to do so.
The Role Teachers Can Play
This past April in Berkeley, California, educators from the Teachers of Color Network decided to organize a Teach In to push back against what the Southern Poverty Law Center has described as “The Trump Effect.” After learning of an incident on her school’s playground in which one of her first-graders said to another, “You’re gonna get deported,” teacher Tracey Iglehart decided to take action by organizing a district-wide Teach In.
For the Teach In, teachers from all over the district put up posters that displayed artwork in the shape of a butterfly, designed to symbolize migration. The posters read, “We All Belong in Berkeley” in English, Spanish and Arabic. They also did activities with their students to discuss the idea of identity and belonging.
According to Jessica Arroyo, a member of the Teachers of Color Network, “Teachers can affirm people’s identities in the classroom. The moment [students] notice that their identity is celebrated, they’re all about it.” Arroyo has also launched a support group for Muslim families at her school, which the Network hopes to replicate throughout the district.
The Superhero Powers of Classroom Parents
Parents can also play a special role in their children’s classrooms, particularly when their kids are the only ones who are “different.” Some parents, like Kay Halpern, make a point to bring their family’s holidays to the classroom. “When my kids were in preschool,” Halpern shared, “I brought in plastic Seder plates with the symbolic Passover foods on them and we did a mini age-appropriate Seder.”
Nazli Chaudry remembers when she first asked her son’s preschool teacher if she could come into class to talk about Eid ul Fitr. After her presentation to the class, she recalls, “we shared crescent shaped cookies and milk. All the kids gathered around my son and asked him all kinds of questions which he was more than happy to answer. He felt very special.”
For others, like Rebecca Klein Lawlor, the memories of those parent show-and-tell visits are lasting. She remembers how her mom also used to come to her class and make charoses or send honey cake or other traditional sweets with her to school. “I’m sure my Mom was just trying to make us proud,” Klein Lawlor reflected.
The events that these stories describe – some of transformation, others of limitation – have the potential to profoundly impact a child. On its best days, our country is a celebration of diversity and pluralism – values that become instilled in our children. But on its worst – like the day a young hijabi student was beaten up by her classmates during recess – it becomes something else entirely. For the sake of our children, we absolutely have to aim higher.