I think I speak for most of my fellow k-12 history educators when I say to politicians and other commentators on both sides of the political aisle: GET OUT OF OUR WAY.

Most of you don't know the first thing about teaching, let alone teaching history. #historyteacher

Put some money into a Teaching American History-type program and move on. We can take it from here.

The problem is not that history education is treated as a political football, but that as professionals we are assumed to have the power and influence of social engineers. Anyone who believes this to be the case has never stepped into a classroom or planned a lesson.

My goals are much more modest. I hope to teach my students how to think critically about the past through the analysis of a wide range of primary/secondary sources. That they learn to listen and respect one another and that they leave the class with questions for further thought.

Do yourself a favor and check out @NationalHistory Day events if you are seriously interested in what students are learning in history classrooms across the country. This is history education at its best. #NHD2021 https://www.nhd.org/