Sphere in the Classroom: Teaching American History in Polarized Times
4/26/24
By Bekah Congdon,
from CATO Institute,
Spring, 2024:
A veteran teacher grapples with the rising tide of political tribalism and leans on Cato’s Sphere Education Initiatives to bring civility back to the classroom.
As a history teacher for more than 35 years, Frank Wiswall has seen political and cultural trends come and go, influencing his students in both positive and negative ways. But there is a marked difference about today’s tribalism, which has seeped into Wiswall’s classroom and caused a chilling effect on the open debate of ideas. “It has been a dramatic change. I’ve seen
the way my students interact with each other and with the world around them change—especially since the advent of smartphones,” Wiswall says. Wiswall has taught for 26 years atCranbrook Schools, a private college preparatory school in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Last fall, he resumed teaching US history after more than a decade—a challenge he faces with both excitementand trepidation. “This can be the most stimulating or the most divisive subject right now,” Wiswall says. “Many topics in American history have become politicized. For some of my students, this has encouraged them to be more confrontational. For others, I think they don’t feel comfortable expressing their views in class for fear of being on the ‘wrong side’ of a given issue.” The teaching of US history has become a major political battleground. Approaches to teaching topics like the Civil War, the civil rights era, and America’s Founding are hotly contested by students, parents, and policymakers alike.
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