Banning AP classes would deprive students
April 9, 2015
The truth hurts.
The truth hurts too much for the Oklahoma lawmakers who are trying to ban the AP curriculum from being taught in Oklahoma classrooms.
Opponents of AP classes like Representative Dan Fisher, think AP curriculum emphasizes “what is bad about America”.
A bill has been drafted to pull funding for AP History curriculum in Oklahoma, sponsored by Fisher.
The ludicrous premise behind the bill is that AP History tells the truth in such a way that is harmful to students because of its focus on the more painful parts of the country’s history.
What would be more harmful to students would be to not properly understand the bad parts of American history so that they repeat the mistakes of the past.
Those in favor of the bill specifically dislike that AP U.S. History focuses too much on the negative components of American History like slavery and the oppression of minorities as opposed to focusing on the brighter parts of American History.
The idea of banning the entire AP curriculum has footing because proponents of the bill believe it infringes on states to have a national curriculum imposed upon them.
What they fail to understand is that AP classes are an option for students wishing for a greater academic challenge.
A national curriculum is not being imposed on every student, just the ones who sign up.
The idea that U.S. History is not Pro-American enough is strange too, considering that it’s a class devoted to telling the story of the nation, regardless of current policies.
History often times is not the way society would like it to have been, but the truth cannot be changed.
Stories like the Trail of Tears may be specifically painful in Oklahoma, but the reality is that stories of pain are vital to understanding the American experience.
Slavery and oppression are the essence of our shared story.
The interference of politics in education is something that ultimately hurts students, especially in this case.
A curriculum only focusing on the more glorious parts of American history would possibly create more pro-Americanism, but it would create a narrow world view that would result in cultural ignorance.
Now more than ever, America must compete on the world stage, in education as well as everything else.
American students could fall behind even more because of their incomplete understanding of their nation’s history.
Suppressing the truth is the mark of a flawed and failing society.
Depriving students of AP classes would also be depriving them of a chance at college credit as well as making them less desirable to colleges nationwide.
A decision like this would hurt students first and foremost because not only does it deprive them of necessary knowledge of their history, but it limits their future opportunities as well.
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