The Tennessean was shocked this morning to learn that Metro Nashville schools don't buy new textbooks every year. Can you imagine not offering books that include the ongoing occupation of Iraq and Hurricane Katrina?
Well, duh, they call it history for a reason.
Ignoring the cost of buying new textbooks each year, the writing of history requires a certain perspective. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, authors have more information with which to put events in perspective.
The story is just another example of a media-created story over a problem that doesn't exist.
What may be of greater concern is the likely coming of paperless classrooms. Friends of ours in education say textbook companies are working to put their textbooks on line rather than create printed versions.
While the idea has logic to it, it does raise questions about the effect it would have on poor students. The school can provide all students with computers, but at this point, high speed Internet connections can't be provided in all homes. Students wanting to explore the text, or even the school's library, could see their access limited to school hours while students from more affluent families enjoy the advantages of homes that can afford such amenities.
A free public education must be open and available equally to all students. That includes the chance for students to seek knowledge that goes beyond the day-to-day work in classrooms. Such activities could help students learn the difference between history and current events -- a lesson Tennessean editors clearly missed.
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