Adding Reflection to American Textbooks

The US National Education Association (NEA) presented a new study plan to help understand the 9.11 cool headedly and fairly on the 19th attaining the first anniversary of the 9.11 terror incident.

The NEA asked through the press release that day, “In order to teach the historical lesson of the 9.11 Terror correctly, we need to teach it based on facts and be careful about pointing out a specific organization for responsibility of the terror.”

The NEA added, “In America, everyone is assumed to be not guilty without a trustworthy evident,” and “it is not right to point out a specific organization or group since no legal truth has been revealed yet.”

The NEA is the largest professional organization in the US with 2.7 million members.

The NEA presented study plans that day for each grade in elementary, middle, and high schools under the title of “Remember 9.11” with that idea in mind.

The study plan, which is opened to public through the official website of the NEA (www.nea.org), is dealing with 5 subjects, such as △analysis of personal feeing, △truth about terror and war, △search for countermeasures, △related events and press releases, and △recommended books and music, for students from kindergarten to high school seniors.

The NEA specially reminds students that after the surprise attack of Pearl Harbor by Japan in 1941 and the Gulf War in 1991, the Japanese and Arabic Americans were either confined or get discriminated and humiliated, and it also encourages students to discuss about ways not to repeat the same mistakes.

The NEA also added the ‘Media Savvy’ program, which encouraged students to think about the difference between one-sided and fair reports through analyzing attitude of media and various reports, to the study plan.

Teachers can selectively choose the plan and apply to their teachings.

The Washington Post reported on the 19th that the researcher of a conservative policy research institute the FCF William Lindon criticized, “Most of the study plan is filled with lies, and it is defending all the other civilizations than the western civilization.”

However, the Arabic organizations, which were suffering because of antipathy against the Arabic Americans after the 9.11, show their gladness.

The spokesperson of the CAIR in Washington Onan Hassan welcomed it saying, “This is the program that helps to understand the 9.11 collectively and respect diversity.”

Jung-Ahn Kim credo@donga.com