The Straggler: Old School Tie

WINTER break, bringing with it the school reports. I do my parently best with these, but rarely to much consequence. There was a semester a year or two ago when my son’s grade plummeted dramatically in some area and we suspended his computer privileges for a month. That was the end of all major shifts. Now his grades hold steady, or at most go down or up one tick. Thus “Produces neat and legible work” has advanced from “S” (“satisfactory”) to “G” (“good”). Then again, “Social Studies,” which is marked on a different, numerical scale, sank from 4 to 3-plus. Words are exchanged between father and son, but neither shift seems to justify reward or punishment.

I find it hard, in any case, to take seriously a school subject named “Social Studies.” Is the word “history” too loaded to be suitable for pedagogical purposes—too redolent of evil white people being beastly to soulful colored people in distant places? I suppose so; and I suppose this accounts for the disappearance of “Geography” from the syllabus, too. Heaven forbid our children should think anything good happened in times past, or that one part of the world is more important than another!

About the Author

John Derbyshire

Mr. Derbyshire is a former contributing editor of National Review.

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WINTER break, bringing with it the school reports. I do my parently best with these, but rarely to much consequence. There was a semester a year or two ago when my son’s grade plummeted dramatically in some area and we suspended his computer privileges for a month. That was the end of all major shifts. Now his grades hold steady, or at most go down or up one tick. Thus “Produces neat and legible work” has advanced from “S” (“satisfactory”) to “G” (“good”). Then again, “Social Studies,” which is marked on a different, numerical scale, sank from 4 to 3-plus. Words are exchanged between father and son, but neither shift seems to justify reward or punishment.

I find it hard, in any case, to take seriously a school subject named “Social Studies.” Is the word “history” too loaded to be suitable for pedagogical purposes—too redolent of evil white people being beastly to soulful colored people in distant places? I suppose so; and I suppose this accounts for the disappearance of “Geography” from the syllabus, too. Heaven forbid our children should think anything good happened in times past, or that one part of the world is more important than another!