It's very difficult to know what is true and what is not true. A few months ago, I was flipping the television channels when I stopped to see what was on Book T.V. on C-Span. There was a panel discussion about the process of text book selection in public secondary schools. I was amazed at the stories about state text book committees who censor the nation's textbooks through political means. This means that hsitory is interpreted and re-interpreted through the zealousness of those who serve. Therefore, our children are having their text books "cleansed" so that everything is gender correct, religiously correct, politically correct, and socialy correct. In short, this means that societies portrayal as millions of individuals is being fazed into various groups.

While thinking, "Do parents know about this? Do teachers know about this?" Dr. Diane Ravitch spoke about the seriousness of the situation. This type of censorship affects the textbook publishers to the point that they print multi-page guidlines for their editors and writers with directions on every correctness. This includes the way people are depicted in illustrations and the use of the word "man" being substituted for person (in every instance).

I rushed to the computer and purchased Ravitch's book, The Language Police, through Amazon. It was  an instant eye-opener. I have included a discussion of the book in my "Reading Across the Curriculum" classes so that my students will be aware of what is happening to student texts. Teachers and parents need to be fully aware of who is altering the text materials and why it is being altered.

I taught a group of teachers tonight. They were "blown away" at the idea that this was going on in the United States. Since I am not the authority on how our English language is being policed behind our backs, I'd like to direct anyone who is interested to The Language Police by Diane Ravitch. It was published by Alfred A. Knoff in 2003 (I. S.B.N - 0-375-41482-7 - hardcover). It also comes in paperback and is available everywhere.