In the 1640s a song titled “The World Turned Upside Down” was popularized in England. Citizens sang it as a protest of the government’s ban on Christmas practices. Oliver Cromwell dictated that the historic celebrations of Christmas did not fit with his Puritan principles and values. By decree, the display of Christmas trees, ornamentations, and engagement in festivities were crimes. The tune fit the occasion.
In 1781 British troops reportedly marched out of Yorktown as their band played “The World Turned Upside Down”. The concept that a British army would surrender to colonials made those soldiers think the world order had been upended. The tune fit the occasion.
In our most recent past, federal, and state legislation that supports banning books in classrooms, narrowing the scope of our national history by banning minority stories and personalities, requiring the display of religious documents, and culling immigrant children, and condemning diversity of thought bring to mind “The World Turned Upside Down.” The tune fits the occasion.
I was prepared to be an English and social studies teacher decades ago. My baccalaureate and university training for classroom teaching fit my early life fascination with the stories of humankind. Stories that illuminate who we are, what we do, and why we do it are golden to me. Literature and history intertwined in my brain as I tried to make sense of people, the world, and issues.
There is a line in the Wisconsin state statutes that has supported a teacher’s mission to cause children to be educated and informed thinkers. Stat. 118.01(2)(a)2 reads as follows: “Educational Goals – Analytical skills, including the ability to think rationally, solve problems, use various learning methods, gather and analyze information, make critical and independent judgments and argue persuasively. This goal, supported by others, gives teachers license to present children with diverse resources, information, and data for their consideration and to support their conclusions.”
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/119
Now, there are books and stories we are not to teach to children and Cromwellian stories and dictates we are to teach. There are things teachers are not to talk about. A revised version of the old song is in order: Teaching in an America Turned Upside Down.