A Current Events Response by the National Council for the Social Studies

Approved by the NCSS Board of Directors, July 16, 2020

In response to President Donald J. Trump’s remarks at South Dakota’s 2020 Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration on Friday, July 3, 2020, that "our children are taught in school to hate their own country," we take issue with an attack on American educators for political gain. We affirm that teachers have a profound impact on students nationwide every day. Our teachers work tirelessly to help shape the minds of our young people, but not in the way that the President’s remarks imply. Our nation’s teachers focus on securing the future of our democracy by helping our students learn the skills, content, context, and dispositions necessary to become independent thinkers who can grapple with complexities of the world, form well-reasoned opinions, and take informed action to better their communities – both locally and globally. As members of a professional association who are dedicated to providing leadership, services, and professional support to educators nationwide, we are united in saying that we are proud of our teaching workforce for the immense and lasting good they provide to prepare students for active civic life – often under challenging circumstances and with limited resources.

At this moment, when the foundation and function of civic participation and health are at the forefront of national conversations, we know that our entire nationwide teaching workforce is dedicated to lighting that love of learning – a spark that leads to a lifetime of inquiry and informed civic action for every child. Our children are prepared for the possibilities and challenges of participation in civic life, because our teachers help us understand the vital role each of us plays – and the vital responsibilities each of us shares – to make our country, truly, a more perfect union. Teachers entrust our students with the skills to be the future stewards of our country, and enable it to grow and take new direction.

Each year, our nation celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week to thank all educators for their leadership and service. We simply do not think a week is enough. We gratefully appreciate and give thanks to our teachers every day, all year long.

NCSS shares six principles in its Revised Code of Ethics for the Social Studies Profession , and stands with social studies professionals and teachers across the nation who empower and educate America's youth for an informed and engaged civic life in a pluralistic democracy. Among these principles:

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• It is the ethical responsibility of social studies professionals to provide to every student the knowledge, skills, experiences, and attitudes necessary to function as an effective participant in a democratic system. (Principle Two)
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• It is the ethical responsibility of social studies professionals to foster the understanding and exercise of the rights guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States and of the responsibilities implicit in those rights in an increasingly interdependent world. (Principle Three)
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• It is the ethical responsibility of social studies professionals to cultivate and maintain an instructional environment in which the free contest of ideas is prized. (Principle Four)

NCSS also advocates the teaching of social studies that includes multiple approaches, including fact-based curriculum, facing hard history, addressing controversial topics, and confronting false narratives.

Teachers, you’ve got this! Teachers, we’ve got you!