Darren Minarik

An important piece from @lutzfernandez.bsky.social on the MAGA campaign to replace education with propaganda:
"...teachers need us to fight for them like we fought for Kimmel..." 🍎 #AcademicSky #TLSky 🧪 #sschat 📚 Too many people outside of schools don't have a clue about what's happening.

Citizen historians preserve details of Smithsonian exhibits Learn why some volunteers are documenting exhibits in Smithsonian museums

NEW @pbsnews.org Classroom Daily News Lesson —

Meet the citizen historians who are documenting everything in the Smithsonian ahead of a federal review of exhibits. Ask students: who decides what history we remember? #sschat #EDUSky

https://loom.ly/0Ltk8xA

Here is a question for #HistoryEducation. What makes a good Teaching History article? A short thread for #historyteacher s.
Teaching History is a journal published by @histassoc.bsky.social and read by thousands of teachers. (Is that the right 'number'?)
1/n 🧵

Two perspectives on originalism and the Constitution Hear from two Constitutional scholars on interpretations of the document and competing judicial philosophies

NEW @pbsnews.org Classroom Lesson:

What is "originalism"? What does it mean for the Constitution to be a living, amendable document? Hear from two scholars on differing philosophies of interpreting the Constitution.

#sschat #apgov #EduSky https://loom.ly/2DY8O88

Health experts respond to Trump's claims linking autism to acetaminophen Experts also reiterated no credible evidence linking vaccines to autism has been found

PBS @pbsnews.org Classroom Lesson: Health experts respond to Trump's claims linking autism to acetaminophen

Ask students: How would you evaluate the claims made by Trump & Kennedy? What about the scientists interviewed?

#sschat #EduSky https://loom.ly/Cx3CVGw

U.S. Department of Education, AFPI, TPUSA, Hillsdale College, and Over 40 National and State Organizations Launch America 250 Civics Coalition The U.S. Department of Education, alongside the America First Policy Institute, Turning Point USA, Hillsdale College, and more than 40 leading national and state-based organizations today announced th...

This America 250 Civics Education Coalition is an interesting list of contributors. I hope organizations like the Center for Civic Education, iCivics, the Bill of Rights Institute, the Constitutional Rights Foundation and others give educators an alternative. #SSChat www.ed.gov/about/news/p...

Barack Obama (@barackobama) on Threads First there’s this piece by David French, who devoted much of his legal career to defending the First Amendment rights of conservative writers and scholars:

Free speech is the heart of American democracy. #SSChat www.threads.com/@barackobama...

Top myths about the Constitution on Constitution Day The Constitution is our most enduring document, but not everything you read online about the Constitution is accurate! Here are some of the top myths about the Constitution and the Founding Fathers still out there on blogs and websites.

The #Constitution is our nation’s most enduring document, but not everything you read online about the Constitution is accurate.

Here are some of the top myths about the Constitution and the Founding Fathers still out there. #ConstitutionDay

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union..." 📜

#OnThisDay in 1787, the United States Constitution was signed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. #ConstitutionDay

A topic we need to examine.

Extremism scholar analyzes influence of rhetoric on political violence Amid the assassination of Charlie Kirk, discuss the rise of political violence in history and ways to engage in civil dialogue

PBS @pbsnews.org News Hour Classroom Daily News Lesson: Extremism scholar analyzes influence of rhetoric on political violence

Discuss the rise of political violence in history and ways to engage in civil dialogue.

#sschat #apush #EduSky https://loom.ly/_fze3Zw

We must reclaim the middle ground—not because it's easy, but because it's necessary. Let’s be the kind of citizens needed to sustain our nation. After all, it’s “We the People” who are responsible for improving and protecting this “more perfect Union” for future generations. #SSChat 21/21

Hope doesn’t lie in politicians, new laws, tech companies, or billionaires. It lies in us, the consumers, the voters, the neighbors, the parents, the educators, the students. We must stop letting a small and powerful minority of others shape the narrative for us. #SSChat 20/21

Most of us worry about how marginalized people are treated in this country and want to find solutions. The fringes don’t represent us—even if social media wants us to believe they do and feed that narrative through our posts and reposts. #SSChat 19/21

Most who are pro-choice don’t celebrate abortion, and most pro-life advocates don’t want to endanger women. Most who are for or against the death penalty understand and respect the nuances of that debate. #SSChat 18/21

We can remember that most gun owners aren’t against all gun laws and they are concerned about gun violence. Most people upset about immigration want reform and humane treatment because they understand why people want to live here. #SSChat 17/21

So what can we do? We can be better citizens and neighbors. We can choose not to feed the algorithm with generalizations like “all Republicans” or “all Democrats.” #SSChat 16/21

It may be political. It may be something else. Speculation doesn’t help. Misinformation only widens the gap. #SSChat 15/21

Honestly, I’m not even shocked anymore. This is what media ecosystems have conditioned us to do—react in outrage, seek confirmation, dismiss nuance. The truth is, we don’t yet know the shooter’s identity or motive. #SSChat 14/21

Others scream hypocrisy on the right. Liberals and conservatives calling the other “radical” and threatening each other. All of it, while a person has just been murdered. #SSChat. 13/21

But I’ve also seen people on the left and right making jokes, downplaying tragedies, or using these events to score political points. Some posts call for a war on the left. #SSChat 12/21

And I’ve seen the same from many on the right after the shooting of Rep. Gabby Giffords, the January 6 attack on the Capitol, and the arson attack on Gov. Shapiro and his family. #SSChat 11/21

In the last 24 hours, I’ve seen many of my left-leaning friends respond with outrage and sympathy—just as they did after the murders of Melissa Hortman and her husband, the assault on Paul Pelosi, and the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. #SSChat 10/21

But here’s my concern: political violence—whether verbal or physical—is deterring good people from getting involved. That’s dangerous. Who would want to enter public life if the cost is your reputation, your safety, or your family’s well-being? #SSChat 9/21

We need people from all backgrounds and ideologies to stay politically engaged. That diversity of thought is a necessary check on power that keeps us from authoritarianism. #SSChat 8/21

As a social studies educator, I can’t help but recognize the significance of what Charlie Kirk built. Like the Sunrise Movement or March for Our Lives on the left, Turning Point USA is part of a broader youth movement that keeps democracy alive. #SSChat 7/21

Some of his comments were incendiary, like many political figures today. Now, clips and quotes of those comments are being weaponized in the wake of his death. Regardless of your politics, this is a tragedy. A family lost a husband and father to violence. That is the headline. #SSChat 6/21

The murder of Charlie Kirk is horrific. I disagreed with much of what he said politically in recent years, but I also listened to his debates and appreciated the role he played in energizing young conservatives. #SSChat 5/21

Even this post might be flagged for the Oxford comma I chose to skip, upsetting my friends who teach English and academic friends. It’s a real debate, look it up! Mainstream media, talk radio, and podcasts aren’t much better—they monetize division to drive ratings and ad revenue. #SSChat 4/21

Unfortunately, what unites us doesn’t generate clicks. Social media algorithms thrive on division, outrage and sensationalism. Civil conversations? Nuance? Shared values? Not profitable. #SSChat 3/21