Our Voices, January 2024

What it’s Like to Teach Under Florida’s History Standards

American history teacher Jorje Botello loves it when his students make connections between the past and present. This critical thinking helps them make sense of the world they live in and hopefully build a more accepting society.

But in summer 2023, education officials in his home state of Florida released new standards for how African American history should be taught. The now infamous standards claimed that “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” The standards drew severe criticism in Florida and across the country.

“I was furious,” says Botello, who teaches in the city of Okeechobee. “This is going to set us back so much as classroom teachers. It’s a big blow to our students and nation.”

It’s not lost on him that public schools are held accountable for only some of the state standards.

“Great value is placed on math, language arts, and science, for example, but when it comes to knowing the history of our country, that can get a little gray,” he says.

Students’ knowledge will depend on the state where they received schooling—and what was left in place, mischaracterized, or omitted from history, he explains.

Teaching the True Stories

Botello is a 20-year veteran of his profession and will continue to do what he does best: Teach.

“In good conscience, I cannot say or think it’s ethically correct to say, ‘Well, you know, African Americans did benefit from slavery.’”

What he will do is tell the real story of how people were brought to the Americas by force because of their skill sets.

“Plantation owners looked for people who could plant tobacco or grow rice. They looked for people who were more educated and skilled than the people already living here—whether they were early Europeans or indentured servants,” Botello says.

“These people had special skills, but were kidnapped and harvested from their [homelands],” he explains. “So to claim that they learned it while here, … no. [Plantation owners] knew exactly what they were doing when it came to slavery.”

Politicians who censor history also know what they’re doing, and it’s a detriment to students.

“There’s going to be a small population of kids who grow up to believe this made-up story of ‘it benefited people.’”

—Brenda Álvarez

Creating Critical Thinkers

Carlye Holladay

High School English Teacher

Cherry Creek, Colorado

“This is my 27th year of teaching English. I also coach speech and debate. I get to teach so many great kids and discuss many interesting topics with them. We talk about controversial topics, too, and debate multiple sides of an issue. This helps students recognize viewpoints unlike their own.

Last year in Public Forum, they debated whether ‘right-to-work’ laws do more harm than good. My students knew very little about labor unions and even the idea of collective bargaining. We dug into all the multiple viewpoints so they could argue effectively on both sides. In debate, they learn quickly that even with steadfast opinions, they’re going to change their minds once they understand more.

With the many echo chambers that live online and in the news, kids need context to differentiate between what’s real and fake. In my classes, they learn that everyone has a story, and the more they know, the better off we all are because of it.

It helps that I’m trusted as a professional, and my administrators recognize that kids need to be exposed to different ideas and stories.”