Precious Knowledge Reflection

This week, as we left class, Angylyne and I discussed the documentary, Precious Knowledge, all the way to the Armitage el stop where we parted ways. It was hard to believe that the education board of Arizona had such a problem with the Latin Studies Program. In high school, I took both AP US History and AP European History. In both of these courses, we learned about radical thinkers and doers and people who decided to revolt against the status quo. Both of these courses are fine for students to learn, it’s fine for us to learn about Napoleon and the American Revolution, so what makes the history of Latin American different? Is it because we live in such an Eurocentric America, that it’s okay for us to learn the ideas of radicals so long as they fit the Arian role? This was something that wasn’t discussed in the film, but this hypocrisy really struck me because it made me reflect on my own educational experiences.
It also shocked me that it was such a taboo to discuss these people’s histories, even though we learn about our European histories, because they lived in Arizona, a territory of Mexico before it was ceded to the US after the Mexican-American Was and the Gadsden Purchase. This land was part of Mexico, and is now a part of America. Therefore …show more content…
We should be proud of where we came from, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t proud of where we’re going. The school board should have realized that it isn’t far for some people to get to learn and be proud of their past, everyone deserves that right. These programs where creating such good in the community from better graduation rates, more student engagement, and a larger sense of community within the school—what more could you ask for? To me, the results of this program are things that every school should aim for and I find it a real shame that they were trying to remove this wonderful