Whit
@drwhit.bsky.social
Historian. Currently working in history education advocacy. Constantly searching for metaphors. Adaptation requires hope. Also @drwhit@historians.social.
Thanks for joining me. I need to spend some time with all this new information. More thoughts to come when I can bear to look at a screen again. #
November 20, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Thanks for joining me. I need to spend some time with all this new information. More thoughts to come when I can bear to look at a screen again. #
Okay, meeting adjourned. We clocked in around 12 hours and 15 minutes.
November 20, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Okay, meeting adjourned. We clocked in around 12 hours and 15 minutes.
Hickman is wanting to affirm that they are moving forward by consensus.
Kinsey is discussing the schedule.
Again, the whole reason why they have to do this on this schedule is because they handcuffed themselves to it while still holding the key. They don't have to do it this way.
Kinsey is discussing the schedule.
Again, the whole reason why they have to do this on this schedule is because they handcuffed themselves to it while still holding the key. They don't have to do it this way.
November 20, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Hickman is wanting to affirm that they are moving forward by consensus.
Kinsey is discussing the schedule.
Again, the whole reason why they have to do this on this schedule is because they handcuffed themselves to it while still holding the key. They don't have to do it this way.
Kinsey is discussing the schedule.
Again, the whole reason why they have to do this on this schedule is because they handcuffed themselves to it while still holding the key. They don't have to do it this way.
Hickman: Did anyone look at these key topics through the lens of the law?
Frazier: See my earlier comment re: Iron Chef, which included laws.
Frazier: See my earlier comment re: Iron Chef, which included laws.
November 20, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Hickman: Did anyone look at these key topics through the lens of the law?
Frazier: See my earlier comment re: Iron Chef, which included laws.
Frazier: See my earlier comment re: Iron Chef, which included laws.
Childs is pointing out that the January draft will be based on the topics they've seen tonight.
Kinsey: We start with the big picture, discussion tonight, integrate feedback, they'll meet Dec. 5, we'll get an update.
Kinsey: We start with the big picture, discussion tonight, integrate feedback, they'll meet Dec. 5, we'll get an update.
November 20, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Childs is pointing out that the January draft will be based on the topics they've seen tonight.
Kinsey: We start with the big picture, discussion tonight, integrate feedback, they'll meet Dec. 5, we'll get an update.
Kinsey: We start with the big picture, discussion tonight, integrate feedback, they'll meet Dec. 5, we'll get an update.
Childs, after wrangling more time: What's next? What are the content advisors going to do next?
TEA Trejo: "Our intent was to gather feedback and then come back to integrate the feedback. Apart from that, I do not have an additional charge."
TEA Trejo: "Our intent was to gather feedback and then come back to integrate the feedback. Apart from that, I do not have an additional charge."
November 20, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Childs, after wrangling more time: What's next? What are the content advisors going to do next?
TEA Trejo: "Our intent was to gather feedback and then come back to integrate the feedback. Apart from that, I do not have an additional charge."
TEA Trejo: "Our intent was to gather feedback and then come back to integrate the feedback. Apart from that, I do not have an additional charge."
Childs: Perez-Diaz gave me her time.
Kinsey: You can't do that.
Childs: We can't donate time? We've been doing it all day. [They have been doing it all day.]
Kinsey: No.
Kinsey: You can't do that.
Childs: We can't donate time? We've been doing it all day. [They have been doing it all day.]
Kinsey: No.
November 20, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Childs: Perez-Diaz gave me her time.
Kinsey: You can't do that.
Childs: We can't donate time? We've been doing it all day. [They have been doing it all day.]
Kinsey: No.
Kinsey: You can't do that.
Childs: We can't donate time? We've been doing it all day. [They have been doing it all day.]
Kinsey: No.
Frazier absolutely said that they redesigned high school course.
November 20, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Frazier absolutely said that they redesigned high school course.
Little: Conversation about key concepts in high school US history. Was that a discussion about starting a full survey and not just starting at 1877? This board has not made a determination to make that a full survey course. We didn't touch the high school course.
November 20, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Little: Conversation about key concepts in high school US history. Was that a discussion about starting a full survey and not just starting at 1877? This board has not made a determination to make that a full survey course. We didn't touch the high school course.
Koons: 1490 makes more sense than 1500, but otherwise, no.
Kinsey: Hard for me to ascertain consensus when most of the members are out of time.
Frazier: Most teachers will likely roll it back or forward when they teach. We figured that would help fix it, too.
Kinsey: Hard for me to ascertain consensus when most of the members are out of time.
Frazier: Most teachers will likely roll it back or forward when they teach. We figured that would help fix it, too.
November 20, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Koons: 1490 makes more sense than 1500, but otherwise, no.
Kinsey: Hard for me to ascertain consensus when most of the members are out of time.
Frazier: Most teachers will likely roll it back or forward when they teach. We figured that would help fix it, too.
Kinsey: Hard for me to ascertain consensus when most of the members are out of time.
Frazier: Most teachers will likely roll it back or forward when they teach. We figured that would help fix it, too.
Ellis: Did you find the chronology comfortable? Would you make changes?
Frazier: Those breaks, some seemed slightly arbitrary, a little chafing on the edges. When you break it at 1500, you miss the conquest of Mexico.
Ellis: Can the board give them more leeway?
Frazier: Those breaks, some seemed slightly arbitrary, a little chafing on the edges. When you break it at 1500, you miss the conquest of Mexico.
Ellis: Can the board give them more leeway?
November 20, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Ellis: Did you find the chronology comfortable? Would you make changes?
Frazier: Those breaks, some seemed slightly arbitrary, a little chafing on the edges. When you break it at 1500, you miss the conquest of Mexico.
Ellis: Can the board give them more leeway?
Frazier: Those breaks, some seemed slightly arbitrary, a little chafing on the edges. When you break it at 1500, you miss the conquest of Mexico.
Ellis: Can the board give them more leeway?
Reveles: How is it chronological if we're teaching Civil War in two different grades? (6 and 8)
Frazier: Grade 8 is a recap of everything. This is a reaction to the complains about Texas history being taken out during the last revision.
Frazier: Grade 8 is a recap of everything. This is a reaction to the complains about Texas history being taken out during the last revision.
November 20, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Reveles: How is it chronological if we're teaching Civil War in two different grades? (6 and 8)
Frazier: Grade 8 is a recap of everything. This is a reaction to the complains about Texas history being taken out during the last revision.
Frazier: Grade 8 is a recap of everything. This is a reaction to the complains about Texas history being taken out during the last revision.
Reveles: Lot of chatter of chronological - given the topics, this is not chronological. Do you have reservations? Is it possible? If it's possible, is it advisable?
Frazier: "We were pretty doggone set on it being chronologically."
Frazier: "We were pretty doggone set on it being chronologically."
November 20, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Reveles: Lot of chatter of chronological - given the topics, this is not chronological. Do you have reservations? Is it possible? If it's possible, is it advisable?
Frazier: "We were pretty doggone set on it being chronologically."
Frazier: "We were pretty doggone set on it being chronologically."
Perez-Diaz: Was Hutchison given due deference because she's been in the schools?
Frazier: She drove it quite often. "Whoever picked her, did a good job. She's gonna be a star, she's a great thinker about education in this state. Yeah, kudos."
Hutchison is the one content advisor currently in K-12.
Frazier: She drove it quite often. "Whoever picked her, did a good job. She's gonna be a star, she's a great thinker about education in this state. Yeah, kudos."
Hutchison is the one content advisor currently in K-12.
November 20, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Perez-Diaz: Was Hutchison given due deference because she's been in the schools?
Frazier: She drove it quite often. "Whoever picked her, did a good job. She's gonna be a star, she's a great thinker about education in this state. Yeah, kudos."
Hutchison is the one content advisor currently in K-12.
Frazier: She drove it quite often. "Whoever picked her, did a good job. She's gonna be a star, she's a great thinker about education in this state. Yeah, kudos."
Hutchison is the one content advisor currently in K-12.
Very strange vibe around that discussion. No one directly answered Perez-Diaz's question.
November 20, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Very strange vibe around that discussion. No one directly answered Perez-Diaz's question.
Perez-Diaz: Are the content advisors writing the TEKS?
TEA Trejo: Can't say.
Perez-Diaz: Why not?
Chair Kinsey: I have not given them that charge, nor do I know if they have been given that charge.
Pickren calls a point of order: She's not talking about key topics.
TEA Trejo: Can't say.
Perez-Diaz: Why not?
Chair Kinsey: I have not given them that charge, nor do I know if they have been given that charge.
Pickren calls a point of order: She's not talking about key topics.
November 20, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Perez-Diaz: Are the content advisors writing the TEKS?
TEA Trejo: Can't say.
Perez-Diaz: Why not?
Chair Kinsey: I have not given them that charge, nor do I know if they have been given that charge.
Pickren calls a point of order: She's not talking about key topics.
TEA Trejo: Can't say.
Perez-Diaz: Why not?
Chair Kinsey: I have not given them that charge, nor do I know if they have been given that charge.
Pickren calls a point of order: She's not talking about key topics.
TEA Trejo: Maynard is correct, the current TEKS represent a half year in Grade 8 and Grade 11.
From ALP (2024), the "US history in Grades 5, 8, and 11" is the national norm, and has been for over a century.
www.historians.org/teaching-lea...
From ALP (2024), the "US history in Grades 5, 8, and 11" is the national norm, and has been for over a century.
www.historians.org/teaching-lea...
November 20, 2025 at 3:08 AM
TEA Trejo: Maynard is correct, the current TEKS represent a half year in Grade 8 and Grade 11.
From ALP (2024), the "US history in Grades 5, 8, and 11" is the national norm, and has been for over a century.
www.historians.org/teaching-lea...
From ALP (2024), the "US history in Grades 5, 8, and 11" is the national norm, and has been for over a century.
www.historians.org/teaching-lea...
Maynard: "We have been splitting American history at 1877 for eons. At what point do we rethink that division?"
Frazier: "That split is most sincerely dead. Because we spiraled." High school is actually "the entire history of the United States in one year."
Frazier: "That split is most sincerely dead. Because we spiraled." High school is actually "the entire history of the United States in one year."
November 20, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Maynard: "We have been splitting American history at 1877 for eons. At what point do we rethink that division?"
Frazier: "That split is most sincerely dead. Because we spiraled." High school is actually "the entire history of the United States in one year."
Frazier: "That split is most sincerely dead. Because we spiraled." High school is actually "the entire history of the United States in one year."
Brooks: What is this sociology?
Simon: "When I looked into the discipline . . . " Sociology "has wandered."
Seems to be a coded conversation about political conceptions of sociology. Also seems notable that nobody in the room is a sociologist.
Simon: "When I looked into the discipline . . . " Sociology "has wandered."
Seems to be a coded conversation about political conceptions of sociology. Also seems notable that nobody in the room is a sociologist.
November 20, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Brooks: What is this sociology?
Simon: "When I looked into the discipline . . . " Sociology "has wandered."
Seems to be a coded conversation about political conceptions of sociology. Also seems notable that nobody in the room is a sociologist.
Simon: "When I looked into the discipline . . . " Sociology "has wandered."
Seems to be a coded conversation about political conceptions of sociology. Also seems notable that nobody in the room is a sociologist.
Frazier: Grades 3-7 will build upon these foundational concepts. K-2 is stories. We establish those stories, we tell those stories, and then when we get to 3-7, we spiral it up.
Koons: Sounds like we need to go back to look at K-2.
Koons: Sounds like we need to go back to look at K-2.
November 20, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Frazier: Grades 3-7 will build upon these foundational concepts. K-2 is stories. We establish those stories, we tell those stories, and then when we get to 3-7, we spiral it up.
Koons: Sounds like we need to go back to look at K-2.
Koons: Sounds like we need to go back to look at K-2.
Brooks: K-2 is a scatterplot sort of thing. We keep talking about rigor. K-2 could spiral. Timelines, chronology - that's a skill. "American citizenship and free enterprise - I don't see that continued anywhere. Where do you expand on civics" and geography, free enterprise.
November 20, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Brooks: K-2 is a scatterplot sort of thing. We keep talking about rigor. K-2 could spiral. Timelines, chronology - that's a skill. "American citizenship and free enterprise - I don't see that continued anywhere. Where do you expand on civics" and geography, free enterprise.
Brooks: My passion is K-4, can you explain ancient civilizations in second grade - is that in the Americas?
Frazier: "Short answer is yes. Could be the Americas!"
Frazier: "Short answer is yes. Could be the Americas!"
November 20, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Brooks: My passion is K-4, can you explain ancient civilizations in second grade - is that in the Americas?
Frazier: "Short answer is yes. Could be the Americas!"
Frazier: "Short answer is yes. Could be the Americas!"
Frazier: "When you're talking about things like freedom and faith and longing for something better" that story is often carried in "African American hands."
November 20, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Frazier: "When you're talking about things like freedom and faith and longing for something better" that story is often carried in "African American hands."
Frazier: "You know, one of the things that came up in the civil rights conversations is that in many ways African Americans are the toughest Americans because they could see freedom out the door, but they couldn't grasp it. And then it was denied to them, and they had to tolerate it."
November 20, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Frazier: "You know, one of the things that came up in the civil rights conversations is that in many ways African Americans are the toughest Americans because they could see freedom out the door, but they couldn't grasp it. And then it was denied to them, and they had to tolerate it."