According to NPR, 137 bills limiting the teaching of social studies topics, such as race, political systems and gender identity, have been proposed by 35 states since January of 2021.
These proposed laws are in direct contradiction with the philosophy of social studies teacher David Luers, who has always believed that history should be taught uncensored.
While Luers was finishing earning his masters degree at IUI, the research he conducted had led him to look further into censorship in U.S. education. He especially focused on how censorship in the southern area of the country had altered students’ perceptions of history, both in the past and in recent years.
“I started thinking, ‘There’s a book there,’” Luers said. “‘There’s similarities there.’”
After one of his old professors invited him to talk to her class about how he utilized his history degree and his teaching practices, he came to her with some of his ideas directly for a book on the topic. After he turned in his thesis last May, he realized he now had the time to truly begin writing.
Ever since Luers started teaching history 15 years ago, his philosophy has been that history should not be censored or watered down in a classroom despite the current patterns and laws surrounding social studies education.
His passion for breaking barriers and common biases is what drives his motivation for writing his book and giving others advice on their approach to teaching history to young minds.
“I had a parent ask me at back school night if I could put it in one sentence what I think that social studies classes should do, and I think it’s to break the cycle of socialization where we keep passing down the same biases and bigotries,” Luers said. “I think if we actually teach history for real, what actually happened … , some of these misperceptions will be changed.”
So far, Luers has been able to complete four out of the nine planned chapters. However, since the school year started, he has only been able to write ten more pages, and it has been a struggle for him to find time between teaching and taking classes of his own to write.
Despite this setback, he still plans on writing during any free time he has, and the current plan is to have a full reviewable draft, including an introduction, nine chapters and an afterword by spring of 2025.
“I think that the process is slowing down,” Luers said. “It’s not that I can’t think of what to write, it’s just that time.”
Throughout this process, he has made sure to keep his lessons and classroom atmosphere at the forefront of his priorities.
“Amongst all those things, I want to make sure that whatever I’m doing, I’m putting as much focus here as I can to make sure that the students are getting the best that they can from me,” Luers said.
Throughout her high school career, senior Chrisalyn Bennie has taken every class that Luers teaches. She can confidently say that he is one of her favorite teachers, if not her number one.
His honest and engaging teaching style has helped spark her passion for history, and she’s adamant about getting a signed copy of the book for herself.
“I’m excited for the book, and I hope that a lot of people are going to read it,” Bennie said. “I hope that it becomes a bestseller.”
