Maps in United States Classrooms

[quadibloc]

Either in a discussion on Quora, or the comments on a YouTube video, I encountered an anecdote about an American schoolteacher who asked a visitor from Denmark where that country was. He told her to look for it on a map of the world, and she said she didn't have one.
Clearly, this must have happened before the advent of the World Wide Web. I guess she didn't have children, which is why she didn't have basic reference works, including an atlas or an encyclopedia at home. But the main thing was that in her classroom, there was only a map of the United States on the wall, not a map of the world. (What about the public library? Maybe it wasn't within walking distance of her home, and she didn't have a car? She might live close to the school, or be driven to work by a fellow teacher, or by, say, her brother: many U.S. cities have poor public transit. Wouldn't there at least be an atlas in the school library?)
This doesn't have to mean that the United States is outrageously insular. Perhaps in one grade, students learn about the geography of their home country, and in a later grade they do, in fact, learn about world geography, and those classrooms do have world maps, and maybe even globes, in them.
And, of course, this would also vary from one state to another, with some states putting more emphasis on education, so that schools would have more resources available.

[daan]

Growing up in the American educational system (many school districts around the west) long ago, I never encountered any shortage of world maps in classrooms. There was a certain amount of organic standardization, but it’s also true that, back then, there were no governing bodies or budgetary incentives greater than the state, and often practically even less. Some districts naturally would have excelled and others have been dismal.

— daan

[Milo]

For all we know, maybe there was an excellent world map in the next classroom over and that particular teacher just never noticed.

Though on that note, what kind of response was she even expecting to a "where is your country?" question if she didn't have a map? I would normally interpret that question as a request to point at the country's location on a map.

[PeteD]

there was only a map of the United States on the wall, not a map of the world.

At least there was a map on the wall. I went to school in the UK, and I honestly don't remember ever having a map of the world or a map of the UK on the wall of any of the classrooms. I remember there being a map of France on the wall of one of the language classrooms, but I'm pretty sure it was only there for decoration.

I don't think that made my education particularly insular. I remember using maps of the UK and the world in textbooks and on worksheets, which are much easier to look at in detail than wall maps (unless you make all the kids get up and walk over to the map, but then they'd all block each other's view anyway).

If there was an aspect of my education that was insular, it was probably history, which was very Eurocentric. I think the only non-European topic was the Ancient Egyptians.

I now live in Germany any find religious education here very insular. Shortly after I moved here, there was some public debate about teaching Islam to Muslim schoolchildren. I was shocked, and still find it shocking, that Islam and other world religions aren't taught to all schoolchildren.

Wouldn't there at least be an atlas in the school library?

I'd find it hard to believe there wasn't.

[Atarimaster]

At least there was a map on the wall. I went to school in the UK, and I honestly don't remember ever having a map of the world or a map of the UK on the wall of any of the classrooms.

I’m also quite certain that I ever saw a map on the wall in any of the classrooms I visited here in Germany.
Occasionally we had wall maps in geography lessons, but the teacher brought them along and hung them up for that particular lesson, only to roll them up again at the end and take them away.

We did have atlases, though, and I spent a LOT of time looking at the maps instead of listening to the teacher. (That 1974 atlas had Winkel Tripel world maps, btw).

If there was an aspect of my education that was insular, it was probably history, which was very Eurocentric. I think the only non-European topic was the Ancient Egyptians.

Same here.
For a moment, I thought that we heard a bit about Chinese history, but I think I confused that with art class where we learned about the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang.

[quadibloc]

I now live in Germany any find religious education here very insular. Shortly after I moved here, there was some public debate about teaching Islam to Muslim schoolchildren. I was shocked, and still find it shocking, that Islam and other world religions aren't taught to all schoolchildren.

Although it was very clear what you meant, I found the construction of that sentence disorienting.
In a Catholic school, the Roman Catholic faith is taught to the children - with the point being to equip them to practice it.
What they were taught, of course, would not be at all the same as what students might be taught about the Roman Catholic faith in a course on comparative religion.
Your sentence appeared to be conflating these very different two senses that "teaching Islam" would have. Teaching all school children some general facts about the history of Islam is one thing; that there might be a debate concerning Islamic religious classes in Islamic schools, because of fears that students would be indoctrinated into intolerant beliefs is another. Whether those fears are legitimate, or themselves a manifestation of intolerance, of course, is another issue.

[Milo]

I remember there being a map of France on the wall of one of the language classrooms, but I'm pretty sure it was only there for decoration.

Was it the French language classroom?

I now live in Germany any find religious education here very insular. Shortly after I moved here, there was some public debate about teaching Islam to Muslim schoolchildren. I was shocked, and still find it shocking, that Islam and other world religions aren't taught to all schoolchildren.

There is a very big difference between teaching religion in an anthropological manner, and teaching religion the way religious people want it to be taught.

I also don't see any particular value in teaching any religion, except for getting it through fundamentalists' heads that their beliefs don't have any more credible evidence than all of those competing ones. (Ever notice how exactly no religion ever goes "God created all humans, then proceeded to mostly ignore our tribe while treating some other guys we've never met as his chosen people"?)

[PeteD]

that there might be a debate concerning Islamic religious classes in Islamic schools, because of fears that students would be indoctrinated into intolerant beliefs is another.

The debate was nothing to do with Islamic schools but rather whether Muslim children attending state schools should be allowed to attend classes on Islam instead of only ever learning about Christianity at school.

[PeteD]

Was it the French language classroom?

I had French classes in there, but there was no distinction between French and German classrooms.

except for getting it through fundamentalists' heads that their beliefs don't have any more credible evidence than all of those competing ones.

I believe therein lies a lot of value.

In this area of Germany, religion in school means Christianity. In some other areas, classes on other religions are now available, though they're only intended for children who belong to those religions.

My daughter takes ethics rather than religion at school. Ideally, I'd like her to be taught about different world religions as I was, but I'm OK with her not being taught about any. However, I find it very problematic to teach children only one religion, which is still the norm here.