A Missouri school district has run afoul of some parents for teaching children to identify when historical events occurred by the designations ”C.E.” (Common Era) and “B.C.E.” (Before Common Era) in addition to the traditional B.C. and A.D. The numbers don’t change one way or the other. It’s equally accurate to say Julius Caesar was murdered in 44 B.C. or 44 B.C.E. Still, some parents in the Rockwood School District have objected to the use of C.E. and B.C.E,. which they see as a move toward secularization.
In a post on his blog, District Superintendent Craig Larson argues that the schools aren’t favoring one over the other, but both have begun appearing in textbooks and other publications. Students, he sensibly argues, need to be aware of both designations “so they are literate when they encounter either notation.”
The best advice we can give to social studies teachers is: Help students understand the dating systems they may encounter in whatever source document they may be using. Rockwood teachers do explain the origins and meaning of BC (Before Christ) and AD (Latin phrase, Anno Domini, meaning “in the year of our Lord”) as appropriate, so students understand why BC and AD are in use. We certainly realize that even in our global world, BC and AD are used as the primary dating system.
I’m not aware that C.E. and B.C.E have gained a lot of traction at the K-8 level, but Larson’s argument sounds right to me. Kids should be familiar with both.
While I agree that students should be aware of the various dating systems out there I do not agree that it should be taught in school. Way too much of our country and world history is being taken away from the students and people of today. Taking the Pledge of Allegiance from schools and trying to remove God from our money are just two examples. The notion of teaching C.E. and B.C.E. is another form of removing God from our world when, in particular, our country was discovered because of and founded on religion and the faith/belief in God. Our Constitution does not say freedom from religion it says freedom of religion, to me that just means we allow others to believe what they want but just like we teach English in schools because that’s what our country began with so did our country begin with God, why should one be removed but not the other then? I don’t think that either should be removed but I believe there should be flexibility and acceptance of how/what others believe. I am extremely upset and concerned that so much of God is being taken away from us and now they’re trying to even take away dates that have gone back for thousands of years?!
Comment by jendreamer — November 17, 2009 @ 5:04 pm
If this school — or any school — was advocating using CE and BCE instead of BC and AD, I’d agree with you Jen. But I think the argument they made — students are going to encounter this designation, therefore we have an obligation to make sure they understand it–has plenty of merit. I first encountered CE as an adult and it left me scratching my head for a few moments. For a kid it could be completely disorienting. My hunch is that on tradition alone, BC and AD will be with us for a very, very long time.
Comment by Robert Pondiscio — November 17, 2009 @ 5:10 pm
I must point out that most of the Founding Fathers identified as deists and agnostics, and that few if any of them would have self-identified as “religious” as we understand the word today. The appeals to God in the Declaration of Independence, for example, are in a general and abstract sense and were inserted to placate a religious minority (“with firm reliance on the hand of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor”).
Comment by Miss Eyre — November 17, 2009 @ 6:07 pm
I’ve noticed a number of recently published books using the BCE/CE notation. I didn’t mind at first because I assumed the “C” stood for “Christian” rather than “Common”. I’d be okay with the use of “Christian Era” over “Anno Domini” since not everyone accepts that Jesus of Nazareth is Lord. But to remove all references to Christianity is just plain wrong.
Comment by Crimson Wife — November 18, 2009 @ 1:42 pm
What I don’t get about the BCE/CE terms is that the dates are exactly the same as BC/AD dates. I can understand why some people would be irritated at dating everything by proximity to Christ. But in that case, the answer would be to create a totally new dating system, a la the French Revolution. What sense does it make to create a dating system that has all the same dates but now with the implication that Christ marked a dividing line that started a new “common era”? How is that really an improvement?
Comment by Stuart Buck — November 18, 2009 @ 6:08 pm
Robert, check out Dr. Larson’ Blog on the Rockwood School District website and see comments. You’ll get a free education. Take a look at from the inside out – not outside in.
Comment by Anonymous — November 18, 2009 @ 11:36 pm