Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: Patriotic/Unpatriotic Facts After teaching middle school Social Studies for many years, I decided to go back to school to get my graduate degree. In one of my classes, we studied James Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me. I was so influenced by this book and the idea that we have been presenting students inaccurate information that I have been thoroughly researching the content I teach before presenting it to my students. Recently we have been studying international affairs of the US government. Some of the information I presented revealed actions the US government engaged in other countries that resulted in killings and disturbances. My students were interested in the materials and some of the issues we discussed in class made dinner-time discussions at home. One of the parents who is a retired army officer came to the school to talk to my principal. He told the principal that I was indoctrinating students. When my principal told me about this, I explained to her that all the information I presented was factual and that I researched the information from multiple resources. Her suggestion to me was that I should focus more on teaching patriotic materials. I am so frustrated that I do not have the support of my principal. Also, I disagree that what I teach is unpatriotic. I am simply trying to teach accurate information. If I continue doing what I do, I may lose my job. However, I do not want to give up teaching my students the truth. How should I go about this issue? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) I understand the teacher's dilemma. She wants the students to know the facts, and she wants to provide them with accurate information. Therefore, she needs to refer to the state standards and how they address a specific topic. She is not being unpatriotic by offering an alternative view. The teacher can provide evidence for several points of view or arguments, and the students can research the arguments. They can present their research to the class in a persuasive essay, and the students decide for themselves which view they want to believe. She also needs to make sure that the students understand that there will always be multiple points of view, and they can make up their own mind by researching the topic. But the teacher must follow the state standards, and remain unbiased.