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!) This is a very sensitive issue as it has the great potential of getting parents/guardians upset, and maybe even furious. I think that the key focus for this situation would be to inform the parent, principal, and student of the reasons you are teaching the content. Many times parents will go after teachers arguing with only emotion and no logic. This dilemma can be relived with a good sense of communication. Perhaps even the parent believes the "lies" that have been told since antiquity. At any rate, everyone should be informed that America does have its downfalls. This Nation could not possibly be as great as it is without sacrifice and hard-learned lessons. In short, keep teaching the truth. Just do not shy away from keeping clear communication with parents. If you anticipate any debates from parents then I think a good rule of thumb would be to contact them before they contact you. You can even be subtle about the issue by simply stating that you are the child's teacher this year and that you look forward to teaching him/her about social studies. Getting a good start with parents can make a big difference in the final outcome, and maybe even save your career.