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!) If you were a friend in the room next to mine, I would probably pose a couple of questions to you to begin a discussion. Your dilemma doesn't have an easy answer. My first question would be if you are providing balanced information. What I mean by balanced is the question of whether you are sharing the good and bad about international affairs. If you are concentrating primarily on the negative incidents, then I would encourage you to be more balanced in your teaching. How are you sharing the information? Is it through lecture or some other avenue? I teach English and there are some sticky subjects that I like to delve into, but I frame the discussion in the form of a quote or hypothetical. The students write a response and then drive the discussion themselves. I try to limit my involvement and the sharing of my opinion in the discussion. My biggest goal as a teacher is for my students to become critical thinkers. What if you gave them several sources with opposing points of view and focus on bias, etc.? Discuss primary versus secondary sources with a focus on how much evidence can be gathered from first hand witnesses. I think you can attack from a different angle and still get the kids to discuss what they are learning at the dinner table which is a win at any level! I would at least try coming from a different angle because do we really want our students to believe everything we say or do we want them to learn to think and ask question for themselves like you did in graduate school? Ultimately, you have to decide how far you are willing to go for what you believe in? You are the one who has to get up and look at yourself in the mirror every morning and sleep on your bed at night. Which course of action will allow you to be at peace no matter the consequences?