Lies My Teacher Told Me

Educated in the public school system for all of junior high and high school, I definitely had my share of inadequate social studies courses, especially in my earlier social studies classes before AP and college-credit was an option. I could definitely relate to what we talked about in class and what Loewen discusses in the first chapter of his book. It frustrates me that well-educated teachers gloss over events that might make America look bad to students. It seems that a teacher, especially one who has been well-educated and critically thought about crucial events in world history would at the very least pass on some of that knowledge to his or her students. I remember so many nights staying up late trying to cram in facts about elections and presidencies-- facts that most definitely would not be able to recollect now. How much better could history class have been if it was told as a story-- a culmination of first-hand accounts even that teach cause and effect? Kids could even learn critical thinking skills before they exit the realm of standardized testing and linear thinking.

At the same time, I must empathize for the textbook publishers. It is a complex task to weave together the events of human history and compile them into one cohesive book, taking into account the perspectives and standards of all individuals involved. History textbooks have one purpose: to summarize historical events into a logical sequence that makes sense to the audience. Taking this into consideration, of course American textbooks will have some sort of bias. Loewen neglects to mention that everyone, even he has a biased, or as Andrea mentioned, an "agenda" that they are trying to push. It is natural that Americans want to instill a sense of nationalism in in their youth. Perhaps, Loewen is swinging the pendulum the other direction too far in aiming to change our way of thinking-- even making American history less than it should be. It would be difficult to explain certain historical figures as multi-dimensional figures: Helen Keller as a socialist, Woodrow Wilson as a white supremacist, Thomas Jefferson as a slave owner, without making some of these aspects of their character seem justifiable. Of course, I am not saying that leaving these types of holes in the story is excusable. Ideally, history class would be based on research, analysis and discussions and critical thinking. Yet, as a means to make American history accessible to the massive population of publically educated students, I understand the dilemma.

As children, we learn to accept the truth in which we were presented without question. I only hope that as a nation we can present the history of our nation with truth and integrity, even though so many countries, the US included, have failed to do so. I hope, also that we can push forward as a nation and give minorities a rightful voice in writing the history of our nation.