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?

Posted on: 11/20/12 | Views: 2524
Solution #1
Teaching the truth is definitely not unpatriotic. Being able to recognize and discuss our country's faults and mistakes openly is one of the things that make us a great nation. I would consider the age of my students and recognize how impressionable they are. Students pick up more from their teacher than just what is listed in our standards. Our job is to guide our students to become responsible and compassionate independent thinkers. Communication will be the key. Communicating with your principal, parents, and students about how you are trying to accomplish this within the framework of your standards. Possibly have a discussion with your principal about how you are trying to develop these students to be more patriotic by recognizing the responsibility they have as citizens to not just sit silently when an injustice is seen. Ask your principal if she has any recommendations about how you can accomplish this without going against parental approval.

Brad I must agree with you. Children deserves to know the truth. However, when working in such diverse populations, we must consider each beliefs. It will probably be best to make sure that the administrators and parents are involved.

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Solution #2
Perhaps if it is difficult to teach your students some hard-to-accept realities without being called in to the principal's office, you could use the approach of asking your students questions which would enable them to think critically and discover these truths on their own. How about assigning a short essay on the consequences of a war on the civilians of the country in which it was fought? A carefully-led discussion about differing viewpoints between world leaders or cultures could lead the students to come to their own conclusions and encourage them to view issues from angles other than those professed by the text. I think that, more important than teaching our students what the facts are is teaching them to read and absorb information critically. Anyone can write a post on the internet or even publish a book, so our students need to develop the skills to be discerning readers.
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Solution #3
This is such a "touchy" situation and unfortunately happens too often. The teacher presents information in a non-bias and educational way, but the student and parent interprets it differently causing confusion and problems with the Teacher's position. I suggest being extremely careful when presenting such information especially because parents always seem to have the last say so when it comes to these issues. The best thing to do is to have the students research the information for themselves, discuss the information with their parents and peers, include their own opinions on it, and then participate in whole class discussion or small group discussions where the teacher is the facilitator. You can offer resource options that will lead students to the correct information. This way you remain neutral in the situation.

This is certainly a way in which parents will be involved in the learning process. We all know how important for parents to be involved in the learning process of their children. I like the way in which you think.

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Solution #4
I relate to this so much because after taking my masters level sciece class, I learned more about plants than is actually in the standards. I taught my students what I learned as to not hold them back and give them the correct answers. I think the best way to cover your tracks and the standards would be to assign the students a research paper or powerpoint presentation. Give them the topic or a few different topics that you read about in "Lies my teacher told me" and have them look it up and research it themselves. Students learn so much more when they figure it out on their own, so give them the platform to read their papers or present their powerpoints and then the teacher is no longer presenting the information, the students researched it themselves.

That is very wise. I would not have thought about that. In this way, the students are receiving the information and your hands remain clean. However, there are still some parents or administrators who may feel as if you allowed it to happen. This is just a sticky subject but you have a great solution.

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Solution #5
I think that social and ethical discussions should be a part of a good history class. It seems that the parent was concerned that the U.S. is being shown in a negative light, and the teacher is concerned that the students are not learning both sides. One way to go about this type of topic is to have a class debate, where students are assigned roles and research the topic before a debate in class. For example, one third of the students might be assigned the role of Israel, another group would be the Palestinians, and another group would be Americans. Each of the groups would take a stance on the situation and look at it from their point of view. In science class we have debate topics on issues involving cloning or stem cell research, and the students are able to think about the subjects in ethical terms. I see my role as providing factual information, but the students are able to think about how they interpret that information on their own. As long as a teacher isn't insisting on one point of view in particular, the information should be presented.
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Solution #6
Your passion to present the truth will make this advice somewhat difficult, but you should teach according to standards. You can implement discussion of real facts during the lesson, but make sure you identify the standards that are needed for assessment. You can also create assignments in which students are required to locate additional information about the topics you are teaching. This will allow them to located the truth on their own without you presenting it to them and possibly jeopardizing your job. You can also contact the curriculum specialist for the district and address your concerns.
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Solution #7
As a math teacher, I am fortunate that my class discussions do not create controversy. However, I have watched my close friends and colleagues in social studies and language arts get into difficult situations with class discussions. A close friend of mine was even suspended from teaching after a segregation discussion during a lesson ignited some uncomfortable conversations. Inevitably, he was allowed to return after several months of suspension. The fallout from the whole affair was some mandates on how he was to teach his class. He was asked to teach the standards and to steer clear of controversial discussions. He was never accused of indoctrinating, but he was asked to present the standards in a straightforward manner. In our English department, I had a colleague that claimed she was asked to change her reading list for her AP class because the discussions were getting too controversial in class. As a teacher, I am horrified by the fact that so many great discussions and teachable moments are missed by the administration interfering in what may have been very pertinent lessons. Giving students a chance to explore and debate can be valuable learning experience. However, I understand where the principal was coming from. Our principal has no desire to get into political hot water for "indoctrinating" students. He simply wanted my friend to deliver the curriculum and keep everybody happy. Every student has the right to feel safe and comfortable in their classroom. The principal wants to make choices that will facilitate a harmonious environment that has little conflict. The principal has the difficult job of creating a school that not only provides a quality education from quality educators, but he must maintain support all of his stakeholders. Just because the principal is taking a path of least resistance, does not mean that important facts must be omitted. In this case study, there may be ways to allow students to discover all of the facts through assignments. Having a teacher present shocking evidence could be heavy handed and create bias. Why not have students read material on both sides of an issue and discuss in writing what they believe to be true?
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Solution #8
The book seems to be very interesting; however, the contents of the book may be too advanced for middle school students. Books used in graduate school are written on a completely different level than those written for middle school students. One should stick to teaching what is indicated in the curriculum guides. The curriculum is designed around state standards and what is grade level appropriate. Many teachers may not agree with the curriculum or what books the district wants them to teach from, but it is evident that the teacher must be very careful with what they implement into the classroom. Teachers can recommend books that they feel could be implemented in their classrooms to the appropriate district personnel, principal, or content coaches. If the book is approved, then it can be used in the classroom. Lessons can always be improved by incorporating real-world examples, generating student discussion/input, using additional grade/content appropriate material, etc.
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Solution #9
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.
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Solution #10
This is a delicate situation that requires one to carefully weigh their options. If you stick with the truth than you may lose your job. If you sugar-coat a lesson, than you are not being true to your priorities. I would start by considering the age group of these students. I have worked with middle school students for two years as a substitute teacher and I cannot say that I truly believe in their maturity to accept such serious truths about our world and their country. I don't believe that I would be brave enough to venture out into the realm of presenting them with such gruesome and disturbing facts. However, I do believe in teaching the truth. I do believe that students need to be exposed to different perspectives. I would approach this situation by assigning them to collect current events from various news sources on a particular topic. If the student's research leads them to findings that would be rated "mature", I would not steer them away from it. As one person suggested before me, I would facilitate the discussions about these findings. Maybe do a "pros" and "cons" of American invasions of other countries. This way, they will see both sides. As far as having administrative backing, this is crucial in our line of work. I would not want to get to a point where I am being targeted and feel as if all my actions are being scrutinized by my superiors. I would ask my administrators how I can approach these lessons. I would also ask if I could take a seminar or a professional development course that will show me how I can approach and manage controversy in the classroom. As educators, we are responsible for being clear and precise on what we want students to walk away with for the day. If a parent is unsatisfied with what their child brought home, than there is a likelihood that they will complain about it. In my short four years of teaching, I have come to believe that my profession sometime feels like "customer service." We have people to please and satisfy with the services we provide. Why should educators feel that they are exempt from this? It is unfortunate, but it is how I feel.
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Solution #11
This is such an interesting dilemma to me as I teach social studies and actually use the book Lies My Teacher Told me in my classroom. I use the book as an opportunity for gifted students to teach my class mini-lessons. I think it's helpful for the students to understand the history of our country, as well as the way we teach history. I think one possible solution to this is to have classroom debates about the more controversial issues. That way various viewpoints can be discussed more easily.
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Solution #12
As a history teacher, I will explain to the principal the standard and the information the students are supposed to learn. I have though about this possibly happening to me, although it hasn't. If it were to; however, I'd explain to the students that this is standard, the information, and the lesson. I'd also explain to them that they are to learn that while the United States is a great place and that it is fine to love one's country, it is important to learn all aspects of history. Additionally, I'd let students know that they are to shape their own thoughts and opinions of the information learned in this course. Also, I'd speak with the parent as well. Explain to them that my father served in Vietnam in the 60s and that I understand their point of view; however, I do want the student to form their own thoughts and opinions, as well as learn what they are supposed to learn and generate from this course.
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Solution #13
Teaching true facts is not unpatriotic. However it is important to let parents and the principal know about the topic, especially if is a sensitive topic. Students should be aware of both sides of an issue. They should be given correct information based on the facts. Students are the future citizens of the country and they should be taught to analyze primary source, historical documents for contextual understanding and to make informed judgments.
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Solution #14
It is great that you took out the time to do some research before presenting it to the class. However, I feel as if this should have been approved by the principal before incorporating into your lessons. Also, parents are an important aspect of students' learning. Schools need parental support therefore, parents should have been notified via an email, letter, etc. This could have prevented you from this undo stress. I feel as if you were not giving out bad unpatriotic information. You took the time to research it. Children need to be able to use higher levels of thinking. Keep up the good work because schools deserve good teacher like you. Just make sure that the principal and parents are on board.
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Solution #15
It is important for students to create a deeper understanding from what is presented to them in the classroom. One possible solutions is derive a project for the students to do their own research over the topic to possibly discover information that was not discussed in class. This may help open the door to allowing the students to make the discover of incorrect information presented in the books, than the teacher creating confusion. However, the teacher may want to help get the students started and let them continue. Also, it make help to invite professionals from that area of expertise to discuss information behind the scenes.
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Solution #16
This is such a sticky subject and also one that I can only give my opinion on as I don't feel I have enough experience with administration, parents, or controversial topics like this. This is only my second year teaching and, so far, the most I've had to do is quiet some students who were debating about Christianity and trying to involve me in the debates. Part of me loves that kids are so curious and want to know the truth about subjects such as what you are asking about. But another part of me (the one who tries to be as ethical as possible in all areas of my life and job) believes that I am there to teach the standards. If this conversation came up in my room, though, I might ask the students to do some researching on their own and report back to me. That way, they can find out the information for themselves, learn some research skills, and also make up their minds as to whether they want to believe it or not. If I tell them that the United States is involved in unethical dealings with other countries, they will take it as fact, simply because I am their teacher.
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Solution #17
It is amazing to see how much research you do before presenting the material to your students. Teachers today are bad about giving the students the bare minimum just so they can be introduced to a topic. I agree with you that students should be taught factual information. Also, engaging students is what we are supposed to be doing in the classroom. The more you inform the students the more interested they seem to become. I would first talk to my principal and tell her how I feel about the situation. Also, it is important to communicate with your principal so that you can back one another up. Then I would focus on teaching the students the basic needed material to help them succeed on the CRCT. Lastly, if there are things that you think your students will still be interested in know about the given topic, I would create a research project so that they would find out through research.
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Solution #18
This problem you have is becoming more common in the classrooms today given the hyped up state of politics in the country. First of all, understand that having conviction for the material you teach is a good thing and any administrator should appreciate that fact. Now here is the reality. History and current events can be taught in a manner to skew political influence in any direction the instructor chooses simply by including or omitting information. Presenting the material in a manner that is complete and factual is important. If politically charged questions from students to arise, it is also important that you present both sides of the debate leaving the students the chance to create their own interpretations of opinions as to what is correct or not correct. As your job, don't put it at risk. If you have additional material you would like to present to your students, share it with an administrator before you do so. Also, make sure you present the material to the administrator as a matter of fact, neither positive nor negative, while being ready to articulate the relevance. If they approve it, then great, if they do not, then remember this is your livelihood and you are subordinate to their authority. Rocking the boat without going through the proper channels, in the long run, is not going to benefit you or your students.
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Solution #19
Teaching the truth is a vital part of educating youth of today. The more knowledge they have the better suited they are to develop their own thoughts, opinions, and reasoning for different situations. This teacher is in a tough situation because the principal is not supporting the education practice. However, I believe that the teacher can find a "middle-ground" of sorts that will allow for the truth to be taught while appeasing the parents and principals. I would teach the truthful information but teach it in correlation with patriotic acts. So that students understand the truth but also understand that this country is strong with patriotism because of all the things it has done right, not questionable acts. Playing the devil's advocate could help to. Teach students both sides of the situation to help with understanding.
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Solution #20
Teaching the truth to students is the only way they will know how to determine fake from factual. I would suggest talking to the parents and telling them why you were discussing certain issues in class. I would also ask them what did their child tell them exactly? We all know how words can get twisted. Last, I would ask the parent why they thought the issues were unpatriotic? I wouldn't ask in a way that was challenging them, but explain to them that you are always open to other points of view because you could always miss something. This will make the parent realize you are on their side, but you are curious. It would help stay on neutral grounds.
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Solution #21
This is a very difficult situation. I commend you for wanting to teach the truth to your students. Your students are very lucky to have a teacher that wants to give them all the facts. I think there are a few solutions to your problem. The first solution is to get approval from your principal on the material you want to share with your students. Another solution would be to inform parents of what you will be teaching so that they can decide if they want their child to participate in the discussion. I would even invite the parents to come sit in on a lesson if they have concerns. Maybe then they will see you are trying to give your students all the facts, not just the facts in the textbook.
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Solution #22
This can be quite a difficult situation because most of us don't want to back down from something we believe in (and most of us aren't trying to indoctrinate anyone either!), but no one wants to be in fear of losing their job. I run into a similar quandary each year when it comes time to teach the evolution/natural selection unit in 7th grade Science. Although I have a supportive school and administration (and I'm just teaching the standard), there are inevitably angry parents. One way I've found to circumvent this in years of particularly vocal parents is by allowing the students to present the information. They all research the concept, but they choose whether to take a pro or con approach to discussing and writing about it. They learn the content and they get to have a voice about how right or wrong they think it is (because its not really my job to convince the students that theory of evolution is correct or not... its my job to teach them about the basis of the theory and how scientific evidence is used to test and revise scientific understandings over time). I think something similar might work in this situation. I will add that its very important to monitor and guide students in this process so they don't belittle the opinions of others or become belligerent. Its important to maintain an environment of open discussion and dialogue (whether in class or in student writings). Teacher questioning is also exceedingly important to ensure students are actually attaining the content knowledge.
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Solution #23
I believe that letting students know the truth is what is important. However, I can see how this topic can cause controversy. My suggestion is to discuss times when the US government engaged in other countries that brought relief to those countries along with the material you discussed. This can start a debate on whether or not the US should get involved in other countries' affairs and look at the pros and cons. Seeing as this is an issue that is still alive in political platforms, it would be good for students to have background knowledge and start forming opinions disconnected from that of their parents. We just need to make sure as teachers we do not let on to our own opinion and stay impartial. There is no right or wrong side. Also, if it were me, I would hold these kind of topics for high school students rather than middle school.
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Solution #24
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?
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Solution #25
This is certainly a tough issue! I recently read Howard Gardner's "Five Minds for the Future" and relate your situation to the synthesizing and ethical minds he described. Based on my interpretation, Gardner suggests removing yourself from institutions that are not in alignment with ethical practices. Initially, I completely agreed with this. After reading your situation, I believe you may have an obligation to presenting children with both views on the topic of America's international affairs. Of course America has engaged in activities that resulted in international killings and disturbances throughout our history. Look at how we have conducted ourselves with and among each other in our country. Currently, my students are reading, The Diary of Anne Frank. Not teaching our children the entirety of our international (and national) affairs reminds me of the Nazi propaganda designed to keep the ethical citizens of Germany from realizing the practices taking place by Hitler's regime to cleanse Germany of the Jewish population. In your situation, I would create inquiry-based learning activities to allow your children to discover the truth for themselves and then present that information to their peers as part of a culminating project. This would take the burden of determining which information to share with the children from you while providing guiding questions that will yield the same information from the children's research.
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Solution #26
This is certainly a tough issue! I recently read Howard Gardner's "Five Minds for the Future" and relate your situation to the synthesizing and ethical minds he described. Based on my interpretation, Gardner suggests removing yourself from institutions that are not in alignment with ethical practices. Initially, I completely agreed with this. After reading your situation, I believe you may have an obligation to presenting children with both views on the topic of America's international affairs. Of course America has engaged in activities that resulted in international killings and disturbances throughout our history. Look at how we have conducted ourselves with and among each other in our country. Currently, my students are reading, The Diary of Anne Frank. Not teaching our children the entirety of our international (and national) affairs reminds me of the Nazi propaganda designed to keep the ethical citizens of Germany from realizing the practices taking place by Hitler's regime to cleanse Germany of the Jewish population. In your situation, I would create inquiry-based learning activities to allow your children to discover the truth for themselves and then present that information to their peers as part of a culminating project. This would take the burden of determining which information to share with the children from you while providing guiding questions that will yield the same information from the children's research.
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Solution #27
This certainly is a tough situation. As a teacher, you feel responsible for presenting students with unbiased information and factual evidence. However, on the other hand, you cannot afford to lose your job in the process! My advice is to bypass killings/disturbances in your instruction and focus on the other aspects of international affairs, such as trade, leadership, etc. I know this may not present the entirety of international affairs, but it does allow you to still teach your students the truth without losing your job!
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Solution #28
This is a very tough situation. I do not believe that what you were teaching is unpatriotic. I think that having a discussion with your principal in advance, and letting parents know ahead of time what is going to be discussed may have avoided the situation; or at least the severity of it. I fully believe that students should be presented with the truth and should have the skills necessary to research and differentiate between the truth and skewed presentations of the truth.
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Solution #29
I have also gone through this, though it was when I taught about religion, which is part of the 6th grade curriculum in Georgia. I tried to draw similarities between Islam and Christianity and a parent came to school and insisted to the principal that I was trying to indoctrinate their child with Islam. Luckily, my principal was supportive. I would suggest presenting both the material that your principal considers patriotic, as well as the information you have been teaching (which is also patriotic), and have the students draw comparisons between the two lessons. As you lead discussion encourage kids to create their own opinions about the information.
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Solution #30
I would provide students with resources and let them figure it out on their own! If they can get the tiniest sense that you're giving them access to "privileged" information, they'll jump on it and do the work themselves! Instead of seeing your administration's lack of support as a roadblock, use it as a catalyst to help these students research these things on their own!
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Solution #31
I think it is important to take a step back and look how the material was presented to the students. Is it possible that the teacher thought she was giving the truth, but failed to show all sides of the situation? I do not agree that all subject matter that is taught in schools should be patriotic; however, material should be impartial and show both sides of the facts. I felt that this teacher was so moved by her graduate school reading that she went searching for materials that could be inaccurate. Also, was the material that she covered appropriate at a middle school level? In my opinion, an in your face style of teaching, maybe lost on a middle school population and should be held off until the high school. I could understand how a parent could believe that the teacher was indoctrinating students, if his child did not understand material that was taught. Does the teacher need to sugarcoat the facts, no; but the teacher needs to understand that this subject can be difficult for school middle school students to comprehend.
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Solution #32
I think it's great that you put so much effort into researching what you teach. Some teachers just do the bare minimal by reading out of the text book. I think your principal should acknowledge the effort you are making to better your students' understanding of the material. I would not give up on teaching your students the truth, but I would modify the way you teach the issues. I would make sure the students learn the basic material that is regularly taught, but then provide an alternate way of thinking about the issues with the research you've done. I think that it is important for the students to know BOTH of the material and to test them on the original material (since that is most likely what their standardized tests will be on) and then maybe implement your new information as bonus material on tests.
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Solution #33
I to am a history nut ever since I realized how much history taught to me as a child was absolutely false. The Swiss were not neutral in World War II, the first KKK had black and Jewish officers, evolution is technically impossible (Behe 2007),and Joseph McCarty was right about agents of the soviet union in US State Department positions before and after WW II. The trouble is that you can't teach that and stay employed, not even in a private school. Stay with the general curriculum and you will not have to lie, just stay away from motivations.
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Solution #34
As much as I agree with you and think you should be teaching the factual information to the students, I know that you could lose your job. I think I would try to talk to your principal and let her know that it concerns you that she isn't backing you. I feel that she does have to make the parents happy but she should definitely have her teacher's back. As far as your curriculum, I think I would just follow close to your content and maybe add interesting facts along the way. You don't want to go too far off the of the curriculum since that's what the children are being tested over but stay where you feel comfortable.
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Solution #35
Teach your standards and have the students research the facts behind them, let them find the information that maybe you help guide them to, but don't say it out loud to them. They will find it interesting and probably will have questions ("I don't know let's google it" is a great standard answer.), don't be real deep with your answers just let them figure it out by giving them sites to look at or any books that you have on hand or in the library. By letting them discover the facts they will remember it and you didn't teach it!
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Solution #36
To put so much effort into making sure your students are educated with the proper information is patriotic in itself. The American education system is in shambles and children and adults are terribly misinformed alike. However, they importance here lies in making sure your students can retain the information being given to them. Of course it needs to be the right information of course but retention is what shows up on tests, not patriotism or lack there of. I assume this case is from a public school so I would suggest sticking to the necessary information illustrated by your curriculum standards. These are middle school students not college students taking a 4000-5000 level survey class.
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Solution #37
Continue passionately teaching the truth but make sure that it is tied to the curriculum. I do not think that what you teach is unpatriotic. Teaching is imparting knowledge into individuals so that they would be well informed citizens. I have learned that as a teacher you do not work for yourself, but you work for the United States of America. Since you work for them you have to do what they say. We have been summons to teach their curriculum that they have created. Teach your children the curriculum, but teach what is accurate and not what is false. I will be willing to lose my job because I would not lie rather than losing my job because I did not follow the rules of teaching "their" curriculum.
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Solution #38
First of all, I would hope that your principal was supportive of you, and your classroom choices, when talking to the parent. Then, perhaps, she presented you with a possible solution, as she sees it, to the problem. Perhaps another conversation with your principal, now that you and her have had to process the situation further, will help her to better see your point. Ultimately, however, you need to be teaching the curriculum because it is on that which the students will be assessed. I like the point another poster made about adding in interesting facts occasionally or alternative viewpoints.
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Solution #39
It is very admirable that you take the time to thoroughly research things before you teach them. Your students are lucky to have a teacher that is trying to encourage them to think beyond the text book. Your middle school students are old enough to realize that no country and no country's leaders are perfect. Bad things happen in war and tough decisions must be made all of the time. On the other hand, once the information is passed from you to the student, to the student to the parent, and the parent back to the principal, I can see how differences of opinions can occur. Maybe you should try to balance your lessons with "truths" and "patriotic ideals". For example in order to end WWII, many people had to die in the bombings of Japan. You present this and talk about both sides of the issue. Why was the decision seen as good? Why was the decision seen as bad? Another example would be the Spanish American War. Patriotism is always a matter of degree. What is truth to you may come off as unpatriotic to me or to someone whose uncle, child, father, or brother died protecting this country. It does not mean that you are wrong. It just means that we are each approaching "love of country" from a different point of view. Be truthful, but also be sensitive and balanced in your approach.

I think that social and ethical discussions should be a part of a good history class. It seems that the parent was concerned that the U.S. is being shown in a negative light, and the teacher is concerned that the students are not learning both sides. One way to go about this type of topic is to have a class debate, where students are assigned roles and research the topic before a debate in class. For example, one third of the students might be assigned the role of Israel, another group would be the Palestinians, and another group would be Americans. Each of the groups would take a stance on the situation and look at it from their point of view. In science class we have debate topics on issues involving cloning or stem cell research, and the students are able to think about the subjects in ethical terms. I see my role as providing factual information, but the students are able to think about how they interpret that information on their own. As long as a teacher isn't insisting on one point of view in particular, the information should be presented.

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Solution #40
Rather than having this situation become a choice between losing my job and teaching the truth, I would develop a plan to present to the principal to gain her support. My plan would include detailed lesson plans showing that I was teaching the curriculum that I was expected to cover. I would include the research on the controversial content and clearly show how it fits in with and expands upon the curriculum already in place. It may also be helpful to present information about teaching patriotism to the principal. For example, according to Ravitch (2006), patriotism does not mean that you must ignore your country's faults. One suggestion for tying the controversial material to the curriculum would be to collaborate with the grade level Language Arts teacher when planning lessons. The middle school ELA CCGPS standards include an emphasis on analyzing conflicting viewpoints in informational text. Therefore, by working together with the ELA teacher, this content would not only add to the Social Studies curriculum, it would also provide the ELA teacher with relevant material to use to meet an important part of the ELA curriculum. Ravitch, D. (2006). Should we teach patriotism? Patriotism and Education, 579-581.
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Solution #41
Why I understand why you are doing what you are doing - I also understand that you probably don't want to lose your job either. I think that you should teach to the standards. Present the standards, let your students do some research to find the information, instead of you presenting it. Then you faciliate classroom discussions on the info.
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Solution #42
This is very difficult and something that I have also had to deal with when it came to teaching about religion (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism) during my student teaching. What if instead of you presenting the facts as you have found them, you have the students do the research? Have the students look up the historical facts and learn to question what is written in the textbook. This way, the students can get more involved in their learning and the facts are still learned. I think that by having them complete the research, with you guiding them, the accurate information that you want them to learn will still be found, but it will be found by them and you can not be accused of being unpatriotic.
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Solution #43
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.
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Solution #44
I too believe that teaching students accurate information is essential. I believe that there is a way, however, to accomplish this without incurring the wrath of administrators and parents. I believe that the key is, as suggested before, to allow the students to research and discover truth on their own. This not only provides students with the truth, but it also allows them to discover the truth for themselves. This is often a much more enriching process than simply sharing the truth. When initially presenting a debate/argument, attempt to remain as neutral as possible. Present the opposing views, and allow students to research on their own. The truth will always be revealed!
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Solution #45
I agree with you that teaching our students accurate information is important. I experienced this as an ELA teacher while teaching Anne Frank. It is hard to answer student questions about why we didn't step into WWII sooner and why we let all of those people die. I can only imagine these tough issues in the Social Studies curriculum. As a military wife these issues do hit home. However, this does not make me naive. I know that when did eventually join WWII we did not only do it to save people and we also had to kill others when we did join the war. I think as an educator, we must teach the curriculum not from a patriotic stand point, but from one of neutrality, otherwise we would be like North Korea. If we only taught our students information from one perspective, our kids would not be able to develop their own opinions and empathy. I believe it is your job to present a student with all of the facts and allow them to make their own conclusions. If it came down to it, as long as what you teach the children is a part of the standards, is factual and is engaging as well as meeting the students academic needs then there would be no justification in firing you.
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Solution #46
I think by giving the students an overall technology and research project will allow students yo find their own way through this subject. The students who have parents that don't agree will make them research something else, however that doesn't mean that they can't listen to others presentations. Listening should be part of the rubric you provide along with the outlines of a research project. I think this helps you keep your job, focus on the students interests and take the target off of your back.

That is a wonderful solution. Giving the students the opportunity to hear all sides. As the instructor I may give them a list of references that would help them see both sides of the story.

I agree! Students should have the opportunity to hear all different sides ad choose their opinion. However, I would develop a rubric in order to have a goal for the research project.

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Solution #47
I do appreciate your stepping out to present some well researched views that are different and even contrary to what textbooks may present about US History. I have read Lies My Teacher Told me as well as A People's History of the United States - which both provide very interesting, albeit mostly negative, accounts of a lot of what our country has done. I would offer a solution to still get the same content across, but to do so in a much less forward method that would allow the students to build their own ideas, and also allow parents to be more involved in the process. I would recommend taking a particular subject, present what the textbook says, present what Loewen says, perhaps present another one of the references you found - and give the students an array of items to choose from. Then give them the task of interviewing their parents to find out what they think is the truth, or if they think something might have been presented with a unpatriotic leaning, or conservative leaning or liberal leaning etc. This can give the students to not only discover what they think the truth is, but also allow them to understand how everything becomes highly politicized and debatable ad infinitum and they will need to understand all sides before making their own decisions. Students will then be tasked to allow their parents to read what they took from the interview to see if they actually understood what their parents thought, and they can get the opportunity for some feedback. This will involve the parents in the process and you could let the parents know it is coming so they can be aware and can begin to gather their own thoughts and ideas beforehand as well.
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Solution #48
I do appreciate your stepping out to present some well researched views that are different and even contrary to what textbooks may present about US History. I have read Lies My Teacher Told me as well as A People's History of the United States - which both provide very interesting, albeit mostly negative, accounts of a lot of what our country has done. I would offer a solution to still get the same content across, but to do so in a much less forward method that would allow the students to build their own ideas, and also allow parents to be more involved in the process. I would recommend taking a particular subject, present what the textbook says, present what Loewen says, perhaps present another one of the references you found - and give the students an array of items to choose from. Then give them the task of interviewing their parents to find out what they think is the truth, or if they think something might have been presented with a unpatriotic leaning, or conservative leaning or liberal leaning etc. This can give the students to not only discover what they think the truth is, but also allow them to understand how everything becomes highly politicized and debatable ad infinitum and they will need to understand all sides before making their own decisions. Students will then be tasked to allow their parents to read what they took from the interview to see if they actually understood what their parents thought, and they can get the opportunity for some feedback. This will involve the parents in the process and you could let the parents know it is coming so they can be aware and can begin to gather their own thoughts and ideas beforehand as well.
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Solution #49
Unfortunately, humans face tough decisions like the one described above on a daily basis. I would personally weigh the consequences of the choices that you have. For example, will teaching controversial "factual" data to your students be more/less detrimental than omitting it altogether. If you believe that you could omit the data, while still providing the students with a quality education, then I would do so, and keep the peace. However, if I had to choose between my job and teaching about a controversial U.S. involvement, I choose my job every time.
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Solution #50
If I were you, I would try to have a private meeting with the principal. I would explain to him that the content you were teaching is true. I would explain that it is not indoctrination but presenting historical facts to students. I would then make this proposal. I would tell the principal that I would show how countries make mistakes in the same sense anyone would make a mistake because no country is perfect. I would then allow students to collaborate and create their own responses on how the historical situation could have been better handled if they were in charge of the government. If the content was relevant to the standards, I would also point out that there is no way around teaching the content and therefore need to be objective as possible. I would then try to schedule an appointment with the parent who was offended. I would first explain that I can understand how someone from the military would be upset if lives were lost in a certain conflict. However, I would make the case that if I shield students from facts then we are being less patriotic because we will not appreciate American for what it truly is but instead the sugar coated image that makes teaching American history easy.
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Solution #51
This is a hard question to answer. I agree that we should teach students accurate information, but at the same time, you do not want to lose your job. I would say find a way around it. I probably would teach according to my principal but maybe have the students go in depth or research the topics on their own. Let it come from them versus you. You can have them do it in the form of a project, research paper, or maybe journal writings for homework. You can allow students to lead the discussions.
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Solution #52
Education has always been a presentation of facts from a certain point of view. It gets very political when issues are discussed that are controversial. I remember hearing of a parent group that thought we should not allow Harry Potter to be in the elementary school media center. One of my neighbors sent me an email stating that Harry Potter was leading children away from the church because kids thought he was cooler than Jesus. She had never read the books and stopped talking to me after I expressed my opinion. I had read the first two books in the series and saw them as the works of fiction that they are. It is important to teach students to think critically and review the facts of historical events. I would assign some questions that would lead the students to present the facts as they see them. Then I would encourage students to discuss their findings with their parents. We as educators must be careful to not lead students into controversial opinions and viewpoints. It could cost you the job you love.
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