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Over 55 years ago, I was a high school teacher certified in both science and social studies. I did not ask what i could teach in 8th grade history. I just taught the truth, warts and all. When the principal asked me not to teach about evolution in biology, I told him that I did not have the option of withholding not serious scientific information.. I informed him that I was doing to teach a nit on sex education in a biology class. He just shrugged his shoulders and said, It's your ass."
If I were teaching U.S. History today, I would teach the truth and facts about slavery, the Black code, Jim Crow laws, ad the institutionalized racism embedded in southern culture and the effect of those issues on both blacks and white southerners. I would take care, however to also say that one only needs to feel shame if he or she has personally done something wrong. What their ancestors did rests on their shoulders, not on someone today. I would also truthfully say the following:
: "At least 3 or my 4 great grandfathers owned slaves and fought for the Confederacy. Having grow up in the southern culture, I am sure that they were acting as they did. But they were very wrong, and their actions were both immoral and treasonous. I feel no personal shame for their actions. They did it, , and I did not. But, I also will never honor those actions on their part."
To all teachers of American history. I say: Teach the truth, but lake care to make students understand that the shame does not rest on their shoulders. Do it, even if your job is threatened. If you are fired, get th best lawyer and all the legal help you can, and take the school district and the offending state law to court and fight like hell!!!!!
15
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3 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.A good teacher always tells facts (not necessarily truth), always tells that there are two sides to every story, and never influences their students with their opinions or beliefs. It isn't easy.
Ryo1
Level 8
May 11, 2022
0
Explain how a fact cannot be truth.
@Alienbeing Alternative facts?
@Secretguy What the hell is an "alternative" fact? Kindly illustrate one.
Ryo1:
@Alienbeing I'm surprised that you ask that question. You are a lawyer, right?
Facts exist in reality while truths can be the things in your head that you believe to be true, without proof.
@Ryo1 You are making up your own definitions. "Truths cannot just be things "in your head that you believe to be true, without proof" A fact is something that can be & is proven.
Ryo1:
@Alienbeing God.
@Ryo1 God is NOT a fact. Ask virtually anybody on this site. That was probably the worst example you could have given.
Ryo1:
@Alienbeing God is a THING to me. This THING is true to many people, not to me.
@Ryo1 Whether or not God is a thing to you has NOTHING to do with that concept NOT being a fact. You have faith. Faith is NOT fact. If it was a fact would not need faith.
FACTS can be proven otherwise they are not facts by simple definition.
@Ryo1
Below is the definition of "fact". As you can see facts are always truth, otherwise they are not facts. There is no such thing as "alt. facts"
fact | fakt |
noun
a thing that is known or proved to be true: he ignores some historical and economic facts | a body of fact.
• (facts) information used as evidence or as part of a report or news article: even the most inventive journalism peters out without facts, and in this case there were no facts.
• mainly Law the truth about events as opposed to interpretation: there was a question of fact as to whether they had received the letter.
Ryo1:
@Alienbeing I don't disagree with that. Still, if you search the Internet for difference between facts and truths, you will see what I'm getting at.
@Ryo1 Search for what? You just said you agreed with the definition. As such it is irrelevant what you are getting at, whatever that means.
Ryo1:
@Alienbeing Tiresome. Basically you're not interested, or perhaps you're too old to consider any new perceptions or perceptions different from your own. Move on.
@Ryo1 "too old"? What stupid a cop out! All you are saying is you want to recognize colloquial slang as a source.
Not perhaps, but actually, your mind work as a person too young to realize what they are saying.
You are wrong, end of story. The fact that you can't even clarify what one should search for is obvious proof of your fuzzy thinking.
So did you ever have a problem because of what you taught?
racocn8
Level 9
May 10, 2022
2
My question, too!
Good question.
No. My students respected and trusted m, and I was intet on not betraing that trust. . That is the key.
Would ignorance or reality qualify as a problem?
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