Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 6 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 24 years, 10 months ago by
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- I know of a teacher who is deliberately providing historically inaccurate information about the role of minority groups in building this nation. How does one handle this within the school systems?
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Name : Sarah, Gender : F, City : Athens, State : AL Country : United States,I think it depends on whether you know that the teacher's information is false or not. Many teachers (particularly in the humanities) in recent years have revised their "traditional" lessons in light of new/objective information. Teachers have done this to help academia become more inclusive of students from various backgrounds, as well as to correct historical inaccuracies spawned, in many cases, by prejudice. For example, I believe it was once common practice to teach that America was "discovered" by Europeans. Today that lesson is debated and in many cases refuted. So, can you document in a number of reputable sources that the teacher's "minority history" is false? If so, I agree that action should be taken with the local school board and parents association.User Detail :
Name : Randy H, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 25, City : Silver Spring, State : MD Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Perhaps the teacher is unaware his/her information is inaccurate. You might ask him where he got his information. You could offer to give a presentation in his class representing different perspectives of that time. If the teacher is uncooperative, I would go to his principal, or as far up the educational chain as required to correct the problem.User Detail :
Name : Michell20533, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 31, City : Panama City, State : FL Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Make sure of your facts first. Research the topics that you see being portrayed inaccurately. You may have outdated knowledge of the subject. New information is being written every year as historical documents become available and as research is done.If you are sure about the facts, then document what the teacher is presenting and provide this information along with your concerns to his immediate supervisor (in this case the head of the history department). If this action does not have any effect, present the same information to the principal or one of his immediate underlings. If the principal refuses to handle the problem, then, in most districts, go to the superintendent of schools or the local board of education. Another source might be the local PTA.
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Name : M-Kemper22530, Gender : F, City : Tampa, State : FL Country : United States,I guess it would depend on the attitude of the teacher.Is (s)he an approachable-but-misguided person or an outright bigot who believes the garbage he/she teaches? If it's an approachable teacher, you could provide other documentation that shows the information is incorrect. Most textbooks I've come across are full of inaccuracy or blatant disregard for the contributions of anyone other than white men, and most teachers I have come across do little to fill in what's missing in these texts.If that's not an option, perhaps you could petition the school district to offer a class that focuses on the historical role of minority groups. While this won't solve the problem of the teacher, at least it provides an alternative for students over white history. The one problem with this, however, is that the students who would merit the most from this class are the least likely to take it.
If the teacher is really bad, and clearly a bigot, you should speak to another trusted teacher or guidance counselor about getting into a different class, or get a group of parents together to file a complaint with the school board. This is a difficult path to take, and requires much effort and follow-up in order to have something done about the teacher. I wish you well, and hope you are successful.
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Name : Onewanda, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 27, City : NYC, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Speak out, but first make sure you know what you're talking about. Do the research and know the historical facts - and if they're unclear, as they sometimes are, don't make the same mistake as the teacher and insist only one version is true. Also make sure the teacher is misrepresenting facts - don't rely on someone else's version of what this teacher is doing; find out for yourself. Then, when you're on solid ground, speak out - to other teachers, the administration, the school board, newspapers, students.User Detail :
Name : Andrew, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 35, City : Huntington, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Reporter, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Once you've established the information is inaccurate, you'll need to get some proof that this teacher is teaching it that way deliberately. This may not be that easy to do. It may be that this teacher has no idea. If, on the other hand, this teacher has verbalized that he or she is deliberately misrepresenting history, you can speak to the principal. If that does not work, you can proceed to the school board. Both the principal and the school board are going to need some sort of evidence, so be prepared to provide it.User Detail :
Name : Andria-W, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Wiccan, City : Lawrence, State : KS Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,
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