Lies My Teacher Told Me

Dropped an email to the head of the Social Studies (i.e. history) department at what is now my former high school:

Hi Mr. Freihon,

I'm a 1991 graduate of Cedar Ridge High School. I recently came across a book called Lies My Teacher Told Me, and was curious if you'd heard of it. I know it's an ominous-sounding title, but after reading it, and A People's History of the United States, I'm inclined to think the title fits - in general. It's not a slam against teachers, per se, as the title might suggest, but more a critique of the institutional problems surrounding our history textbooks and a celebration of courageous history teachers who teach 'outside the book'.

Almost no amount of teaching 'outside the book' could, it seems to me, make up for the brazen misstatements, half-truths, and lies of omission that I was fed by my history textbooks throughout my grade school years. To say that I'm only angry at having been indoctrinated like this would be understatement in the extreme.

But, like Mamie Till Mobley, I'm not going to spend a minute hating. Instead, I'm going to help fix the problem.

Mr. Freihon, is there a problem at all, in your opinion?

Thanks for your time.

--peter--

Brainwashing children? No, I'm not angry. Who's angry? @#$#!$!%#!$%!@#$$% !!!