Table of ContentsIntroductionGeneral TopicPreparing Students for Critical AnalysisVietnam WarConclusionSourcesIntroductionHistory books have always provided an abundance of information that I have always thought they were real, but in reality, it was a distorted version of the truth. In Lies My Teacher Told Me, James Loewen writes about how textbooks omit information and provide blatant misinformation to their readers. While reading this text, I realized that I don't know as much as I thought and that what I have learned from my history books is not always accurate. Unfortunately, this is still the case for many students in the United States, students are unable to distinguish fact from fiction because textbooks only report facts. The textbooks provided by school districts do not encourage research, and when they do, they do so by minimal margins. As a result, this causes some teachers to instruct their students directly from textbooks and not incorporate supporting sources. History textbook writers should not stifle a student's history education with a narrow narrative, but should instead encourage research and provide diverse perspectives. In my reflective essay "Lies My Teacher Told Me" on Loewen's text, I will provide my position on her overall argument, how to prepare my students when they encounter history textbooks, and how I will address one of the least covered events in my classroom, the Vietnam War. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay General Argument Loewen provides very convincing arguments for why history is taught directly from the textbooks provided to teachers. I believe that Loewen is ultimately focusing the blame on the writers, authors, and publishers of the textbooks, and that the blame will slowly fall on everyone who uses those texts to educate students. First, according to the text, publishers distribute textbooks without bothering to verify whether the information in the textbooks is correct and without bias. Publishers do not care what comes out as long as it appeases its audience or readers (Loewen, 2018, p. 302). To this end, history textbook writers are ultimately the ones to blame since they are the ones who write biased and sometimes false information. I agree with Loewen that writers, authors, and editors are to blame because they basically provide inaccurate information or clearly omit facts or events from our history. Furthermore, Loewen states, “Textbooks rarely present the various sides of historical disputes and almost never reveal to students the evidence on which each side bases its position” (Loewen, 2018, p. 302). This statement rings true because textbooks do not offer multiple perspectives, in fact they lack perspectives. I did not encounter a text that provided two or more different points of view on the same event. I believe that if they had added different perspectives, it would have led to empathizing with others; which is not what these authors want. Additionally, textbooks promote rote learning by primarily providing historical facts, dates, events, and figures. They rarely add depth or substance to what they present to readers and when they do it is only to promote the United States of America. The textbooks I read in my classes were ethnocentric and always portrayed the United States as a benevolent country. I can rarely remember if the United States has ever been described negatively. At the same timeway, I can honestly say that from all my past history courses I only remember dates and events because rote memorization was pushed and encouraged. I can't begin to process why certain events happened and what they led to, if they led to anything. Preparing students for critical analysis Consequently, because misinformation spills over to teachers are also to some extent responsible. Our role as teachers is to cultivate creativity and curiosity in our students and we cannot do this if we follow the history books until T. Loewen argues that: “Teachers do not have to know everything to facilitate students' independent learning. students. They can act as informed reference librarians, pointing children to books, maps, and people who can answer their questions about history” (Loewen, 2018, p. 358). To help my elementary students prepare for this, I will encourage them to read additional sources and also present written sources from a different perspective. I think offering different sources will make them more receptive and make the story more engaging. For example, depending on the grade, I may use DocsTeach.org to create an activity to make learning more interactive for my students. I can also use or have my students explore the National Archives website to find primary sources that can help supplement their learning. By providing more information about any historical events or figures covered in class and asking more probing questions, I can let my students come to their own conclusions about that information. Equally important is personalizing how I teach and what I teach my students. If I can adapt history lessons for them, they will be more likely to learn and remember what I teach them. Vietnam War One of the events Loewen discussed in his text that surprised me was the lack of information or omission of the Vietnam War in history textbooks. When I was in high school, I never questioned the lack of information because, to be honest, the texts seemed like the end all be all to me. However, there is a reason why textbooks chose not to elaborate on or include the Vietnam War, and that is because of the acts committed against the Vietnamese for no valid reason. Instead, according to Loewen, “…textbook authors portray the United States fundamentally as an idealistic actor, responding generously to the social and economic ills of other nations” (Loewen, 2018, p. 232). The main reason why the story of the Vietnam War is not told in its entirety is that then the United States would appear as the bad guy. I believe that the two sides of that conflict need to be presented to students so that they can have a complete picture of what happened. Then it is up to them to draw their own conclusions. I didn't know much about the Vietnam War, however, I recently watched the documentary Hearts and Minds by Peter Davis and it put things in a different perspective for me. I realize this was an anti-war documentary, but it definitely showed the horrors committed by the United States on all Vietnamese civilians, including women and children. That said, I won't go so far as to show graphic images or videos. of the war to my elementary school students. However, what I will do is include readings from the perspective of the Vietnamese people during the war. Additionally, I will have my students read historical fiction novels to spark some curiosity and get them to ask more questions about the war. My goal is to have my students research and find primary sources that will improve their knowledge on the topic and I will be able to). (1974)..