Letter to the editor: Education, not propaganda

Former history teacher Michael Simon expresses concern that Thrive 4 CFSD's opponents are trying to rewrite history, in today's Arizona Daily Star. "If we try and rewrite history, in some ludicrous attempt to shield students from the pain of reality, we do a profound disservice to them because they are entitled to education, not propaganda," he writes. Read the full letter below.

Education, not propaganda

The goal of the 1776 Project, a PAC which is supporting the Back to Basics slate in the CFSD election, is to "promote patriotism and pride in American history." As a former high school history teacher and university political science teacher, I had always assumed that students would be best-served by learning that the story of the United States, like that of any other country, is one of successes and failures. Successes would be our interventions in World War I and II on the side of democracy versus authoritarianism and fascism; failures would be the dispossession of Indian land and mineral resources and their consignment to reservations and economic dependency, and the 250 years of slavery, a system based on forced labor and rooted in racism.

If we try and rewrite history, in some ludicrous attempt to shield students from the pain of reality, we do a profound disservice to them because they are entitled to education, not propaganda.

Michael Simon

Foothills