Currently, not only are college students fighting for textbooks to be more affordable in higher education, there is also necessary reform at the most basic schooling levels to ensure that students are learning the proper curriculum.
I think that textbooks are definitely written on a slant that is pro-American. Although that is not all bad, I do believe that more of the truth needs to be portrayed.
I remember having a fresh out of college young World History teacher my sophomore year of high school that loathed my textbook. She often "psshd" at the blatent pro-American propaganda it contained and the convenient facts it often left out.
Public schools are often in a bind to buy the most affordable textbooks from the textbook manufacturers that give the best deal. If these textbook companies cannot reform their practices and include more thorough information, teachers should work to amend this gap themselves.
In order to combat this slant, these textbooks need to be supplemented. Like was mentioned in class, primary sources is a good way to do this. If teachers are steadfast in teaching the curriculum that is required, but doing it properly by providing additional information, they're not doing anything wrong. Isn't this the definition of "democratic education" anyways?
When I personally realized that textbooks were not gospel and that they could be not telling the whole truth, I was pretty shocked and devastated. I felt pretty naive to not question it before high school! Students deserve to learn the whole truth, since they are the future leaders of the country. Amending the truth does not help anyone.
1) Am I wrong? Can textbooks be trusted or do they need to be supplemented so that students get the whole truth?
I have responded to your question.
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