I hate teaching American history, I'll just come out and say it.

The reason is that most kids in high school are old enough to have started developing there own political opinions, and this being rural Utah, most are fanatically Republican. And while I don't mind living around Republicans in general (half my family is Republican, all my friends are, and every women I have ever dated has been one).

But when you start talking about American history there is often some very annoyed Republican students, and their very annoyed Republican parents calling for my Liberal wussy, America hating, terrorist loving head on a pike.

Why, because they are unhappy that I teach about things they see as anti American McCarthy, Watergate, Native American Genocide, Vietnam, the land grab that was the Mexican American war, Jim Crow laws, you get the idea.

Every couple of years there is a push to teach more "positives" about American history. I have no problem teaching about the positives of American history, but they mean teach the positive and ignore the negative, and reinforce their own sense of cultural superiority; and thats something I just won't do.

Every now and then these nuts makes enough noise that the school board, or state legislature, decide to add more American history to the curriculum. Which irritates the heck out of me. In Utah, K-12 students are already required to take American history every other year in grade school, and even in most of the colleges and universities the only required history is American.

Anyway, they are going through this cycle again, and want me to pick up another American History course. I normally would, but it would come at the expense of my medieval history course, which is one of the last things that keeps me sane.

So I basically told them to bite me, which could be bad, History teachers are a dime a dozen and most are not nearly as "liberal" (in truth, objective) as me.

So I will have to see how this plays out.

Why don't you just tell them what they want to hear?

"To save a fool from his folly, the gods themselves contend in vain."

why don't you just sell your soul and get comfy?
Heck, that's a fair question!




If it were me, I'd answer their demand with a question.
Do you want me to teach American history, or do you want me to teach the truth?

If their answer was for the first, as difficult as it can be, I'd consider it a sign to move on and find a more comfortable environment. I know it's hard leaving "home base". Been there, done that. However, sometimes ya gotta listen to that voice and make a leap of faith.

Good luck Boot. I admire the stand you're taking.
No doubt at all, that everything will turn out as it should... even it that takes time to become apparent.

Why don't you move out of rural Utah?

Well perhaps not very realistic, but it sure must be debilitating for a progressive open-minded person to live in such a conservative regressive place.

On the other hand, he might become a seed that helps to progressify his small section of conservative Utah.
Everything happens for a reason and a purpose.

It might be interesting for them to enumerate the positive things they'd like you to teach. History is simply history, how can it be either pro-American or anti-American? Maybe you could get them to rename the course.

No kidding, it's amazing how often I hear my name associated with the phrase "liberal indoctrination". But fanatics are real into facts.

Although I have yet to hear anything back from them, did I win?

You're still there and teaching aren't you?
As long as you are, then you have.

Just ask them why they hate America so much. That will get them going.

Corner them like that and he'll get fired.

Hopefully, they will forget about it by the time my license is up for renewal.