Another education "horror story"

History Instruction as Therapy
by Mère Fâchée

In the mid 1990’s, my oldest daughter was in 5th grade in an elementary school in a large district in south King County. As a part of the history curriculum, she was required to read a novel set during the Revolutionary War. I do not know the name of the book, but its general plot concerned a young boy (12 or 13) who, against his parents’ wishes, ran off to fight in the war. The story concerns the things that happen to him as a result of his decision to disobey his parents.

Why reading fiction is considered appropriate for the study of history escapes me. However, my complaint has more to do with the homework assignment given to the students concerning the book. The front of the sheet had general questions about the reading that would have been appropriate for a 5th grade literature assignment. The back page delved deeply into the children’s relationships with their own parents. It asked things like, “Have you ever disobeyed your parents?” There were more detailed questions as well. I don’t remember exact wording, but it was something like, “Tell about a time that you disobeyed your parents. Tell what happened and why.”

I was able to discover this assignment before my daughter had completed it only because she had been out of school ill and this was one of the assignments she had to complete as part of her make-up work. One of the other mothers brought it to my attention and I was able to search through her assignments and find it before she had completed it.

I challenged the teacher about it and he didn’t see anything wrong with it. His response was, “But their answers are so interesting!” I’ll bet they were at that. I understood his reaction better a little later, when I found out that his undergraduate degree was in child psychology. He did respect my wishes that my daughter not be required to complete this – or any – assignment that was not strictly academic, with me as the judge of anything questionable.

This teacher has since become a principal.