I understand why textbooks are used to teach history despite the unavoidable politicking that involves their adoption (“Why my daughter hates (whitewashed) AP history,” Los Angeles Times, May 3). They’re easy to understand and handy. But when it comes to teaching AP history, that’s another story.
The truth is that history is not always settled. There are almost always differences of opinions among experts that can only be understood by using primary sources. I subscribe to The Concord Review, which publishes papers written by high school students around the globe. I’m amazed at the research that forms the basis for the papers.
Only by going to such primary sources can advanced students get to the truth. Unfortunately, AP students constitute a tiny minority of the overall high school population. As a result, they will continue to be subjected to only one side of the truth.
(To post a comment, click on the title of this blog.)
theedhed.com 