Since the learning content we receive at an early age shapes our view of the world and influences society in a profound way, educators should choose their pedagogical materials wisely. Of course, covering the European conquest of North America in an elementary school classroom shouldn’t include graphic learning content, but it also shouldn’t completely fail to mention, for example, the treatment and fate of the indigenous peoples who were driven out. So what’s the solution? There has to be some balance between the hard truth and the honoring of the past. Otherwise, children will be doomed to a later-life cynicism derived from Santa Claus myth-like disappointment about the founding of their country. The creators of school learning content should keep this in mind when editing history textbooks.
