My youngest is currently 7 and in regular public school in Washington state while my oldest is 19 and went through regular public school in both Texas and Washington. So far in WA we havent actually had any issues with things being inaccurate, at most I'd say things are just sort of partially true where the rest of the story and the context isn't really filled in and when that happens I fill in the context myself and I usually provide sources that we read through and discuss together. So far this hasn't caused any issues beyond my kids sometimes thinking I'm annoying for making them do extra work.

Back in Texas there were outright lies right in the books and I would just say that (this isn't true, here's what's actually true) and my kid would be interested in learning why all these untrue things are being taught in school which gave us a really great opportunity to discuss how these kinds of problems are systemic and all the different moving parts that goes into creating a school curriculum or a textbook and all the different people and choices involved in maintaining that system. Understanding the systemic nature of the problem and that teachers are kind of at the "bottom" of this massive structure where the teachers themselves have very little control helped open up a lot of other discussions and it was just really great. It fostered a genuine interest in learning that went far beyond the classroom, there was empathy for the teachers, and also some good lessons about how resistance works bc while you're stuck in the system there's very little you can do about it (like, you still have to go to school and take is seriously bc that just is how life works, deal with it) but it is possible to create small opportunities like writing a really accurate report as part of an assignment or speaking up in class to challenge the curriculum (with sources!) and stuff like that.

Basically, it's not easy but it is doable and you just have to keep having lots of conversations about it over and over and over again. Teach the kids the why and the how of everything so that they can understand the context, teach the kids how to respectfully disagree with someone and how to safely challenge an authority figure, have your kid's back when sometimes that doesn't go well (bc sometimes it won't and it's more important to support your kid than a lying curriculum), help them learn how to navigate the system in a way that helps them resist without hurting anything or anyone, help them learn how to do research well and most importantly help them understand that learning is more than just school and school is kind of just a job, do what you need to do but don't treat it like gospel.

I spent five years as a middle school history teacher and am now in a history PhD program, so I definitely appreciate this question. Please know that the struggle you're describing is one that I struggled with as a teacher, in a different way. I only had so much time in the classroom with students and much of that time was spent teaching skills through content. That doesn't mean that content didn't matter - it absolutely did! - but it did have to get simplified at times because the other goal that day was to help teach writing or self control or empathy or team work, etc. Also, most textbooks are freaking awful and simplify waaaay too much. I was lucky and got to teach my own lesson plans and moved away from the textbook, but some schools require teachers to use the book regularly and the teachers have no control about what textbook they get. So, if you ever feel the need to talk with the teacher, just go into that conversation knowing that there is only so much the teacher can do. It absolutely sucks, but that's why students whose parents engage them about their school day help put their kids miles ahead of other students whose parents don't give a crap about their education.

Honestly, the best time for a parent to have the kind of conversation you're describing is at parent-teacher conferences. I have definitely had parents who had similar concerns (or were also worried about how political the class might be). During a parent-teacher conference, it's more of a conversation and you get to see the person's body language instead of getting an email or phone call that immediately might put the teacher on edge.

That said, you should totally call the teacher out if they are teaching really inaccurate information. I would just encourage you to pick your battles. For myself, I don't think it's worth calling up the second grade teacher and telling them that the Paul Reeve ride is false, but I'd write an email if the eighth grade teacher portrayed slavery as "not that bad" or said that the Industrial Revolution started in America or something. But overall, I'd engage my kid in conversation regularly and help them navigate simplified information vs. the complexity of history.

I would second the great advice from /u/vulcanfeminist - ask your learner lots of open-ended questions about what you see and what they say. It's also worth keeping in mind that you'll likely also being hearing information second-hand. It's not uncommon for teachers to supplement textbooks with more accurate, more complex content or lead a discussion that adds more complexity than what's in the text. Which isn't teachers should always be given the benefit of the doubt, but rather, recognize that what happens in the classroom may be more complicated and closer to what you want than what your learner reports.

Another piece of advice I would add is to consider participating in school board meetings, especially as they relate to the curriculum and resource decisions. In most districts, there are occasional reports from different content departments and if you can catch the History departments report, you can get a sense of how the district orients themselves. Are they working towards providing students an understanding of complex history or something else? If it's something else, what options do they give for community feedback? If time and the pandemic allow it, it's also worth considering involving your learner with you so they can see how change can be made and what it looks like to be an active citizen.

Likewise, it's also worth engaging the teacher in conversation about the history curriculum when the opportunity presents itself and if possible, sharing moves she made that really excited your learner about history, and when it happens, sharing misconceptions or simplified history your learner shared with you. Those conversations can get you insight into if you need to supplant, support, or subvert the teacher.

Finally, if you're curious, I've answered a handful of questions that get at some of the history behind history in schools.

• Textbooks
• Teaching chattel slavery
• difference between states
• FFA discussion on a recent John Oliver episode on history education
• "Grammar of schooling", whiteness, and history education

You've already gotten done great comments. I have a son in elementary school. With online school my wife and I now hear their social studies lessons. My biggest problem is that it is fine down too much and focuses on factoids. So they learned about the statue of liberty. But so much of the lesson was little things like how it was once shiny but turned green. That's fine but there is often no context. They did a similar thing with the white house. My son learned it has a bowling alley, pool, and movie theater, but didn't learn it was built with slave labor. I don't understand why the school system doesn't think that younger kids can be told about difficult historical topics. Sure, they won't understand a full explanation. But you could introduce important concepts like racism and slavery in simple ways. So those are the conversations we have had at the dinner table.

I am most frustrated by perpetrating the very myths that Trump insists on calling Patriotic History. I'd rather teach my kids about historical memory and why people want to change how they think of the past to suit their current circumstances.

The fact you’re asking this question shows that you have a great deal of care in being a great parent. And that’s awesome!

/u/DonaldFDraper is a teacher and has previously written about what goes into planning a history curriculum.

/u/inkling116 and /u/agendcf also contribute to the thread.

We get to homeschool this year! lol. Normally I work in a public school (elementary, so I teach all the things!) but my job was cut due to the pandemic so I took it as a chance to spend a year learning with my fourth grader. In fourth grade they learn Virginia history (b/c we live in VA). We've taken this as a chance to set the record straight.

The very first thing we did was I summarized that anthropology paper where they talk about the people who have all sorts of weird customs around bathing, every one has at least one if not 2-3+ shrines in their home where they cover their body in creams and poultices and then they adorn their skin with paints. Adults often go to their temple at least once a year but children often fear the temple because they are put through a ritual where they are poked by needles for the first several years of their lives. And then it turns out it's describing modern day people who like to brush their teeth, get annual check ups and get their kids vaccinated - and really emphasizes that without BEING THERE, it's very difficult to interpreter the meaning of or place any value on the things we know about history. We also did a whole day examining the concept of primary vs. secondary sources, and what they tell us, how each is useful, and what the pitfalls might be if you only use/have limited sources.

So we started with studying the Native American history of Virginia and the US, and down into South America as well. We spent about six weeks just learning about various tribes, looking at what historians and archeologists say the tribes used to be before Columbus, and what they look like now - with the constant comparison that look at how many English/European settlers came over, and how many white people there are now. We spent a few days studying the Columbian exchange and all of the "good" and "bad" things that were exchanged. We have been reading books from the perspective of the original inhabitants, prior to the English/Euro invasion. ( say English because that is *our* heritage, so I am trying to make it relevant, we're talking about our own family history.)

After studying various local and nationally present tribes. I think the thing that has been most eye opening is that after we spent weeks learning about how rich and expansive the cultures were prior to Columbus, we read some of Columbus' journal entries. He talks about how the "natives are..." stupid, they are docile, they don't even know what "real" weapons are! And he says "They'll make good servants." My daughter was... rightly pissed and said that he had no idea what he was talking about! And then we talked about how his writings were some of the only records of Native Americans that people in Europe would've known about - and how that limited definition had lasting impacts on how people viewed the people already living here.

For the year I've lined up some deep dives into slavery, and how what happened then has affected what's happening today. We're doing comparative timelines, with representation so what were the old white men doing, what were the "average" white people doing, and how were the native populations and slaves being treated. For the "average" person we are following my family history, as my 7x great grandfather came to American in 1655 as an indentured servant/farmhand.

I've already had to do some course correction, things like recognizing that what we think is "valuable" really depends on what we've been told is valuable. And how what we "know" about history is limited by the lens through which we view it. I'm not sure if it was teachers or just a child's nature, but my kid had attributed "good" and "bad" to many things that really are just hella-complicated. I'm hopefully that this year of critical analysis will be a jumping off point for her to continue asking the questions that haven't been answered.

Basically history has turned into critical thinking lessons in this house. And I'm really happy about that. I want my kid to be able to realize that the world exists outside of her personal lens. Included with our social studies efforts we talk about morals, ethics, and civics.

TLDR: We teach critical thinking, empathy, and the importance of recognizing *who* is telling the story, and whose perspective is being left out.