Tell me the truth, teacher.

A number of people in the U.S. have been taught lies in our public school system. Yes, lies. No, Christopher Columbus was not the righteous man from the cartoons. Nor did John Smith fall in love with Pochantas. She was 11 and he was 40 in real life. Talk about gross. Ever wonder why there isn't much information in the books about Vietnam? It's because America lost. The government does its best to hide information from the public about American defeats. By doing this America looks unstoppable to the world. Of course, the people that actually fought in Vietnam can tell you the real story. It's important for students to understand that a country can't win every time and that textbooks are biased. The government wants to put the country in the best light possible, so negative information is omitted. Schools should teach the truth even if it is ugly. The defeats are history, too. Students would be more informed and could help make better decisions in the future if the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, was told to them. Children are the future, whether we like it or not, and what they learn now will influence the society of tomorrow.