The Importance of Acknowledging Bias in School Texts 

Ah, politics. What a wreck. Marches against the presidential picks, violent actions taken to stop illegal immigrants. What is both good and bad about the current “political turmoil” that came with Donald Trump is how it got people talking and involved in politics. This is excellent in a democratic environment, as political discourse and debate is what makes our society advance. However, it is being undermined by tribalism, biased news, and blind loyalty on all sides. Instead of thinking for themselves, many would rather just believe what “their” side has told them, and believe all other viewpoints are invalid. In a democratic society where people are now talking and getting involved, that is very bad. Rather than research, they accept spoon-fed answers and opinions they adopt as their own, which is a habit especially prevalent in teens. What’s worse is that schools aren’t making it much better when it comes to encouraging independent thought and decision making.

For most (if not all) 11th and 12th graders who are or have taken APUSH or US History in some form, I’m sure you’re familiar with Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States.” Oh boy, what a book! Setting aside my personal qualms with this book, Howard Zinn is extremely biased and writes the entire history of America in that exact lens, making opinion-based arguments—and, admittedly, quoting others and interpreting it—and presenting them as fact. Although I may disagree with him a lot, this isn’t really a problem. It is a biased book and is supposed to reflect his opinion. The problem is how students are encouraged or even told how to “dissect” and interpret it. The lack of independent thinking and conclusion-making when it comes to biased books in public schools is appalling. Rather than reading a book like this and having it left as if it were fact to you, teachers should encourage students to make their own personal opinions about it and come to their own conclusions. Whether purposely or not, many students wind up taking books like these as fact. “Because what he says gets me a good grade, what he’s saying must be right, right?” is a dangerous conclusion with any kind of source or text, but it’s especially bad when reading something as biased as Howard Zinn. 

Howard Zinn is a pretty extreme author, and as such his extremism could easily rub off on impressionable students that are going to lead this country one day. Extremism and tribalism are the enemies of progress in a democratic society, and promoting them will only divide our country further. So, Pyke, if you’re done complaining, how do we fix it? Well, the fix isn’t really too difficult: simply encourage students to think about it in their own way every now and then. Instead of assigning homework that says, “How was the wealth of Boston spread out” according to Howard Zinn, maybe emphasize who is saying it as a reminder that it isn’t necessarily true. Occasionally slip in a “Keep in mind their viewpoint,” or “Well, don’t just take it from them”. Although it is beneficial to read biased texts in schools, it must be done right and done carefully to be effective and encourage free, personal thought rather than blind loyalty.