He Never Thought a Parent Would Complain.

After all, one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.

Remember this story when the defenders of the status quo tell you that “public education” is important because it unifies and brings all Americans together. From the L.A. Daily News.


Government teacher Nareg Keshishian never expected a parent to complain when he advised his Advanced Placement class he planned to show a documentary on media bias in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
But a parent did, telling the principal of Glendale's Hoover High School that the documentary "Outfoxed," which alleges right-wing bias at Fox News, was one-sided and that Keshishian wasn't presenting the "facts" about the attacks in a fair and balanced way.
"When they come up with a documentary showing the bias in CNN, I will happily air it. I want to bring to the students' attention that one person's freedom fighter is another person's terrorist," said Keshishian, a self-described liberal, who decided not to show the documentary.
"My students are encouraged to have any opinion they like, so long as they support it with facts. I'm giving them as many facts as I can and my goal is to make the classroom feel safe for everyone's opinion - including my own."
As some local schools wait for the official version of 9-11 and its aftermath to appear in textbooks, many teachers have allowed their own passionate views to guide classroom discussions of an event that transformed the nation's understanding of security and reshaped its foreign and domestic policies.
Others have been relying on filmmakers' documentaries and articles from newspapers and magazines, which they feel fairly depict both sides of the story.
But, aside from being careful about presenting all sides of broad topics like religion, foreign policy and impacts on the economy, teachers should become sensitive about seemingly obvious "facts" like calling the people who perpetrated the attacks terrorists, said Etta Hollins, professor of teacher education at the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California.
Already, some textbooks refer to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, without using the word "terrorist."
But it all comes down to discussing terms and concepts with students to teach them how to be critical readers, Hollins said.
"I think we should all be careful about the language we use and the conditions under which we use language. We should look at how words are defined and used," she said.
"Is terrorism something that occurs only by someone from a foreign country? Or were there acts of terrorism committed before 9-11? They have to understand the definition of the word and how it's being used."
Veteran educator Ron Wood, who sits on the committee tasked with recommending which social studies textbooks will be used in Los Angeles Unified School District classrooms beginning in 2006-07 - which will include the 9-11 attacks and the subsequent wars - questions the lessons some teachers are presenting about Sept. 11 in the meantime.