shaking my head

 **I posted this on my political OD (ConservaChick), but thought I’d post here too just to see what you guys think!**

I’ve put my plans to go back to school on hold for awhile since the economy sucks and our portfolio is not looking so good, so we don’t want to spend the money right now. 

I’ve decided to keep working, part time, as an adjunct professor at our local community college. I’ve been there at year, teaching one or two classes at night (I’m a stay at home mom during the day).

This semester I’m teaching US National Government (!!!!!!).

The department dean (social sciences) has already assigned a book for this course. It’s tiny, maybe 100 pages (for a college course, really?) and to say it leans liberal is an understatement. 

The book is titled, "How the wealthy elite run America" or something like that, I don’t have the book in front of me right now. 

Anyway, when I began reading to prep for the course I was shocked. The author ADMITS he worked for the Obama election and that he wrote this book for college students to better understand, "how Obama will transform our country from one run by elites through progressive policies" and to "grasp the class warfare that rules America" and "to shed light on Obama’s plan to improve our country. " 

Those are direct quotes from the book. Direct. Quotes. 

So, the book is a partisan rant for students to be brain washed: liberals good, conservatives bad. And the author is up front about it!

Now, imagine the young students coming into my class for the first time and they get this book, suppose I agreed with the premise…that is all the information they’d get on how the US government functions. The course description reads, "Students will gain an understanding of the Constitutional framework of the US National Government and how various branches, political action groups and other entities play a role in the governance of the nation." 

How, exactly does that book meet that course goal? 

It doesn’t. 

I know most college profs are liberal, but I didn’t expect the propaganda and bias to be THAT obvious. Sure, let your views out in class, if you must, but to assign one book and one book only that represents one view point? That’s going too far. 

Anyone else see a problem with this? 

You see, as a conservative, I would never do this. One reason I started this diary was because in my "real" life as an educator and person who tries to treat everyone with respect, I don’t go off on rants about liberals in my day to day life (only with my husband, we have great talks) and I needed a place to let out my annoyance at liberals. Especially as an educator, I never have and never will let my ideology show. I always present both sides with neutrality. My students ALWAYS beg me, "are you Republican or Democrat" because they could never figure it out from my lessons. 

And I would never tell them. 

So, I went ahead and spent my own hard earned money to a few books that tell the story of our founding in a neutral way. Of course, I’ll be supplementing with articles and editorials from BOTH sides as well.