I recently had the honor of being interviewed about teaching our children historical truths by The Learn + Live Letter blog. They asked me to share ideas on teaching the most accurate version of history, and I appreciated the opportunity to provide thoughtful responses to their insightful questions. Some of what I shared is touched upon in my book, A PLACE TO BELONG, but our conversation included additional thoughts and a deeper dive into various aspects of our children’s history education. Read an excerpt below, and click through to check out the entire interview. Enjoy!

L+L: Amber, thank you for helping us discuss this important topic with fellow homeschoolers. We also want to congratulate you on your book, A Place to Belong. We know this topic is a passion for you. To begin, why is providing historical truth essential for all families, even if it’s a sad, uncomfortable, or embarrassing truth? 

AOJ: Children own the stories of their people, and we don’t have a right to withhold them. We are loving guides charged with helping our children navigate the world as they grow and mature, but that doesn’t mean that we can create false narratives in order to create a fairy tale story. Making the past seem sweeter (or whiter) than it really was is not something that serves children in any way. I can’t think of another subject where we would intentionally mislead our children and consider them well-educated. Eventually, the truth comes out and children are either angry at being coddled or lied to, or stressed about the lack of knowledge they have about the past. And sometimes they remain in denial – digging in their heels while refusing to accept the truth because it’s so different from what they’ve always believed.

Another important reason that historical truths need to be shared is that understanding what happened before helps scaffold our children’s understanding of what they see and experience today. There simply is no way to process the complexities of today’s biggest societal issues without examining the past, and having a deep understanding of how we got here can provide some assurance that the next generation understands the grave consequences of some of our country and world’s darkest hours.

Check out my many history book recommendations, and join me on Instagram @heritagemomblog. Hope to see you there!