Quick. Pop quiz.
But read carefully. There’s a catch.
Question: Which best describes the Battle of Antietam?
A) Near Sharpsburg, Maryland, on September 17, 1862, the Army of Northern Virginia engaged the Army of the Potomac, resulting in 22,727 casualties.
B) Beginning in a cornfield at dawn, Union troops ferociously fought back a rare Confederate attack on northern territory—on what would become the single bloodiest day in American history and a turning point in the Civil War.
Well?
Remember, I didn’t ask which was the right answer. Both of them are factually true.
I asked which was the better answer. The more vivid answer. The more interesting one.
That’s the question I wish more teachers, administrators, and especially textbook writers would ask when it comes to educating our kids.
I don’t know what your history and civics classes were like growing up, but I sure remember mine.
