LESSONS ABOUT 9-11 A TOUGH TASK FOR TEACHERS INSTRUCTORS' OPINIONS SNEAK INTO CLASSROOM.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

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.

``Administrators, especially in the Los Angeles area, are notorious for not going into the classrooms and seeing what's going on,'' Wood said. ``The temptation exists in social studies to insert your own opinion, and many teachers violate that kind of thing all the time. Who's looking at the teachers to see how well these discussions are being conducted?''

Bob Collins, the school district's chief instructional officer, recalled a few isolated cases in which parents have complained about a teacher's techniques, but said they've never risen to the level of requiring discipline.

``There's a district policy that requires teachers to ensure that for all topics, particularly controversial topics, both sides are presented,'' Collins said. ``There's not an advocacy role to be played by the teachers in an instructional program.''

The best way to avoid parent complaints is to send letters home informing them about what's going on in class, and giving the student the opportunity to opt out, said Nick Doom, an Advanced Placement government teacher at Clark High School in La Crescenta.

Doom, a Republican, remembers the slip-up that taught him how to appropriately handle political topics in class.

In 1992, when he first started teaching government, he told his class that Texas businessman Ross Perot had no chance of winning the presidential election.

Four parents - all volunteers for Perot's campaign - complained.

``I wanted to teach realism - that no third-party candidate had ever won, and I got called out to the office,'' Doom said. ``My tone and inflections might have been too sarcastic.

``It's also all in the delivery, how you present it. You have to be fair.''

Educators agree that discussing multiple perspectives helps develop students' critical-thinking skills.

``Whether it's immigration, capital punishment, religion or the governor's special election, be sensitive and have a balanced approach in your presentation, because sarcasm sneaks in everywhere,'' Doom said. ``And laugh, so they know it's not personal and that you can agree to disagree.''

Gregg Solkovits, the social studies department chair at Monroe High School, said he weaves a lot of current events into his lessons and encourages the discussion of differing points of view.

``The idea is to get kids to think - not for us to proselytize. The last thing we need is to make 120 little copies of myself. That's a horrible thought,'' he said. ``Most teachers take presenting balanced information as pretty important.''

The accepted approach, according to state standards, is to present multiple perspectives on a particular issue. But the biggest challenge for the teacher is to find what appear to be objective accounts and different opinions on an issue, Hollins said.

While there's no hard-and-fast rule about teachers giving their own opinions in class, they should present evidence that both supports and contradicts that perspective. But they still run the risk of upsetting parents who hold different beliefs, Hollins said.

``The risk is of converting students to a particular point of view and that's not the purpose of schooling. High school students are very impressionable,'' she said.

Gail Leshaw, the parent of a sophomore at Taft High School, said as long as teachers are showing all the facts, she doesn't have a problem with them sharing their opinions with students.

``There are teachers who are human rights activists or very religious and they're saying things in class that definitely express who they're associated with, and they can't help but do that,'' Leshaw said.

``They're old enough at that point to know if they like what they hear or not and they should start thinking about forming their own opinions. Kids are like sponges, but they're smarter than you think at this stage.''

Though Keshishian was disappointed by the parent's complaint, he can't object to the fact that it showed she was involved in her child's studies.

``I wasn't willing to go to war over it because there are plenty of ways to teach bias in the media. I don't need 'Outfoxed,''' Keshishian said.

``In some respects, it's refreshing that a parent knows what is going on in the classroom and is paying attention. I respect that, and I'd rather have that than a parent who's oblivious or indifferent.''

Naush Boghossian, [phone]

naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Nick Doom, a government teacher at Clark High School in La Crescenta, welcomes discussion of various viewpoints. In his class is a photo taken with President Bush.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer