We did that in Mr. Taylor’s class, too. I didn’t think it was that big a deal; that’s just the way I naturally thought. I rarely accepted what I read at face value, I was always looking for an agenda. Either I’m paranoid or just a natural critical thinker. I have to bite my tongue when I watch the news with Mrs. henkster; my analysis is often a little too critical for her.
That wasn’t the way I naturally thought. I was a nice, obedient daughter who didn’t argue with my parents, didn’t argue in school, and got straight A’s by repeating what I was taught.
I started learning to think in Capt. Mitchell’s class. I remember when my friend and I both got A’s on an essay test, even though we’d given opposite answers to the question, because we both backed our answers with information from the chapter. The same information, in fact! It emphasized something OldTax-lady likes to say, “Always be positive, even if you’re wrong.”
I’m mighty critical and cynical about a lot of things here in my middle age. I try not to emphasize the negative too much with my children. They’ll learn it when they need it.