The Ironic Approach to Innocence

Does hiding the truth seek innocence within children? Often times, adultly figures tend to hold back on certain details of history in order to preserve innocence. Yet in the case of “The History Teacher” instead of yielding harsh details, he fabricated the information in order to still educate but in a way that would allow his students to remain at youth. Ironically, his teachings did the opposite of what he intended them to do and made no difference in relation to his students innocence. “The children would leave his classroom for the playground to torment the weak and the smart, mussing up their hair and breaking their glasses,” (Collins 14-17). The quote accurately represents the idea that by dumbing down history in order to maintain children’s freedom from the past does more harm than good. Students of the teacher most likely went on to bully others in result of their teacher being so focused on upholding his “duty” as a teacher. The teacher is blind to the fact that his students need more from him than just his educational lies in order to maintain their innocence. Teachers shouldn’t be obligated to just educate their students, but also teach them how to carry themselves throughout their life. For example, teaching them how to respect others may maintain their urge to cause conflict which ultimately takes away their innocence. In the case of the students, this most likely would have avoided their negative confrontation. The history teacher didn’t understand the concept behind innocence and the different ways to maintain it. His approach to shielding information was inappropriate as it was the incorrect way to uphold their youth which in the end hurt his students. Collins’ poem raises the idea about the appropriate way of protection and how it may affect others.