Using Lies My Teacher Told Me
In the College Classroom
Lies My Teacher Told Me can be used in courses in education, sociology, history, English, philosophy, religion, and more.
Prof. Stephen Berrey moderates “Teaching with Lies My Teacher Told Me,” a discussion list for professors who have used the book. We invite professors to tell what use they’ve made of Lies My Teacher Told Me.
As a Common Read
Lies My Teacher Told Me can be used as a common reading for entering college students and other groups of students.
More and more campuses are adopting a common reading for all entering students in a given year. Typically they send it to every first-year student during the summer, along with a letter revealing why the student-faculty-staff committee chose it, suggesting some questions to ponder while reading it, and telling how the book will be used during the coming school year. Sending the book usually increases yield – the proportion of admitted students who wind up attending. Students infer that the college cares enough about them to give them a book, along with an interesting letter. So, admissions offices really like the idea. Usually the book becomes a centerpiece of freshman orientation, where it provides students with something in common, making it easier for them to talk with each other and for faculty members to engage them, and adds an intellectual tone to what otherwise can be a rather empty event. The National Association of Scholars researched common reads; is a useful introduction.