D.C. middle school class asked to compare George W. Bush and Hitler
Though George W. Bush is oft cited as the most unpopular president in modern history, it's unlikely that most Americans would go so far as to compare him to Adolf Hitler. But that's exactly what one Washington, D.C. teacher asked a sixth-grade class to do for an assignment exploring war and peace.
Sending students home with a Venn Diagram, the educator at McKinley Middle School provided these instructions: "Now that we have read about two men of power who abused their power in various ways, we will compare and contrast them and their actions. Please refer to your texts 'Fighting Hitler - a Holocaust story' and 'Bush: Iraq War Justified Despite No WMD' to compare and contrast former President George W. Bush and Hitler. We will use this in class tomorrow for an activity!"
One parent who posted a picture of the worksheet on social media told the Washington Times he thought it was "just not right" to liken to "an American president" the man who orchestrated the genocide of tens of millions of people he deemed racially inferior. "I didn't agree with Mr. Bush or his policies," he said, "but that was over the line."
D.C. Public Schools released a statement explaining that the readings were approved as part of an instructional unit "allowing students to explore different perspectives and determine when conflict is warranted, and when peace should prevail." The teacher's use of the texts for that particular assignment, the statement went on, in no way reflects the school system's curriculum materials.
"The teacher deeply regrets this mistake, and any suggestion to malign the presidency or make any comparison in this egregious way," it read. "The teacher admits to extremely poor judgment and short sightedness and will apologize to students. The school will also send a letter home to families explaining the incident and offering to address any additional questions should they arise."
