Preserving Innocence or Setting Back A Child's Education?

In general, children tend to be portrayed as angels who are always happy and innocent. But do children fight on the playground?  Do they tease one another if they don't own the newest fad?  Do they argue over irrelevant things?  Of course they do.  So are they really that innocent?

Recently, we read "The History Teacher" by Billy Collins for English class. As far as the poem itself goes, it was wonderfully written; however, its topic is extremely controversial.  It is about a history teacher who, rather than telling the truth, teaches his young students incorrect information about historical events in order to preserve their "innocence".  He tells them that "the Enola Gay dropped one tiny atom on Japan" and "The War of the Roses took place in a garden" so they won't be exposed to the cruelties and casualties associated with actual wars and fighting.  But by doing this, is he really helping?

Children aren't as fragile as adults seem to think; they can grasp bigger concepts than most grown-ups realize.  Although telling them about the millions of people who died during World War II and other traumatic experiences that the world has experienced probably isn't a good idea, telling them blatant lies about what happened isn't the right thing to do either.  Children deserve to know the truth, no matter how young, and teaching false information would just confuse them when they grow up and are forced to learn the correct information.

What happened happened. It is what it is.  There is no justification for teaching the children false history since it isn't going to change what actually went on.