Given the role teachers play in adapting curricular texts to their students' needs, this research aims to analyze the perspectives of two groups of Chilean history teachers regarding the civic education content referring to public space, as presented in the study program and textbooks established for the subject of Education and Citizenship in secondary education. Through two case studies, the tension between these teachers’ understandings and experiences, and the content of these texts, is highlighted. Specifically, they criticize the emphasis on state institutions, which limits the understanding of the public sphere as an autonomous area where citizens should resolve social conflicts, including those between citizens and the state itself. However, rather than rejecting these materials, they value their contributions on topics such as citizen participation in local territorial spaces, as these help them integrate a variety of perspectives into their teaching on a topic they consider complex, but essential for students to discuss as part of their civic education.