Segregation is alive and well and rearing its ugly head in the public schools of America. As I write this, my district is conducting interviews—not for a new teacher to help instruct our children, not inspections of new curriculum to help support students (we have not had an English curriculum adoption in my 24 years of working at my district) but to hire an assistant to our “DEI” executive director. Seemingly, we are not doing well enough at diversity, equity, and inclusion, so we must fortify the efforts.
Not only is this happening at the district administration level, but a student “council”—or perhaps a “tribunal,” of sorts—has been formed to be a voice for all who experience racism in our district. West Point Military Academy was just in the news regarding these student counsels—worth a look to see how they are working there. CRT is alive and well even in the most well-meaning of schools. Teachers fresh out of college can’t help themselves and, even though they may be white, will expound on how there is not enough “color” in their schools (I do wonder if they would give up their job in the name of inclusion?).
As a teacher ready to abandon a 24-year career so as to go into the private sector to actually educate kids—any and all kids—I must say that the effects of this new doctrine are already taking a toll.
Currently, I teach an honors course; any student may sign up for the class. In past years, all students regardless of race, color, religion, or orientation, would work diligently within the rigorous curriculum. Each and every student took pride in their learning; they made no excuses. Failure was seen as learning, and most ended up passing with an intrinsic sense of success.
Unfortunately, this is quickly becoming the exception and not the rule. We are teaching students that all outcomes need to be equal so therefore they can make up an excuse as to why they can’t instead of striving for the “I can.” Teachers are “asked” to make special dispensations for some students (in the form of excusing work or padding a grade). We truly have arrived at the “soft bigotry of low expectations.” Put COVID-19 in the mix and we have created a recipe for academic disaster.
It is time for parents to stop the fear of being “canceled” and start stepping into school board meetings. Remember, you pay their salary. Be diligent as to what is being taught to your kids no matter the subject—if “it” has the word “equity” in it, whatever “it” is isn’t good. The other course of action is to take your kids out of school and homeschool (many private schools are buying into CRT as well, so they are not necessarily “safe”). Commonly, parents will say, “I work; I can’t. I am not a teacher.” Believe me, at this point in time, you are most likely better than many of the teachers out there—many amazing teachers are leaving public schools. Find like-minded people, start a co-op, trade times with other parents. What most parents don’t know is that you can do fantastic things with kids in a quarter of the time it takes to get the 15 minutes of reading (I think we still teach reading?) and 20 minutes of math (oh, wait, that is now racist) in a public school classroom.
Consequently, time is of the essence to stop the current indoctrination of our youth. Much easier to fight back now than when this fierce monster grows to epidemic proportions—and we are fastly approaching this time. The teachers’ unions are not on the side of the parents and will try to tell you that you are a racist and want school segregation again if you leave public schools. However, I might ask them then, why are the teachers who belong to these unions segregating kids in their classrooms by color? Funny, we were never allowed to do that based on their character.
Hill, MA Ed.
Washington
