by Connie Briggs

A nightmare scenario is unfolding in American public schools today, driven by a minority of parents with loud voices and support from misguided legislators. Left unchecked, it could put at risk the education of our children and our freedoms to think and say what we feel.

 

Many teachers are cautious about what they can say and do in classrooms. They are not allowed to mention race, gender, bias, discrimination, oppression, or social justice. Social studies and history books are whitewashed, and current events can no longer be discussed because of “disturbing” content.

 

Any content that causes discomfort to any child is not allowed to be read aloud by the teacher or individually by your child in the classroom.  Because of the limits placed on discussion topics and book content, critical thinking opportunities are limited.

 

School library acquisitions are also closely monitored for content and the school can be fined $10,000 per day if a banned book is found on the shelves.  Parents can monitor their children and your children as well as the teacher through cameras placed in the classroom.  The teacher can be fined, reprimanded, and eventually fired if she strays from the curriculum, brings banned books into the classroom, or allows discussion of taboo topics.

 

This isn’t a scene from a dystopian novel.  This is America today. Several states have now passed legislation banning discussion of race, bias, privilege, discrimination, and oppression including Oklahoma where I live and spent part of my career. Neighboring Texas, where I have also worked, is considering a similar ban along with nearly 20 additional states.

 

Meanwhile, book-bans are increasingly commonplace across the nation. Experienced teachers are leaving the profession in droves and many schools, not being able to find certified teachers, are staffing with uncertified or alternatively certified teachers. Low pay is also driving people away creating the following kinds of scenarios:

 

Your child’s teacher has had only 6 weeks of teacher training. He or she may have no child development, classroom management, subject matter, or instructional methods coursework. She holds an undergraduate degree in finance.

 

Your child’s teacher did not take courses in specific subject matter or instructional methods knowledge. Curriculum content is now mandated by state legislators and pre-packaged, as scripted lessons. The teacher did not take child development courses because all grade-level instruction is based on a one-size-fits-all curriculum; each subject in each grade level is taught from the same lesson plan.

 

Who would want this job?

 

The limitations being imposed and proposed on education from elementary school to colleges of education in the US today will severely limit what and how children learn and, ultimately, democracy in our nation. Democratic societies cannot thrive unless children are educated as citizens with rights to fully participate.

 

In order to be thoughtful, critical-thinking, decision-making citizens, our children need to understand the full history of our nation and be able to understand and articulate all sides of an issue.  They need to experience and discuss societal issues through books, in a safe environment, before they face these issues in real life.

 

The fact is, many students today experience things like racism, sexism, and injustice in their lives, but these subjects are becoming taboo in the classroom. We’re reverting to an Orwellian world where truth is denied and buried, and we are told to believe what our own eyes tell us is not true. The damage to children is immeasurable.

 

Experienced teachers teach children and nurture the whole child in their care. Students deserve the best teachers who have committed themselves to teach by completing a full program of study at an accredited college of education and who have been mentored by experienced, knowledgeable teachers who understand that each child is unique in his or her development, strengths, needs, interests, and daily challenges.

 

These authoritarian trends have the potential to change the landscape of education and the nation. We all have to be aware of legislative mandates under consideration. We all have to question our school boards about freedom of speech and the rights of our children. Public education is for all students, not just the ones whose parents have the loudest voices.

 

Connie Briggs is a former classroom teacher and recently retired Literacy Education Professor