A Matter Of Legitimacy In Our Schools – Trust Needs To Be Earned

Along with the government entities we see attacking our Constitutional freedoms, there is the same crisis going on in our schools. COVID 19 saw our nation’s children, relegated to a zoom screen, with parents looking over their shoulder, trying to figure out what was actually being taught. The outcome was both eye opening and frightening.

The woke ideology, that has pervaded our schools was finally uncovered, in many cases, critical race theory was among the leading cause for parents’ outcry. For the first time parents experienced the seeded indoctrination in extraconstitutional (often socialist) information, that was being provided to their children, taking precedent over and even subverting hard core subjects that include classical education studies.

In this interview Bill Bennett, Former Education Secretary, discusses the fact that parents were thrust into uncovering what was being actually taught and seeing the lack of objective studies such as math, science, history and so on that were not being addressed well. Hence, this same crisis of legitimacy in schools was finally identified. Parents became distrustful of teachers, at least some teachers, and are much more vigilant now, with regard to their children’s education.

While reportedly there is a shortage of teachers, the truth is there is a shortage of respect for teachers by parents that relates directly to what has been uncovered. Teachers unions, support respect for teachers in the absence of proven work output in the lives of students. They do not understand the concept, and are often opposed to, the idea that parents are really in charge.

America’s children are not theirs and not the schools to ultimately educate. Parents have the final say. In many places school choice is the preferred method, of sending a clear no-vote to government schools, that cling to their unionized and often liberally progressive ideologies.

More parents are involved in their children’s education, than ever before, and as Bennett notes in recent polls, parents have more confidence in the Republican Party’s efforts to see change for their children than ever before in history.

In his recent tweet, Biden’s Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, misses the mark in addressing the current so-called shortage by stating –

“to address the teacher shortage issue, we must Address the teacher respect issue in our country. We must stop normalizing providing teachers with inadequate resources to be successful”

- Education Secretary Miguel Cardona

Cardona does not even begin to address the catastrophic losses America’s children have experienced as a result of school-time in lock down. Nor does he discuss a plan to regain this significantly lost ground – instead he mouths the union mantra of required  “teacher respect”. Cardona and the teacher’s unions need to get in step with the idea that - respect has to be earned.

It is not something a parent can just hand out - with their children, especially in this constitutionally bereft circumstance, that exists in our public schools at present. Parents must ask what is being taught (what is the objective) and show me what my children will be expected to read and absorb. This needs to be covered in every subject taught. Any teacher or school that hedges answering those questions should be suspect. A good teacher welcomes the interest and help of a concerned parent – or should.

Further indoctrination in an ideology, that is not in keeping with a parent's own belief system, is no longer just acceptable. America values its children too much, just to lose them to a culture bereft of traditional family values. For parents, efforts to achieve school choice - is the new instrument of change, as many parents move their children out of government schools into private schools, public charters, cooperative schools and homeschool. Parents are making active choices for their children – not the teachers unions.

“Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.”

-Edward Everett
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