First, we hope that all are having a safe, happy and healthy holiday season, this day after Christmas, Boxing Day for some.
Today's program was a "Meet The Press" special edition focusing on schools in America, education and race, which of course included the 'controversial' critical race theory.(CRT). Our honest first reaction to all this 'controversy' about critical race theory is that it's a cynical, political red herring meant to further divide American communities.
As Columbia University professor Jelani Cobb explained, critical race theory is not taught in high schools. Hard stop.
But what critical race theory is being used for rhetorically is the supression of teaching high school students about slavery and its influence on our society, despite the better, more open understanding we have of it on a societal level.
In the report by NBC's Antonia Hilton, the firing of principal Dr. James Whitfield from Colleyville Heritage High School in Fort Worth is the direct product of this cynical effort, and an all white school board unanimously voting him out confirmed its effectiveness, giving license, but not cover, for veiled bigotry. The residual effect is the ridiculousness you heard from a school board member in Colorado explaining to teachers that if you present the evils of the Holocaust you should also present an opposing view. Really? This does not provide for the argument that parents should final say on what professional educators should be teaching in schools. Should parents be able to see the circulae outlined for their children, of course, and raise concerns.
Nikole Hannah-Jones, author of the 1619 project, correctly explained that CRT and her journalism have been weaponized. With regard to Ms. Hannah-Jones's work, as a journalist she asked important questions that reveled uncomfortable answers. She explained that the 1619 Project starts with when the year the first slaves were brought to Virginia and putting slavery and its effect at the center of the American story. Should this be the sole basis of teaching American history? Of course not. It would be incomplete just as eliminating the teaching of slavery and racism in our history would also leave it incomplete.
But make no mistake, to teach American history is to teach the truimphs, the defeats, the struggles, the decents, the advocates, the freedom, the slavery, the racism, the equality warts and all. However, here would be our caveat, context. Understanding that the founders knew they were imperfect and that in our short history, no other country has accomplished what we have. No doubt that it has been difficult, tragically so many times, but the progress that we've made in living as a multi-cultural society is not happening in any other place on earth to the degree of this young nation.
One more thing... In the midst of the hour's discussion about education and race in America, Mr. Todd showed statistics about teacher and education professional shortages. The losing of educational professionals in high schools writ large is being exaserbated by unreasonable attacks by parents, but it's really because teaching as a profession is stretched to the limit in most of the country. There is a distinct shortage of male teachers in the schools. Teachers aren't only educators, but also counselors, life coaches and part-time parents in some cases with their students. And what are they paid? In most cases throughout the country, not enough to make this profession your only job. Most teachers supplement their income with part-time work and buy a lot of their own school supplies. We could be wrong, but that might have something to do with it.
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