EDUCATIONAL REFORM: THE TIME IS NOW
“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” Margaret Mead
I began my teaching career in 1971 and was unceremoniously fired in 2017. Summarizing the decline of America’s education system over those 46 years would be nearly impossible, but one fact captures the essence: in 1971, the U.S. was ranked fifth in the world for educating our children. Back in the mid-1960s, we were the best. So, what went wrong? According to Snopes, since the founding of the Department of Education in 1979, the U.S. has fallen from first to 24th place globally in education.
Pronouns, cross-dressing, biological boys in girls' bathrooms, and a range of liberal ideologies have increasingly shaped American education, which has been turned upside down. How much longer will the children of this nation remain victims of a cultural elite bent on teaching them what to think instead of how to think? The time for real educational reform is now. What we fail to change today is what we are choosing for our children’s future.
Why is America 27th in the world (according to Business Insider) when it comes to educating our children? As a 46-year veteran teacher, allow me to count the ways:
America’s universities are failing to provide practical, real-world teacher training.
Parents, often quick to complain and rarely held accountable by those in authority, take pride in driving teachers out of the profession.
Ineffective administrators, struggling to handle today’s challenges, are either unwilling or unable to support their staff.
Teachers who enter the profession for the wrong reasons are replacing those who truly became educators to serve our children.
Left-wing ideologues, with an agenda to redefine democracy through its most vulnerable citizens, should have no voice in education.
School boards that merely rubber-stamp decisions or fail to act are undermining school districts nationwide.
Confrontational and violent students force teachers to make career choices: change schools or leave the profession.
A country who accepts low pay and poor working conditions for teachers as the norm cannot expect positive outcomes in education.
When education is not prioritized, mediocrity will eventually permeate the workforce, from entry-level jobs to top executives.
Leaders in power, who could make a difference but choose not to, will continue to proclaim educational success, even as the reality of failure remains.
I’m one of those “crazy” teachers who truly believes I can change the world by first making educational reform a priority. But transforming our failing education system will require all hands on deck. Translation: if you’re reading this and choose to do nothing, you’re part of the problem! I will define, address, and offer solutions to the 10 key issues mentioned. Stay tuned.
