THE CASE OF THE CAPTURED CHILD IN AMERICA'S CLASSROOMS (Part V)
Dance like no one is watching but teach like everyone is watching because they are.
EVERYBODY’S WATCHING!
This series began February 19, 2023. You are encouraged to review all previous four blogs/podcasts for reference. “Captured child” is any student forced to absorb propaganda from one ideological sway. These children do not have the means nor the courage to get up and leave the classroom in the midst of subject matter contrary to their belief system, culture or faith. They are truly a captured audience. American education is under the microscope and everybody should be watching!
In my research, two facts surprised me the most:
A national test given to Christian students showed that 90 percent of students from Christian homes, attending public school, scored in a range that indicates their views are firmly grounded in basic tenets of secularism.
The courts state no student should be forced to participate in any subject that offends their religious sensibilities. Therefore, schools must allow students the option not to participate.
First surprise? The United States is credited with being the first explicitly secular nation, not only in the West but in the entire world. No coincidence most of today’s students, parents and teachers embrace secularism in the classroom. Let’s be clear. Worshipping God in the public schools is not on my wish list for improving our declining school system. What surprised me is that our public schools are able to change the thinking of students of faith. That is not a concern for those who are atheist or agnostic in our country (about 29.5% in 2018). But for those 63% in 2021 who identify as Christian, it should be a wake up call. If you raise your child in the precepts of the existence of God and the creation of the universe by that same God (common traits in Christianity, Judaism, Islam), more than likely those concepts will be diminished or even erased after your children attend public schools. What is the solution?
PARENTS: It is paramount for parents of faith to share their culture and beliefs with their children at the earliest age possible. The idea that children will make up their own minds as what to believe is based on the fallacy that children will receive balanced instruction and then be able to thoughtfully weigh their options. Sharing culture/faith does not end when children enter the public school arena. Keeping children’s belief systems alive throughout their years of public school education must be one of the highest priorities for parents. How can you make sure your child is not captured in the classroom?
Ask questions daily (suggestions from iMom): Which class was the most interesting? Why? Who showed kindness today? What do you think your teacher likes most about you? your class? In other words, avoid asking “yes” or “no” questions or the classic “how was school today?”
Check homework daily to ensure subjects are not laced with subject matter contrary to your belief system.
Make your school district accountable. Start with the teacher and ask questions. Avoid a confrontational email and treat all staff with the utmost respect. If you do not feel satisfied, seek a meeting with both the teacher and an administrator. And yes, you can go all the way to the school board and superintendent!
STUDENTS: If you have a belief system, stand up for it. You have the right to do so, guaranteed by the Constitution and reinforced through legal battles fought in America’s court system. Feeling uncomfortable about the subject matter? Talk to your parents, teacher, school counselor or administrator.
TEACHERS: I’ll state it again. No child should ever feel uncomfortable in your classroom. Our teachers should don the virtual superhero mentality and demonstrate daily the champion mindset for all their students. Be transparent and encourage parental involvement. Know your audience! There is nothing worse than blindsided confrontations with an irate _____________ (insert the faith name) parent when you were not even aware of the child’s culture or faith. Have courage to ask parents if there is anything about their faith or culture you should be made aware. Teach like everyone is watching. Communicate as if it will be read aloud at a school board meeting. Your classroom is a sanctuary for learning and not a platform for sharing your political or ideological view points.
ADMINISTRATORS: You hold the keys to everyone’s success. The parent needs to feel heard, the students should look forward to all their classes, and teachers need your support when navigating those sometimes treacherous waters of subject matter.
And the second surprise? If the courts support students not participating in subjects which offend their religious sensibilities, why aren’t faith-based parents demanding this of the public schools? If these secular classrooms have the power to change the thinking of faith-based students, why aren’t parents more proactive in having their children sit out of any classroom discussion where Christian, Islamic, Judaic moral codes are negatively slanted at best or demeaned at worst?
TEACHABLE MOMENTS
I included “teachable moments” throughout my book RESCUE THE TEACHER, SAVE THE CHILD! I learned valuable lessons throughout my career, mostly from making mistakes through false assumptions or not walking in the shoes of my students. One of my first lessons as a new teacher? When I canceled a holiday program and substituted it with a musical about being kind to one another, the Christian community complained loudly. I asked Christian, Muslim and Buddhist parents, all who had children in the school, to help me format a December program where no one could be offended. They declined to become involved. So I developed a December holiday program based on my best teaching practices. If a student declined to participate, I visited with the parents to seek a way the student could still be involved. The parents appreciated the proactive stance thus guaranteeing an agreed compromise.
How do we ensure all children feel comfortable in America’s classrooms?
Be transparent. I had an administrator who gave me this wonderful advice. If you have to ask if it’s okay to say or do something with your students, it probably isn’t.
Teachers: deliver subject matter as if the parent is sitting in the room. Administrators: if you try to conceal what is happening in the classroom, you will arouse even more suspicion. In turn, you will have an unending line forming at your office door if parents feel their children are being used to forge a counter-culture agenda.
Ask questions. Know the demographics of your school district which will help you to know your audience. I recently ran a poll on the app NextDoor. As a retired educator, I was curious about the environment of our local schools. Here are the very unscientific results:
Are the area schools pushing a secular progressive agenda? 51% said yes.
Do faith-based students experience a balanced curriculum? 12% answered yes.
Should faith-based students not attend public schools? 14% said yes.
Is gender fluidity a part of the curricula? 5% answered yes. *
*Our state board of education calls for social studies standards to reflect the history, cultures and social contributions of specific groups including LGBTQ people.
Do children experience racism in area schools? 18% answered affirmative.
You may discern what you will. I live in a small town south of Denver, Colorado with these demographics: There are almost 42,000 residents, with a median age of 43. Over 90% are born citizens while non-US-born citizens account for almost 8%. The average household income is $125,702. There are 28% with a Bachelor’s Degree and 24% with a Graduate Degree.
What is curious about these questions? According to replies from my neighbors, I must be a left-wing activist, pushing a right-winged ideology of banning books, making children worship God in the public schools and that I believe all public schools and teachers are bad. This from five questions! We are now a nation of conspiracy theories, chasmal partisan division and quite frankly, unabated anger. As George Bernard Shaw stated so long ago, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”
Don’t be afraid of competition. Bill Gates: "Whether it's Google or Apple or free software, we've got some fantastic competitors and it keeps us on our toes." Tim Cook: "The reality is, is that we love competition, at Apple; we think it makes us all better.” John Mackey: "It's competition that forces companies to get out of their complacency.”
I believe our public schools are complacent. If America’s school systems could better emulate competitive business models, could our children benefit? Here are the two words which bring either light or darkness to the souls of those in education: School Choice. Many believe this could be the end to public education. A Harvard study claims school choice widens inequity for students and there is little evidence that children learn more. The study was done in 1995. But what if school choice made the public schools better because it would push those schools to compete for students and dollars? According to the Heritage Foundation, School Choice is winning. Covid could be one of the main reasons for the success of school choice. Several of our local charter and private schools never shut down through Covid. Those schools are not experiencing the two year learning gap that much of America’s public schools deal with almost daily.
What if schools geared their curricula to recruit students and dollars thus forcing the status quo schools to up their game? And how would this impact the captured child? Parents would have the right (and the state moneys) to search out schools which would best accommodate their children. This works both ways. If parents wish gender fluidity, early sexualization and critical race theory taught to their children, there would be designated schools. If parents wanted schools where their children’s culture and faith would be respected (again, NOT taught), there would be schools designed to meet those needs.
From Rescue the Teacher, Save the Child!: The platitude of “putting kids first” weaves itself through most curriculum discussions. Let’s make sure the slogan does not appear as a clever caption on a school district’s website. The future of this country lies in the next generation as they journey through their first 13 years of public school education.
America needs to get back to educating our children in those subjects which will prepare them for a legitimate place in our evolving world. Whether students aspire to professional degrees or supporting our labor force, the future is entirely dependent on how our children achieve in the classroom. Give them the education they deserve and not the dogma of those whose ambition is to alter America through the innocence of its children.