Over at BigGovernment.com there is a story on a proposed program for new teachers in the state of Minnesota. One of the prerequisites is to fully accept that America sucks or go through remediation.
What’s the task force’s main recommendation? That new teachers be immersed in a liberal political agenda that’s highly critical of American social norms, particularly the notion that all people can positively influence their own destiny through hard work and determination.
The task force “recommended that aspiring teachers must repudiate the notion of the ‘American Dream’ and instead “must embrace – and be prepared to teach our state’s kids – the task force’s own vision of America as an oppressive hellhole: racist, sexist and homophobic,” according to writer Katherine Kersten of the Star Tribune.
“The report advocates making race, class and gender politics the ‘overarching framework’ for all teaching courses at the university,” Kersten wrote. “It calls for evaluating future teachers in both coursework and practice teaching, based on their willingness to fall into intellectual lockstep.”
The task force recommends that prospective teachers begin by confessing their own bigotry. They would have to prepare a report “describing their own prejudices and stereotypes, questioning their ‘cultural motives’ for wishing to become teachers, and take a ‘cultural intelligence’ assessment designed to ferret out their latent racism, classism and other ‘isms,’” according to the newspaper.
More than anything, “future teachers must. . . recognize and denounce the fundamental injustices at the heart of American society,” the article said.
What about those prospective teachers who refuse to fall into “intellectual lockstep?” After all, there’s bound to be a stubborn conservative or two who think America’s a pretty decent place to live, work and raise a family.
For them, the university “must develop clear steps and procedures. . . including a remediation plan,” the report said.
Good Lord.
FIRE has the report here.
Pardon me if I want my teachers to believe that America is a special place where people can be whatever they want to be and that the American Dream is not only still alive, but worth chasing.
Liberals have been working this angle for decades. This is one of the main reasons the left opposes private schools, vouchers and homeschooling. They can’t control the message. And as we all know, if you can get the message to the youth, you have gotten the message to the future.
I remember when I was in elementary school how the message was switched from America as a melting pot to America as a salad bar. The idea was that people didn’t come to America and assimilate, but came to America and stayed the same as they were when they came to America.
Sorry, but that bit of indoctrination just didn’t stick.
This is one of the many reasons my wife and I have chosen to homeschool our children. I can choose history books like Winston Churchill’s “The Great Republic” rather than have Howard Zinn write the public school textbook.
Take control of your children’s education, people, or someone else will.
Teachers play an important role in our children’s education. The government must give them importance because they are a significant part of the society.
Teachers play an important role in our children’s education. The government must give them importance because they are a significant part of the society.