Public School!!! An EXTRA! for everyone!
Former teacher's spiel on the FB, wrote enough to want to share it here.
Well, hello all and sundry!
I know! You weren’t expecting to come by today for a visit, but I just wanted to share a RANT spiel I spent some time on today posting for friends on the, yes dreaded, Facebook. If you are living where I do, the USA, you will likely have some skin in the game when it comes to schools, particularly PUBLIC schools. If you don’t live here, even though you don’t have skin in this game, please hang with me, as I know you will have some input on something we ALL should be knowledgeable about: EDUCATION.
This is my process of coming to write my Facebook spiel post.
The first thing that led to today’s writing began with the sharing of this meme I re-shared on FB a couple days ago:
So, for the majority of this message (there are some things I would have clarified— ‘The client of the public school is not—just the parent,…’), I think most would agree that public schools should teach students what they need to know to navigate out in the world.
UNLESS…one believes that public schools are here for child indoctrination rather than teaching critical thinking skills, are performing sex alterations and ‘surgeries’ rather than teaching acceptance of human difference and choice, instructing one race to hate another rather than teaching ways to be aware of and understand the atrocities man has done to man, are making children feel guilt about these heinous histories rather than to have empathy so as to not repeat these wrongs, or a number of other ‘theories’ spewing from political parties (though we all know it’s just one party). Even those most unfounded and crazed like: teaching our young ones how to use a litter box. Lord, have mercy!
As one who attended school from kindergarten through college, NEVER have I felt I was being pressured, or indoctrinated, to do anything but learn to live in an ever-changing world, listen and learn from various perspectives, see the world outside of my own small-Montana-town bubble, and exhibit the ability to, with curiosity and compassion, make my own way in a diverse world of human beings as a contributing and empathizing member of humanity. And, I MUST add, to interact with all others in LOVE, not hate.
As a teacher, for many years, in the public school system, I have also NEVER taught my students any differently. Now, did I make mistakes? Of course! The mistakes (those arising from misconceptions and ignorance) came as a result of my coming from a VERY white demographic to a VERY diverse one. Societally inappropriate assumptions were made. In my time, we called them, faux pas; today one would say, “Damn, Miss…you messed up!” Well, you bet I did! Did I remedy those errors? Yes. Have I made sure that those mistakes were NOT EVER repeated again? YES! I had a lot to learn that the white caps of Montana didn’t teach me.
My multiple errors, I came to see quite clearly, came NOT from what I was or wasn’t taught in school, ALL of them came from the lessons I learned from hearing and observing those in the communities I grew up in—family, neighbors, and friends. These ideas, after great examination, were largely based in a personal education, came from a generational inheritance, and were constructed on a foundation of judgment, ego, and the better-than mentality of those who passed them on. Not all were structured high on hate and indifference, but on good ol’ fear and ignorance. The craziest part is that 99% of these passed on ideologies were WRONG, flat out speculative, and very misinformed. Yet, they were there, until I learned better.
So, it wasn’t my public school education that failed me (though there could have been a more in-depth, and diverse curriculum), it was the darkened ideas within the hearts of many of the people I knew and, often, loved, who miseducated.
Now, why have I expressed all of this? Well, sometimes the comments received on social media posts really get to me, and by me, I mean my heart.
I do, and will, defend our public school system, though I am quite aware of its failings and flaws. There are major changes that should occur to equitably fund and run our public schools no matter where they are located, for one. I do, and will MOST definitely defend the performances of the MAJORITY of our students. I am well aware of those students who do not participate in their own educations to the extent that they don’t even graduate, and that is a heartbreaking reality, however a very real choice that they make. I especially get on the defensive when comments regarding our schools get too unjustly critical. For instance, to have our public schools considered, more so currently, as a place only for the production of the poorly educated, and a place that only ever produces the least successful of our society, well, my momma hen feathers do get raised!
So, when the comment I’m about to share was left on my meme post, not that it is all unfounded (there are flaws in the public school system; there are flaws in every type of school system, I might add), I did find myself in a bit of angst and a little more than filled with disappointment (it was coming from a fellow Christian in our community). I’ll be honest, I did want to Mother Hen attack!
Well, I’ll share it so that you can read it, and let me know what you think. Knowing how I feel about public education and my students, should this have gotten my feathers in a ruff?
Here it is:
I did not reply. I really didn’t want to be in a battle over what is GOOD about our public schools, and our students, until I had a sleep on it.
(And….I SOOOO wanted to address ‘Society is made up of the people, this is the American citizen and families.’ Do you taste the added better-than bitterness of racism like I did? Our schools are educating the children of those who do not YET have citizenship. Maybe, this explains, a bit more, why they want their kids in a private school setting?🤔 ) Ugggh.
Then, this morning, a separate post was made by a wonderful friend from college, who is a teacher in Idaho, on her own FB page. She has been under vicious attack (since the former president took office) from people in and outside of her community for ‘indoctrinating’ students; I suspect it’s because she is married to a woman. Well, she shared a post that her school district had put on its FB page showcasing the incredible art work being produced by her student’s in her advanced art class. Each piece of art is a portrait and each is stunning; truly an example of incredible talent and, teaching, I would say.
She wrote, “Thought I would share some of the indoctrination of my students that I’ve been up to lately.”
After seeing her post and with my thoughts still on the meme comment above, I decided to write the following, because it was on my mind. (Yes, I started off just a tad cheeky.)
A dear friend from college is sharing how she is fitting in indoctrination into her public school's art curriculum. 🎨🖼🖌👍👏
Public school teachers ARE BUSY!! How they manage to fit in the ‘surgeries’ being done and the ‘mind altering’ of their students before they send them home is TRULY SOMETHING! 🤯😳😵🥴😬😖
Public schools may have problems, but they continue to educate and the MAJORITY of students go on to be the BEST they can be and contribute very well to our communities!
Just the other day, I saw former public school students working at a local restaurant, posting about their job as a JAG lawyer, having a 5 year anniversary as Preacher, raising and teaching their kiddos to read-play ball-swim, running a non-profit that helps others in their community, changing tires for customers at Discount Tire, managing HEB, being a doula for an expecting family, giving the homeless haircuts on their day off from their salon, selling a home to a first-time home buyer, interviewing our Vice President, taking blood for patients at our local clinic, working in marketing in Europe, giving 3-D ultrasounds for excited parents- to-be, running a mission in Cambodia to teach the message and love of Jesus....I could go on, and on...
***Former students—You know who you are on this list!!! I may have missed some of you…didn’t mean to! Mrs. Gray is on a role and this is getting long! LOL Leave what you are doing in the comments please!
Oh, yes...
Funding IS a problem!
Lack of parental and student accountability is a problem.
Supporting teachers so they CAN do the best for ALL students is a problem.
Forcing dumbed down curriculum changes by our state politicians is a problem.It is ALL a problem because a certain sect of society WANTS it to be,
and YET....
AMAZING teachers, EVERYDAY, push to educate their students and give them the BEST education so these kids can get out into the world and SUCCEED!!Send your kids to private school, if you choose (this is GREAT, TOO!), but be a good neighbor and do what you can to be sure that the kid next door attending Public school gets a great education as well!
We don't have kids in our district's school, but we do our part in paying taxes to support our neighbor's kids and everyone's kids who are going there now. We participate in school drives and fundraisers anytime we have the chance. As former educators, we are glad to support our community's schools, and the rest of its public services, even if we don't use them, because our neighbor just might!
I'm sure it's what Jesus would do.
That's my sermon for the day.
*Be a good neighbor.
*Do for others before doing for ourselves.
*Encourage each other for the GOOD of each other.
*A little mercy, love, and grace can benefit EVERYONE.
*You don't have to know Jesus, to be worthy of KINDNESS, COMPASSION, AND LOVE!Have a blessed weekend! And, don't forget to give some love to your neighbor: kid, teacher, or otherwise!
Love y'all!
Well, not sure if anything I said will make a difference to, well, anyone. I do hope it does inspire some expanded thinking and, more so, a move to be more loving of our neighbor (a citizen or otherwise).
If you are still with me, THANK YOU for hanging in, listening, and allowing to get some tension off of my chest! You are AMAZING and I am so very GRATEFUL you are here!
Let’s speak up for the GOOD that is in our world and speak out against those ideas that would be quite okay with having us stay stuck in the BAD.
We don’t have to agree on everything—but we do NEED to LOVE our neighbor!
Many blessings and MUCH LOVE,
~Wendy💜
PS— Oh, here is an interesting dissertation done on conspiracy theories in education. It was eye opening!
I was GLUED to this!!! What a bada** Wendy! Preach!!!! 🙌🙌🙌🙌
It’s all about being a good neighbor for sure!!! Great read Wendy - public schools are important and I believe teachers should be paid more!!!