We've all spent time in a #classroom. We can visualize the school desks, tables, lockers, gymnasiums, and cafeterias. We can typically conjure up similar memories of starting kindergarten. Some of us were excited and enamored with the colors and activity, while others were anxious and clung to our parents' legs. We remember the little rug at the front of the room, the teacher reading aloud from her adult-sized chair, and a group of children attempting to sit still long enough to hear the title of the book. We see the alphabet letters (remember Mr. Tall Tooth—T?) and the large glossy numbers posted around the room, reminding us of the language we are learning, with some of us struggling more than others to memorize these symbols. Most of us even remember the joy of reading our first book aloud, when the mystery of the symbols finally made sense.
Given these shared experiences, why do so many people feel they are knowledgeable enough to solve the complex issues of #education without the professional background? In the United States, and even elsewhere, we share a common vision of "#publicschool." While there are minor differences and unique traditions, we all relate to what it means to go to school. These experiences and memories, both good and bad, are shared with almost any other person, regardless of their age.
Perhaps this shared experience is why so many people have strong opinions about the challenges and solutions to current school issues. Parents with no experience as educators suddenly become academic wizards when their children struggle in school. It's as if attending public school makes one an expert, rather than valuing the professionals with training and experience. It would be humorous if it weren’t so damaging and #disrespectful.
Turn on the local news, and you’ll see parents at school board meetings lecturing about "porn" in school libraries and the "indoctrination" of children through critical race theory. Rather than simply requesting their child not check out a specific book, they want to remove the book for all students, essentially making decisions about what is appropriate for the school and for other parents. #Books that have been available to students for years are suddenly offensive. When did we consent to let other parents take over these decisions for the rest of us?
Consider the case of Courtney Gore, a Granbury ISD #schoolboard member in Texas. She ran on a platform of removing sexuality and race from her local school district by restoring “Christian values.” After the election, she spent hours reviewing #schoolcurriculum materials and was shocked to find... nothing! No effort to indoctrinate children, no sexually explicit materials, no evidence of teachers pushing critical race theory. The issues she pledged to "fix" didn’t exist. She then shared this information with constituents, revealing that her backers were using divisive rhetoric to manipulate the community’s emotions, interested not in improving public education but in sowing distrust. It’s almost like there are political movements throwing money at discrediting teachers and public schools to privatize and profit from them (cough, cough).
When I was a teacher, I often said that “parents are the experts of their children.” If I needed to understand something a child was doing, I would call their parents for insight. By the same token, it’s time we reaffirm that “teachers are the experts in the classroom.” It’s normal to disagree with some school or teacher actions, but we must trust the #realexperts far more than we question them. We need to give teachers the benefit of the doubt and communicate directly rather than believing the latest tall tale about schools sparked by #socialwars.
Everything within education seems controversial these days. I’ve found that almost any educational topic posted on social media attracts "experts" who claim to know exactly what teachers and students experience daily because they were once students themselves. Many comments echo the outdated saying, “those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” It’s absurd. It’s surprising many members of the public don’t seem to understand why so many are leaving the teaching profession. A more appropriate saying might be, “those who can teach; those who can’t, complain.”
Let’s start a movement to respond truthfully to these comments when we encounter them online, on talk radio, or from friends. A simple, “How do you know that’s really happening?” or “I’m glad you’re concerned. Perhaps you could run for the school board and be part of the solution” can effectively silence those claiming expertise on today’s schools. The worst-case scenario is they run and get elected. The best part? They might actually learn something. Isn’t that what getting an education is all about?
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