Carisa Corrow of Penacook is co-author of “126 Falsehoods We Believe About Education” and founder of Educating for Good.
I’m always cautious to lean on the writings and work of this country’s Founding Fathers. Most of them were not the most upstanding human beings, despite what they wrote.
Nevertheless, they were activists working for a cause. They had a mission, a campaign, tactics like the Boston Tea Party and slogans like “No taxation without Representation.”
So, I’m not sure why Commissioner Edelblut is so afraid of teachers as activists as he noted in his recent op-ed. We’ve been training students to admire our Founding Fathers, young male activists, with no critique for centuries. Why are we suddenly interested in labeling activism as a bad thing now?
Why can’t teachers publicly fight for their beliefs and causes? Aren’t they modeling the behavior we want to see in the world? Or are they only allowed to be vocal on issues the current administration agrees with, which isn’t necessarily activism, is it?
Thomas Jefferson said, “The tax which will be paid for the purpose of education is not more than the thousandth part of what will be paid to kings, priests and nobles who will rise up among us if we leave the people in ignorance.”
We need teachers as activists who will fight for quality, inclusive education that exposes kids to different perspectives and ways of being so they can figure out how they want to walk in the world.
We need teachers as activists and more of them, because this world, this country, this state has some really big problems like poverty, pollution and politicians like Commissioner Edelblut who are attempting to use rhetoric to pit community members against public schools to push his personal “family values.”
This is not how democracy works. This is not how we create an informed citizenry. If we were ever to listen to Thomas Jefferson, it’s on this topic.
Education is making a big shift where teachers are providing kids opportunities to practice how to think, no longer just telling them what to think. And ironically, that might mean questioning the motives, thinking and actions of those who founded this country.
We’re in a battle for the future of public education because folks like Commissioner Edelblut have risen to power just like Jefferson predicted. We’ve underfunded and under-resourced public education so much so that it’s easy to convince some people that activism is a four-letter word.
Regardless of their initial motives, activists formed this country and left us tools for other activists to change this country for the better. Let’s use them.
Thank you to all the teachers who continue to educate themselves and learners about injustice, and provide opportunities for open, honest dialogue and problem-solving. We need you more than ever.