Let’s End Indoctrination In Wyoming Schools (OPINION)

In a recent article I read on WyoFile's website, author Katharine Collins advocated for moving Wyoming's schools "forward, not backwards"  with a "social justice education."

"Okay, I know, 'social justice education' conjures fears of indoctrination or brainwashing — teaching our kids that one particular narrow and intolerant view is the only possible way of seeing the world. "

"I believe that students of predominantly white rural backgrounds should be educated to compete in our rapidly changing world."

I'll point out first that there is nothing wrong with living a rural lifestyle. In fact, American's are moving out of the big cites in droves. Many people take their families far away form big city crime and failing schools to live in small towns with better schools. It is not the small town school that is inferior.

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Second, there is nothing wrong or that needs to be fixed with growing up white. That statement of hers is based on race and is flat out offensive. 

But she doesn't stop there. She went on to write: "Our students can be coached to consider controversial topics in the classroom. When we allow them to debate, do research and write essays they can reach their own conclusions as to whether white privilege or systemic racism exist. They can even probe for themselves whether Donald Trump will save the world from a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles, or whether President Joe Biden is senile and is being prompted through an earpiece by former President Obama."

This is a fantasy. When All Gore's Inconvenient Truth first came out school teachers across America where playing it in the classroom. When a documentary came out debunking Gore's assertions, hosted by many actually climatologist, teachers refused to play it. One example of many on how kid will not be allow to come to their own conclusions.

Phraseology like "moving forward, not backward," is meaningless. Forward to where? What if someone wants to go forward to a bad place or a big mistake? What if back where you came from was a better place to be? No, the grass is not always greener in the direction you are looking.

What bothers me most, beyond all of that, is here we have someone advocating for a "social justice education" in a public school. This is not what the public classroom is for.

Our public schools should not be training grounds for anyone's political or social philosophy or ideology. School is meant to teach math, science, writing skills, and the like. Simply put, those are not your kids. Leave their social and ideological belief system up to the parents.

This goes for both the left and the right. I had a lady call my morning show and demand that all "leftist indoctrination" be taken out of the schools. Then she went on to tell me how she thought we should bring prayer and the Bible back into the classroom. I asked her, "But then aren't you asking to indoctrinate kids into your own belief system?"

Because there is such a temptation to advance our own agenda on other people's kids I am a strong advocate for charter, private, and home schooling under a state school voucher program. That way each parent can choose what they want their kids to learn in the classroom.