Brewing Bitterness in Public Schools

Schools should be steeping children with truth and knowledge, not hatred and divisiveness.

Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

I love a good cup of coffee. The rich aroma as it’s brewing awakens my senses and creates anticipation as I wait for the cycle to be complete and I can savor that first sip. As I was groggily waiting for my first cup the other morning, I thought about the process that would lead to the perfect brew. I started with clean, pure water free of contaminants and dirt. Then, I placed the coffee grounds in the filter. Once I pushed start the pure water flowed through the filter where every drop was altered as they came in contact with the ground coffee beans. The filter was so dense with coffee grounds, that water couldn't pass through without being affected. 

Though it was early and I hadn’t had my first sip yet, this process made me think about the way students are affected by the woke ideologies so prevalent in public schools today. Whether it’s asking white students to list their privileges, teaching students to look at children’s literature through a  “critical lens”, or depicting one group of students as the oppressors and another as the victims when discussing historical events, schools are teaching curricula so dense in social justice issues, every student’s thinking will inevitably be altered as they come in contact with it. 

Every family has unique values and beliefs, but most parents likely teach their children to be kind and respectful to others. In this sense, parents send their children to school as pure and “uncontaminated” by much of the divisiveness of the world. They anticipate schools immersing them in reading, writing, math, science, and history so they emerge changed and enriched by their content knowledge and academic skills. The majority of parents do not anticipate schools “brewing” poorly-educated social justice warriors instead of well-educated independent thinkers, but this is precisely what is happening.

When schools incorporate social justice lesson plans from organizations such as Learning For Justice, ThinkCERCA, and many others, the focus is not on the academic standards but on shaping young malleable minds to see immutable characteristics in others rather than seeing everyone as a unique individual. Contrary to what the creators and purveyors of these lessons profess, this does not cultivate compassion or understanding among students. These lessons brew bitterness in hearts and minds that were untainted previously. 

One friend’s middle school daughter was recently given a lesson in social studies class that stated, “Black Lives Matter! Please tell me in two to three sentences what you can do to help protect African Americans from discrimination and injustices.” These students are twelve and thirteen years old. Most don’t even truly understand the meaning of “injustice” nor do they naturally view their fellow students through the lens of race. This same sweet girl, who has always been taught to be kind to others, was told by a peer, “Asian lives matter and black lives matter, but white lives don’t matter.” She did not understand nor could she fathom why anyone would say such a thing. When the social studies curriculum refers to “white oppression” and “white supremacy” regularly, it is not hard to see where ideas like that take root. 

During a recent interview, Todd Bowles, the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was asked questions regarding race. His response to the reporter was, “We don’t look at what color we are when we coach against each other; we just know each other.” They continued to press the issue which led him to finally say, “I think the minute you guys stop making a big deal about it, everybody else will as well.” His comments likely represent the opinion of the majority of Americans. Unfortunately, children in public schools are a captive audience to the continual focus on race and they have become the target of divisive ideologies bent on destroying civil society united as Americans.

While I do love a good cup of coffee and I appreciate the way the rich flavor permeates throughout, I abhor the concept of steeping hatred, divisiveness, and prejudice in the tender young minds of children. Parents, caregivers, and educators must speak out against this before we witness a generation darkened by bitterness.