Do we know what is being taught to our children in school? If you are like me you assume that the children are being taught history and civics similar to the manner that we were taught when we attended school. We learned the basics of civics, how our government worked and the role a citizen should play. We studied the history of our country with a certain pride in the basis upon which it was formed and the principles espoused in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. We learned the good and the bad of things that took place over the course of the development our nation. And I believe we grew up proud of our country despite some of the flaws that were in existence.
I saw segregation in Detroit and lived through the metamorphosis this country experienced with the Civil Rights Movement. Those were times to be proud of the change that was taking place and that the ideals of our country were being implemented.
Today, as I read the papers and watch news on television, I am concerned about what our students are being taught. Students as young as 3rd graders are being instructed that the country is made up of oppressors and the oppressed; of the “haves” and the “have nots.” Of course the “haves” and the “oppressors” are people who are “white” and “people of color” are the “oppressed” and “have nots.” Judging a person by the color of their skin is now the norm in many schools and universities. It seems we have made a jump back in time to a place that existed prior to the civil rights movement.
So what is a citizen to do today? I don’t think we can blindly trust school administrators, school boards or teachers to refrain from openly or surreptitiously adopting curriculum and/or teaching the principles of Critical Race Theory or the 1619 Project. As citizens we must do the things we were taught so long ago as regards citizen participation in government. This means attend school board meetings. Run for a position on the school board. Ask questions of administrators, students and teachers as to what is being taught in the classroom. Speak to student or parents of students as to what the children say they are being taught. Go to your school and observe a history or civics class. Get a copy of the texts that are being used and review them. In other words, get actively involved in the education of the children of your community. For far too long most citizens have paid little or no attention to what is happening in our educational system and we now see schools, colleges and universities that are hot beds of far left progressive thought. Citizens must stand up and speak out now. I think our nation as we know it is at risk.
—John L. Lengemann,
Imlay City
