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 t's been
more than a little upsetting to watch the education community respond
to the September 11 attack on the United States. The prize for greediest,
most self-promoting, and solipsistic response goes to an outfit
called the Public Education Network. Within 24 hours of the tragedy,
they issued a statement that, after a few pieties, proclaimed that
"access to a high-quality public education is the bedrock of
our democracy" and urged that "as important calls for
rethinking our commitment to our national defense and the war against
terrorism are made, the Public Education Network asks policymakers
and citizens to remember the important role that public education
plays." Translation: "We're so selfish that we think our
stuff is more important than the security of a nation within which
our stuff is possible." Maybe they'd like to spend a little
time experiencing "public education" under the Taliban.
Far more widespread have been well-meaning efforts to help schools,
teachers, and parents respond appropriately to children during this
traumatic time. Many educators are struggling with how best to do
this, and all of us welcome well-formulated advice about how to
deal with kids' fears and anxieties. When something awful happens,
it's normal for a child to wonder whether it could happen to him
— and to be fearful until the grownups in his life offer comfort
and reassurance. So it's great to advise grownups on handling the
emotional and psychological parts of all this. And for the many
children directly impacted by the September 11 tragedy — through
loss of friends, relatives, neighbors, etc. — how the grownups
respond to their emotional needs is doubly important.
But trouble arises when we turn to the political and moral dimensions
of these events for the millions of children not immediately affected
by them. The attacks created an important "teachable moment"
and raised urgent questions in kids' minds about why they occurred.
So what lessons should educators (and parents, etc.) impart?
No doubt some are doing a fine job. But not all. The worst-lesson
prize goes to the Maryland teacher, one of whose 12-year-old pupils
offered this account to The Washington Post: "Why do
some people hate America? Why did they do it? They wanted to bomb
our symbols. That's what my mom said. Because we're bossy. That's
what my teacher said. She said it's because we have all the weapons
and we think we can boss other countries around. They're jealous
of us."
America, in this rendering, has only itself to blame for the other
guys' aggression. I'm reminded of the depths of the Cold War when
the unilateral-disarmers produced "nuclear winter" curricula
for U.S. classrooms that said, in effect, that America is responsible
for the world's parlous state and if we would only renounce our
militaristic ways everyone would be a lot safer.
Need I add that history shows just the opposite to have been the
truth?
Not all the dubious instructional advice that has flooded the airwaves
and websites in recent days takes the form of "blaming America."
Much more widespread is simple disregard for patriotism and democratic
institutions, nonjudgmentalism toward those who would destroy them,
and failure to teach about the heroism and courage of those who
defend them.
Article after article and website after website counsels teachers
to promote tolerance, peace, understanding, empathy, diversity,
and multiculturalism. Here, for example, are some excerpts from
a broadside by the National Association of School Psychologists:
If you'd like to see the whole miserable thing, surf to www.nasponline.org.
A natural reaction to horrific acts of violence like the recent
terrorist attacks on the United States is the desire to lash out
and punish the perpetrators. While anger is a normal response
felt by many, we must ensure that we do not compound an already
great tragedy. Most importantly, adults must model tolerance and
compassion in their words and behavior. They should also encourage
children to explore their feelings about prejudice and hate. Violence
and hate are never solutions to anger. All people deserve to be
treated with fairness, respect and dignity....Vengeance and justice
are not necessarily the same. We need to work for peace in our
communities and around the world. The best way that we can stand
up for our country at this point is to unite behind the principals
(sic) that make us strong. Tolerance is a lifelong endeavor. Avoid
stereotyping people or countries that might be home to the terrorists.
Address the issue of blame factually. Do not suggest any group
is responsible. Do not repeat the speculations of others, including
newscasters. Discuss how it would feel to be blamed unfairly by
association. Emphasize positive, familiar images of diverse ethnic
groups. Read books with your children that address prejudice,
tolerance, and hate.
Some of that is fine, but nowhere in this or many similar efforts
do we find the suggestion that teachers should also read books with
their pupils that address patriotism, freedom, and democracy, that
deal in a realistic way with the presence of evil, danger, and anti-Americanism
in the world, or that hail the heroism of those who have defended
our land against foreign aggressors — including those who perished
last week.
If you look hard, you can find some worthy exceptions. On September
14, for example, the U.S. Department of Education launched a website
that includes (in the department's own advice for educators and
other grownups) the suggestion that "adults can explain that
we were attacked because of our commitment to protecting the freedom,
opportunity and safety of people throughout the world. They can
point out the bravery and goodness of those who have already done
so much to help the victims, and reinforce that our country will
prevail. Remind your students about the value of living in a country
that respects individual liberty and the rule of law. Talk about
the principles that led to the independence of our country. Engage
in patriotic activities."
Bravo. But even the Education Department's website
refers people to the school psychologists and some of the other
purveyors of relativistic foolishness.
It would be nice to insulate our children from ideological differences
among adults. But that isn't going to happen. So let's guard against
those who would use these "teachable moments" to channel
dubious lessons into the minds of kids. And pause a moment to ask
whether our schools are doing what they should to ensure that today's
students become tomorrow's patriots.
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