Wrong Lessons
Anti-Americanism in the post-911 classroom.

By Chester E. Finn Jr., president, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute & a former assistant U.S. secretary of education.
September 24, 2001 8:35 a.m.

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.