There Is No Apolitical Classroom
Do you know what’s going on in your kid’s school? The three R’s – reading, writing, and arithmetic – have taken a back seat to a fourth R. Max Eden, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, explains what that fourth R is, and why it’s so destructive.
According to the education establishment, what is the purpose of education?
to teach fundamental skills that students can build off of for a lifetimeto enable students to learn to socialize in a way that gets them through lifeto awaken students to the fact that they live in a country that is racistto make sure that students gain mastery over the ‘Three R’s’Anti-racism is an all-encompassing ideology that demands __________________.
equal treatment of othersthat white people claim they are not racistprotecting the First Amendment rights of white supremacist groupsthat white people accept that their behavior is either implicitly or explicitly racistAccording to the Anti-racist movement, if you treat people equally regardless of race, you’re also a racist.
TrueFalseThe National Committee on Social Studies has promised to “flood our children with counter messages…until there is ___________________________.”
no racial inequality in economic opportunityno racial inequality in educationno racial inequality in incarceration ratesall of the aboveWhat does The National Council on the Teaching of English insist upon?
the use of the Oxford commathat there is no apolitical classroomthat only white, male authors should be used for reading resourcesthat only white professors should be teaching English
- Public education is increasingly promoting left-wing “anti-racism” doctrine.
In response to the officer-involved death of George Floyd, the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) recently described its mission to “become actively anti-racist": “We are living at a time of obscene inequities and merely trying to compensate is not enough. Equity is more than making things more accessible and AASA’s work on equity must go further and become actively anti-racist. The perpetual traumas of inequality and discrimination manifest as more than the acts themselves, taking a significant toll on the mental health and well-being of all those impacted. Now is the time for all educational leaders to intensify our commitment to address inequities and work to dismantle systemic racism.”
View sourceLike the AASA, many key entities and figures shaping public education have embraced the “anti-racist” doctrine. The anti-racism doctrine demands that white people accept that their behavior is either implicitly or explicitly racist. “Being antiracist is different for white people than it is for people of color,” reads the National Museum of African American History & Culture’s statement on “Being Antiracist.” “For white people, being antiracist evolves with their racial identity development. They must acknowledge and understand their privilege, work to change their internalized racism, and interrupt racism when they see it.”
View sourceThe National Committee on Social Studies has vowed to "flood our children with counter messages…until there is no racial inequality in economic opportunity, no racial inequality in education, no racial inequality in incarceration rates, and no brutality from police and others."
View source- Anti-racism doctrine teaches that “there is only racist and anti-racist”—no one can simply be “not racist.”
Education Week's "Classroom Q&A" blog tells teachers that "As Ibram X. Kendi (the author of "How to Be an Anti-Racist") would say, there is no 'not racist.' There is only racist and anti-racist. Your silence favors the status quo and the violently oppressive harm it does to black and brown folk everywhere."
View sourceAnti-racists openly embrace a form of racial discrimination, which they label “anti-racist discrimination.” Ibram X. Kendi states in his widely influential book “How To Be An Antiracist”: "The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination."
View sourceRelated video: “Dangerous People are Teaching Your Kids” – Jordan Peterson
View source- Anti-racist educators are working to dismantle key parts of Western education.
Lorena German, who chairs the Committee on Anti-Racism for the National Council on the Teaching of English, makes clear that the anti-racism movement demands radical action from educators, including dismantling what she deems “racist” curriculum, policies and leaders: At the height of the recent urban unrest, German wrote on social media that arsonists should serve as a model for teachers: "Educators: what are you burning? Your White-centered curriculum?... The school's racist policies? Your racist ass principal? The funding for the police in schools vs counselors? WHAT ARE YOU BURNING???!!?!?!?!?"
View sourceA lesson plan created by the New York City Culturally Responsive Education Working Group, "Transforming Our Public Schools: A Guide to Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Education," tells teachers that "the whole Western canon is rife with horrible stories and atrocities of who we are as people of color" (p. 7).
View sourceAccording to a writer for Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, "Anti-racist educators recognize that schools are doing exactly what they were built to do in this country: Exclude. Silence. Erase. Promote white supremacy … an anti-racist approach to schooling could very well mean an ending to schools as we know them."
View source- The public education establishment is now openly declaring “there is no apolitical classroom.”
The National Council on the Teaching of English insists "there is no apolitical classroom."
View sourcePriorities imposed on public educators inherently promote political and ideological agendas. The New York State Education Department’s new initiative to provide “culturally responsive” teaching encourages teachers to "incorporate current events, even if they are controversial, into instruction" and to "utilize tools... that encourage students to engage with difficult topics (power, privilege, access, inequity) constructively” (p. 27).
View sourceRelated reading: “How Some Educators are Teaching Antiracism to the Youngest Students” – PBS
View source
Do you know what's going on in your kid's school?
If not, now would be a good time to take a look.
Here's what you're likely to find:
According to the education establishment, the purpose of public education is no longer just to teach "the three R's" — reading, writing, and arithmetic; it is to awaken students to the fact that they live in a country that has been, remains, and will probably always be… racist.
Here's how the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) recently described its mission:
"…At a time of obscene inequities…merely trying to compensate is not enough… AASA's work… must go further and become actively anti-racist."
Being anti-racist sounds simple and laudable: treat everyone the same—a version of the Golden Rule.
What could be wrong with that?
Nothing.
Except that's not what the educational elite means by anti-racism.
Anti-racism, in its current formulation, does not mean equal treatment of others; it is an all-encompassing ideology that demands that white people accept that their behavior is either implicitly or explicitly racist—and has been for at least 400 years. The Catch-22 here is that to say you're not racist only proves how racist you really are; that is, you are so racist you don't even know it. And if this accusation upsets you, that's proof of your white fragility.
Education Week's "Classroom Q&A" blog tells teachers that "As Ibram X. Kendi (the author of "How to Be an Anti-Racist") would say, there is no 'not racist.' There is only racist and anti-racist. Your silence favors the status quo and the violently oppressive harm it does to black and brown folk everywhere."
What Kendi is saying is, if you don't voice active agreement with him, you are a racist. And if you treat people equally regardless of race, you're also a racist.
Anti-racists embrace racial discrimination, as long as it's done on their terms. As Kendi has said: "The only remedy to racist discrimination is anti-racist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination." I understand how wrong this might sound. It turns the Martin Luther King concept of racial equality on its head.
But that's exactly the point. Lorena German, who chairs the Committee on Anti-Racism for the National Council on the Teaching of English, makes this clear.
At the height of the recent urban unrest, German wrote that arsonists should serve as a model for teachers: "Educators, what are you burning? Your white-centered curriculum? ...The school's racist policies? Your racist ass principal? The funding for the police in schools vs. counselors? WHAT ARE YOU BURNING???!!?!?!?!?"
German's call to commit arson may have been metaphorical, but her call to get rid of the traditional school curriculum is not.
A lesson plan created by the New York City Culturally Responsive Education Working Group, "Transforming Our Public Schools: A Guide to Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Education," tells teachers that "the whole Western canon is rife with horrible stories and atrocities of who we are as people of color."
For their part, the National Committee on Social Studies has promised to "flood our children with counter messages…until there is no racial inequality in economic opportunity, no racial inequality in education, no racial inequality in incarceration rates, and no brutality from police and others."
If that sounds to you a lot more like political indoctrination than education, you would be right.
New York State now encourages teachers to "incorporate current events, even if they are controversial, into instruction" and to "utilize tools... that encourage students to engage with difficult topics (power, privilege, access, inequity) constructively."
We all might wish that as cultural and political polarization reaches into more and more areas of American life, schools could remain an apolitical oasis where children can learn to read, write, and develop skills of socialization.
But if that's what you want for your children, then just know that anti-racist educators think that you are part of the problem.
According to a writer for Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, "Anti-racist educators recognize that schools today are doing exactly what they were built to do in this country: Exclude. Silence. Erase. Promote white supremacy… an anti-racist approach to schooling could very well mean an ending to schools as we know them."
That is certainly true.
The National Council on the Teaching of English insists "there is no apolitical classroom."
The educational elite has a very clear lesson plan in mind for your children.
If you're okay with it, you can send Johnny and Jennifer off to school with a glad heart.
If you’re not okay with it, better talk to the principal.
Or get ready with a Plan B.
I'm Max Eden, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, for Prager University.
Stay up to date on our latest releases
PragerU is changing the minds of millions worldwide. Help us keep our videos FREE!
Help support our mission
To make a donation over the phone, call (833) PragerU
At $35 or more you’ll be a PragerUnited Member
- Free merch every quarter
- Insider updates
- Free Annual Membership Sticker
Prager University is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Tax ID: 27-1763901. Your contribution is fully tax-deductible in the USA.