Recently, some news organizations and publications have highlighted educators and professionals who have quit their jobs because they are sick of the radical left’s influence and control. While we at The Locke Society understand that the atmosphere of today’s schools is extremely disturbing, highlighting their act of quitting is a disservice to the many brave individuals who go through much worse to protect our freedoms on a daily basis.
The country that many of us profess to love and see slipping away was not created and maintained by a group of quitters who took the easy path. Our Founding Fathers did not quit the effort to claim the rights that they believed were being stolen from them; Abraham Lincoln did not quit the the efforts of the Civil War, the pursuit to free the slaves, and preserve the Union; Patton, Eisenhower, Roosevelt, and Churchill did not quit fighting the evils of fascism and Nazi Germany even after many losses; the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement did not quit in the face of racism and the risk of physical harm; Reagan did not quit in his efforts to fight back the evils of the Soviet Union; the members of the “Miracle on Ice” team did not forfeit their games in the face of an adversary that was thought unbeatable. These are the acts of bravery to which we should aspire. We should not aim to be quitters or traitors to our cause because we believe we were wronged or because we believe the task is too difficult. Believing so makes you no better than any other person in history who has given up on a cause in which they once believed.
The rate at which many conservative and moderate teachers are leaving the profession due to the political climate is worrisome. The action of leaving your classroom and leaving your students is swiftly surrendering to the radical left. If the radical left is going to be stopped from influencing our children, surrender is not an option. You cannot win when you don’t show up.
We know it is incredibly difficult to sit through these bully pits of despair that they call professional development, and we know the frustration of being asked to include outrageously destructive ideas into your classroom, but you are the only one and your teaching is the only thing that can protect our children from having to face this destructive ideology that will corrupt their perception of everything in the world, including themselves. You need to find your courage and strategy for dealing with these disturbing “educators” and “curricula” that are pressuring you daily, because if you cave in and leave the classroom, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez walks in to teach your kids. Or, Amber Coleman-Mortley, Nikole Hannah-Jones, even Bill Ayers or a devout Howard Zinn enthusiast.
You must stay in the profession and do whatever you need to do to protect our vulnerable children in your classroom. If you leave, that door opens and the radical left will swarm in and make sure every single one of your students submits to their ideology at whatever cost.
In the case of the particular teacher referenced in the Daily Signal article, “This Teacher Says Left Has Turned Public Schools Into ‘Indoctrination Centers’,” if you are asked to teach a class on white privilege, we would suggest taking the role. Whether you do it or not, this class is going to happen and if you don’t teach it, Nikole Hannah-Jones will, and then we have serious trouble. If you take on this terrible curriculum, use the control you have as the teacher to keep it as harmless as possible. Use student-centered learning to your advantage, and assignments that require the defense of a claim. When you are observed, get through it with whatever you need to do and the next day, just get your class and curriculum back on track. At the end of the course, maybe your students will realize that this “white privilege” argument is unfounded and destructive. Alternatively, at the end of the course with a different teacher, half of your students will likely need therapy and the other half will likely be joining the protests.
In order to start winning, we need to be more dedicated to the cause of liberty than they are dedicated to the causes of the radical left. This does not mean quitting, giving up, and surrendering our future to them. This means our teachers must keep their positions, stay strong, and be the heroes that we have been waiting for and desperately need.
Read more of our advice to conservative and moderate teachers in the following article, and be sure to note the only rule: Do not tell anyone you are conservative. Article link: https://lockesociety.org/advice-for-conservative-teachers/.
*Please note that if the atmosphere in education is negatively affecting your mental health, please seek help and do what is best for you. Also, remember there are alternative ways to contribute to this cause if teaching in the classroom is not for you.
