SCHOOLS AS A VECTOR OF CULTURAL CHANGE

 

THE SCHOOLS AS A VECTOR OF CULTURAL CHANGE

 

There is a case developing about the use of schools to proselytize in the cultural arena.  Battles are being fought about who will proselytize the children and what they will be taught culturally.  History must be rewritten to change the future culture of these children and their parents’ beliefs must be negated, according to the new dogma.  Of course, parents who are interested in promoting their cultural heritage were upset that tax funded schools would be pushing a cultural change, just like the mandatory ‘Indian’ boarding schools of the past attempted forced assimilation by control of their children’s education. 

There is a phenomena called ‘ethnocentrism’, which describes a person who is so deep into their own belief system, they cannot fathom any other system and they do not respect anyone different than themselves.  The ‘leaders’ of the teachers’ unions, the National School Boards Association ‘leadership” and the CRT gangs are prime examples of ethnocentrism.

Cultural enclaves have always been regional, and the creation of regional enclaves in the USA is to be expected and tolerated.  The social spreading of enclaves into other enclaves might produce rejection or acceptance, which should be respected.  Using the public schools to spread cultural acceptance of enclaves is unacceptable.

It is also stupid.  What works in the crowded cities of the eastern seaboard might not be acceptable to people living out West.  There is a small-time mayor ‘back East’ who suggested people give up their cars and ride public transit or buy new electric cars with a range that barely gets you out of the county where there’s no charging stations.  Riding public transit in many cities out west is problematical and would require huge changes in zoning laws and cultural changes as people have fewer options.  The same goes for some of the cultural acceptance training in the public schools.  Some of these beliefs simply do not fit in with the locals, who might have opposing viewpoints.   

A recent case detailed how test scores and achievement dropped within a school system when phonics was discarded and that the ‘interesting fiction will make them want to read approach’ was instituted.  Fiction is inherently cultural and not all children are interested in make believe.  They might prefer a nonfiction approach while others may learn from stories.  Of course, such a one-sided approach failed.  Using the schools to effect cultural change will fail for the same reason.  Cultural change is not the mission.  Facts are the mission.

Teach the children to read using nonfiction materials that are relevant to the child and parents.  Involve parents in choosing nonfiction and fiction reading materials.  Multiculturalism is a wonderful thing, but it doesn’t work unless the facts are taught without social interference.  Bringing social interference into any school is a mistake because it puts blinders on interpretations of new scientific data.  True assimilation will occur over data, not emoting.  If I sound like Spock, we need some of that in the schools. 

-DP Niemi