Posted on 12/15/2004 12:05:08 AM PST by kattracks
Most American parents would be outraged if they knew how the education world's multiculturalists are trying to shape new teachers before they go to work in public schools.
Surveys by the nonpartisan organization Public Agenda have shown that parents still believe in America as an overwhelmingly good country, and they want their children to believe that as well.[snip]
The multiculturalists, by stark contrast, do not see the United States at all as a good country with common values worth transmitting. They grossly divide Americans into "oppressors" (all whites of European descent) and the "oppressed" (all persons of color from minority cultures).
Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States," a 750-page screed that depicts America as a continuing centuries-old conspiracy of rich white men to exploit minorities, is their hornbook. Many use it in their classrooms to demean America's Founders.
They want to mold future teachers into agents of social transformation who will reject the continuing Anglo/Western influences on the core curriculum and denounce what they contend is a legacy of unrelenting oppression that should cause all white Americans to carry a heavy burden of guilt.[snip]
Veteran teacher-trainer G. Pritchy Smith of the University of North Florida, who co-conducted a day-long NAME institute on how schools of education should meet diversity standards for accreditation, argues for a "culturally responsible" pedagogy for teacher education that will enable teachers to carry a "social reconstructionist perspective" into the classroom.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
I taught in a native village and from square one all I saw was bad, bad, bad. It took some time before I stopped judging everything from my conservative perspective and realized I was living in their culture.
Once I opened my eyes, I started seeing all the good, why the social problems existed, and how to be an effective tool for improvement.
No joke, I think every white guy out there should spend a year in another culture. Got to be the only white boy in a village for a year to figure it all out; shoe on the other foot for a change. Otherwise, you just look down on them and they feel it. Not the way anybody should be treated.
The multi-cult class that I had to take was taught by russ orthodox priest and it wasn't that off the wall; just about basic human respect for each other.
"The multiculturalists, by stark contrast, do not see the United States at all as a good country with common values worth transmitting. They grossly divide Americans into "oppressors" (all whites of European descent) and the "oppressed" (all persons of color from minority cultures).
Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States," a 750-page screed that depicts America as a continuing centuries-old conspiracy of rich white men to exploit minorities, is their hornbook. Many use it in their classrooms to demean America's Founders."
What they really want to demean is the basis of the culture and values which have brought freedom and dignity to individuals in our society. These values were laid down by our Founding Fathers and until the Socialists and Communists totally remove the concept of the Christian God from our society, they cannot gain the power to oppress these ideas and to punish those not like themselves which is what they are after. Having been close to liberal academia, I thought I had heard about every vile and irrational thing going on these days in that environment. However, I am now reading "Welcome to the Ivory Tower" by Mike Adams, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, and the vile behavior of some of the professors there will "curl your hair." Unbelieveable! If you want to REALLY get upset about what is being pushed on your kids, read this.
Offhand, I'd view the "value" of such a class with a significant degree of skepticism, based on my own experience and cultural background (1st generation American born of Puerto Rican parents, consequently both cultures very much alive within me --- but I am most definitely "NOT" - to paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt - a "hyphenated-American").
My skepticism comes from having seen both sides of the cultural divide. Yes, to agree with part of your statement, there is something to say for many "whites" who do not have experience as "minorities" (I saw this peculiar phenomena when stationed in Puerto Rico and noticing how many "white" fellow Coasties & their families initially dealing with the cultural differences and the "mana~na" attitude prevalent in mediterranean economies) - but after much digesting/pondering on the why of this, I became convinced that even these aspects ultimately trace their roots back to "group" politics... and that is a staple of Socialism.
My litmus for any "culture" class??? Like the eponymous rainbow bumper sticker/flags that are found on cars and homes to profess tolerance for all colors, if the one color/concept/culture (or, in your classroom example...) missing is "white" - then it's already skewed.
Often, in the midst of so much articulated noise, it is the absence of what is commented upon that can provide the most telling comment.
respectfully,
CGVet58
Did you learn anything from your year of 'going native' that could be used to materially improve the political governance or the social structure of American society?
Quite a few years back I received a letter telling me to present myself and submit and I ended up spending 13 months in korea. My first experience with another culture. Intially I thought they were all nuts and soon realized how narrow my view was.
Been married 20 some years, made more made less; no relevance to our family's happiness. Wife is a principal & I am a teacher; we live pretty well out here. Just glad that we have come to respect alot of the natives we have known; something you won't do living in a nice suburb.
What I can't figure out is why all the white kids listen to/emulate that inner city ghetto music? Naw, ain't gonna touch base with that culture; at least out here I don't have to ever lock doors or take keys out of vehicles.
Social reconstructivism is a movement started by George Counts in the mid 1930s. Counts is recognized in the educational research field as the successor to John Dewey. Social reconstructivism maintains that educators should address socio-economic inequities in the classroom and integrate studies of such problems into curriculum as a means of enabling and motivating students to overcome those inequities. In other words, it is indoctrinating collectivism at an early age in public schools. Anywhere that one sees wording such as the "social foundations of education," think George Counts and social reconstructivism. See:
George S. Counts, Dare the School Build a New Social Order (New York: John Day, 1932), and The Social Foundation of Education (New York, Scribner and Sons, 1934), and Theodore Brameld, Toward a Reconstructed Philosophy of Education (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1956).
Teacher certification often involves taking a course in multiculturalism. Sometimes the professor is reasonable and tolerates alternative viewpoints; such may have been the case in your course. However, often the professor is more concerned with modifying the beliefs, values, and behavior of the pre-service teachers. In such cases, the professor often employs the "Delphi Technique," or "Alinsky Method," to teach multiculturalism.
In some schools of education, the multiculturalism course is a wash-out course. Whites, males, heterosexuals, conservatives, and Christians are first identified (by the mandatory "tell us a little about yourself, and be honest"), and then eliminated if they do not submit explicit evidence of change towards prevalent multiculturalist theories in their (previously identified) original attitudes ("dispositions"). Instructors are ranked by how well this process is performed. College certification based on such courses is upheld through the (liberal) organization NCATE, the National Council for Accreditization of Teacher Education (see http://www.ncate.org/). This is one of the hoops through which preservice public school teachers must jump, due to accredited teacher levels mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act.
[NCATE][Education] The National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education: Whose Standards?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1105700/posts
New Teachers Face NCATE Litmus Test on Diversity Educators Must Exhibit
Can't imagine what would occur if they tried to eliminate teachers through these classes. Our repub legislature & gov would dismantle what's left of the ed dept. Actually, 40% of teachers up here are reg repubs anyway.
Biggest thing I see with NCATE is that the the politicians, academics at univ, NEA, and the entire state/fed ed beurocracy work in conjunction with each other to preserve their power & control. NCLB has forced some districts to improve but is quickly becoming it's own elephant; not all the answers.
I guess back east they try to weed conservative teachers out of the mix, but I have never seen it here in alaska. We still have 338 mags behind the office door for bear protection on the playgrounds up here.
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