Travis Allen, Candidate for the Board of Education
♦ The Emperor’s New Clothes and Our Nation’s Educational Ideology
One of my favorite story books of all time is “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Andersen. It is a great picture of what happens when people follow an ideology having no substantial worth or validity just so they appear to be part of the “informed” or “elite.” It is a perfect picture of the progressive education movement which our nation’s schools have embraced. The “Common Core Curriculum” is just one of the many sprouts off of the progressive education vine.
In the story two weavers make a suit of clothes for the emperor. The two weavers were swindlers and every piece of expensive thread, material and silk went in their bags along with the handsome fee they charged the emperor. For days they sat at two spinning wheels and worked the invisible thread. They told the emperor that the clothes were invisible to those who are stupid, ignorant or unworthy of their position. The word about the Emperor’s new clothes spreads quickly across the Kingdom, and the Emperor wished to parade in his new clothes so that he would be able to see who in his court were stupid, ignorant or unworthy of their position. As the story unfolds the Emperor is ashamed and worried why he can’t see the clothes. His entire court is also ashamed to admit that they can’t see the suit of clothes. Everyone that sees the naked king pretends to fawn over his new clothes until a simple child yells out—Hey, the Emperor is naked!
This simple story sums up or nation’s public education ideology. We as a nation have abandoned traditional education to chase of an invisible suit of a new educational philosophy. Gone are the days of American History as you and I once knew it. Ask a student today about Patrick Henry when he said “Give me liberty or give me death.” Ask a student about Nathan Hale who said “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Ask them about the battle for Iwo Jima or the Normandy Invasion. Most have no idea what you are talking about. Gone are the days when a teacher was allowed to teach each student according to their individual need. We now take an educational cookie cutter curriculum and attempt to teach each child as if they were all the same. Gone are the days when a teacher taught to expand the intellect of the student. They are now forced to teach toward a ‘test.” Gone are the days when an elementary school curriculum focused on the basics of education which are reading, writing, and arithmetic. Gone are the days when the teacher and teacher assistant were the center piece and most important part of the classroom.
The progressive education movement has abandoned the way you and I were taught because it is deemed old fashioned and no longer “hip”. If you are over 30 years old you were not educated and taught the way our children are today. What was broken that we had to fix? Our nation’s schools produced the greatest minds of our world. Our schools produced students that won the cold war. Our schools produced the scientific minds that have expanded medicine and technology far beyond our wildest dreams. Our schools have been and are world leaders in their fields. America has been the greatest nation in the world because of God’s blessing and a well educated work force. Again, I ask what was broken?
In Rowan County only 34% of our 3rd through 8th graders can read at grade level. The state of North Carolina boast 41% reading at grade level, while our national average is the exact same as our school district at around 34%. http://cnsnews.com/news/article/barbara-hollingsworth/nations-report-card-only-third-8th-graders-can-read-compute-grade Our math scores are even worse than that, but what do we hear from those in the “know” in public education? We hear that we are now “learning in a world market place and we most continue to diversify.” “The basics of traditional education are just not enough these days to produce students that can compete in the world market.” The facts are the facts folks. Our numbers tell us year after year that what we are doing is not only not working but getting worse. Do we begin a return to what we know works? No, we have doubled down on progressive education and our children and schools have suffered greatly for it.
The so called public education professionals know that what they are doing is failing. They represent the emperor who is afraid to admit he is naked. Our state and local school systems represent the emperor’s court and citizens who fawn over and follow along with something they can’t see in fear that they will be made fun of or labeled as ignorant or not in tune with the new era of education. All along they see that the school philosophy is naked. Many others and I represent the simple child that yells out—HEY THAT DUDE IS NAKED!
Public Education as it is today is broken. However it will not be changed or redirected at the federal or state level. It takes a local school system willing to stand up and yell—HEY WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS (NAKED) NOT WORKING! We are not going to follow along with your progressive failure! It is time we take back control of our children’s education. I believe that each local system has unique needs and can’t be expected to grab a failed cookie cutter ideology and cut out students that are all the same. I believe the Rowan Salisbury School System can be that school district which can show the state and the federal government how it is done. We have the great teachers we need. We have the community that is ready for educational success. We have the children who are capable of learning. All we have to do is admit what is naked and what is not.
