Watch Yourself Because Big Brother Is

 Watch Yourself Because Big Brother is

 

There is a lot to read about teachers leaving the profession and why are they doing that?  The answer is simple.  They are not respected as professionals.   Whether it is the pacing guides that tell teachers how fast to move, the counting of the number of minutes they need to be on the job or having educational decisions being made by non-educators.  Now comes a new invasion.

The new governor of Virginia wants to protect the commonwealth’s children from “divisive comments” by teachers.

To that end he has established an email tip line for those who want to snitch on educators who, in the view of the tipster, are involved in divisive practices.  Just in case you are not aware of what equals a divisive practice, the Governor illuminated his view on a conservative talk show.  Discussing issues such as white privilege and critical race theory are divisive and should not be allowed.

The Governor said, “We embrace teaching all history, the good and the bad.  But practices like teaching that one group is inherently privileged and another is a victim, or that in fact people today should be held responsible for sins of the past, these are the kinds of teaching practices that exist in our schools, and we are going to get them out.”

The Governor believes the tip line will improve the state’s educational system.  Reports will be cataloged and “used to gain insight”.  The Governor did not mention who would be monitoring the tip line.   No mention was made of what the consequences would be to any educator who ran afoul of the guidance.  

A spokesman for the Governor said that they were trying to protect parents’ rights and to “reestablish excellence in Virginia education”.

On his first day in office, the Governor issued an Executive Order banning the teaching of critical race theory (CRT) from being taught in schools.

OK, some reality testing here.   First of all, CRT is NOT a curriculum of any sort so it is kind of difficult to actually teach something that is not a curriculum.  Second, not sure about Virginia, but in Maryland it is the job of the State Board of Education and the assorted local boards of education to decide on what curricula are taught in schools.  And finally, it is highly likely that the public school teachers of Virginia are protected by some fairly strong union contracts.

So, what is the real point of the Governor’s order and his tip line.  Is he appealing to the base level of his constituency?   Trying to recruit more folks to teach in a state with a huge shortage of teachers by telling they are being watched and reported on?  Maybe he just read a biography of Joe McCarthy and he is working on his fear monger skills.

Surely he is not being divisive, because we all know that is a very bad thing and someone might report him to the tip line for that.