Education Marches On

In the early days of American education the classroom included teaching information -- reading, writing, arithmetic, that kind of thing -- but it also included values. Children were taught values like patriotism, kindness, and even faith. In those days there was prayer in schools right alongside the pledge of allegiance. Bibles were used to teach reading and, if not Bibles, the famed McGuffey's Readers. Sold between 1836 and 1960, these first-through-sixth-grade primers included such subjects as reading, writing, grammar, and arithmetic, all thoroughly soaked in William McGuffey's own deeply-held Christian beliefs.

But America woke up in the '60's. "Hey, that's religion. We won't have anything smacking of religion on our public schools!" So education shifted. They decided to not teach values. "Leave that to parents. We'll just teach them information." And it sounded reasonable. You know, "separation of church and state" and all that. Except that the removal of values in school was teaching a value on its own -- that values have little use. And, as it turned out, too many parents were not holding up their end of the bargain. Some were too lazy. Some were too busy. The advent of the two-income family was the end of much "family time". Besides, the "new morality" was becoming "If it feels good, do it." Teach that to kids and see how it goes over in an institution like public education that very few kids actually feel good about.

At some point, the American educational system woke up again. "You know," they collectively concluded, "this 'no-values' education isn't working." So they tried a hybrid -- "values clarification." "Oh, no," they said, "we won't teach them values. We'll just encourage some loose thinking on the subject." Coupled with the earlier "If it feels good, do it", "values clarification" simply solidified selfishness.

Well, that would never do. It spawned all sorts of meanness because, for reasons unknown, children who were innocent and basically good also appeared to find a great deal of pleasure in tormenting others. Further, when you shove kids from homes with parents who don't teach values together with kids from homes with parents who instill deep values and offer them "values clarification" as their only guidance, you end up with hate groups ... on all sides. Oh, that would never do.

So now we are going to teach values. Our grand experiments failed. Ditch teaching the values that formed this country in the first part. Let parents teach values. Clarify values, whatever these may be. No, these systems have clearly failed. We are going to have to teach values. So ... what values? Clearly it cannot be Christian values. Not even the broader "Judeo-Christian" values. No, that's too "religiony". Let's see. Oh, I know. Let's teach things like "save the earth" and "can't we all just get along?" and things like that. Why teach spelling when kids have spellcheckers? No, no, it would be much more helpful if we could teach values. Values like environmentalism, human rights, cultural diversity, what UNESCO terms "global citizenship education". What does that include? They want to teach your children "multiple levels of identity" because that stupid "binary gender" thing is out. Besides wouldn't it be better to teach a "collective identity"? Let's get away from things like "a Christian Worldview" and get a more "global worldview" because it's not possible to think critically, systematically, and creatively with any antiquated religious view. What's important is learning to think from a multicultural viewpoint embracing all cultures, all values, and all perspectives. In other words, "Yes, we need to teach values ... just not yours."

So, here's the plan. We're all going to get along. How? Well, we'll want to all get along, so we'll have to eliminate those "exclusive" kinds of things. You know, "My way or the highway" kind of thinking has to go. We want to embrace all views and values. Since opposing values make that impossible, we'll have to eliminate at least one of them. You think the Bible is true and Science may not be? Sorry, the Bible is out; Science is in. You think that Science is true and male and female DNA is not? Sorry, Science is out; "gender fluidity" is in. That whole "kill the infidel" thing has to go, clearly, but so does anything smacking of "No man comes to the Father but by Me." Proud to be you, be it American, Christian, or even human? Out with that. In with "us". Out with anything that clashes and then we can embrace everyone.

It will be good. Values for all. At least, the ones they'll teach to your kids. Never noticing, of course, that eliminating all differences eliminates all values, like eliminating the denominations of $1 and $10 so that they're the same. Yeah, that's much better.

Sorry ... probably just my Christian Worldview speaking.