Teachers are supposed to open the door for discovery and free thinking, not give students the answers they want or push their political views…
Approximately twelve score and one year ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation. This opening should be recognizable as an updated snippet from President Lincoln’s speech at Gettysburg. While the first sentence is known throughout the free world, the rest of the speech is rarely recollected.
Lincoln was rather precognitive in his address when he stated, “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” Unfortunately, the world has forgotten what happened there. A brief historical review is in order.
At the beginning of 1863, the United States Civil War was in full swing, and the Confederates were, for all intents and purposes, winning. On July 1, the Confederate and Union armies met at Gettysburg in what would become one of the most critical victories for the Union. Over the course of this three-day battle, over 50,000 soldiers would give their lives. The battle was so bloody that President Lincoln used it as a rally point to promote the healing and unification of our country. Have you ever pondered what would have been the result if the Union soldiers decided that they disagreed with their leadership and simply chose not to show up? It is a valid question—after all, they had not been doing well up to that point. Who would want to throw away their lives in a battle they were going to lose anyway? Clearly, our military must be willing to carry out all lawful orders in order for our nation to exist.
What about our police officers? Should they simply be allowed to stop protecting those they disagree with? On July 7, 2016, police were monitoring a Black Lives Matter protest. This protest intended to bring light to what the protestors believed was the victimization of minorities in unjust police shootings. When Micah Xavier Johnson started shooting, why should the police protect those who are protesting against them? Especially given the rhetoric that has been used against the police at these protests (such as the complete misrepresentation of the facts around justified shooting of such thugs like Michael Brown). In this particular example, the police protected those protesting while running directly into the fire. Lynn Mays (a protestor at the event) was saved by one such officer who pushed him out of the line of fire only to be shot.
Let us shift our view to a group of seemingly less heroic public servants: air traffic controllers. On August 3, 1981, after failed negotiations, almost 13,000 air traffic controllers went on strike. This brought the airline industry to a complete halt. While there were serious and very valid safety issues that they brought to light, the strike impacted the economy of the entire nation. The controllers knew this and were using this leverage to essentially hold the nation hostage. President Reagan took very clear and decisive action. He gave the strikers 48 hours to return to work or they would be fired. On August 5, over 11,000 air traffic controllers were fired and subsequently banned from ever returning to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The message here is clear—public servants must be accountable for executing their jobs as instructed. All of those who are paid by the government are conducting business that has been determined to be essential for our nation. While some may be more visible than others and clearly run the gamut in complexity, all have a direct impact on the nation.
With all of this being said, how is it possible that on March 8, 2017, teachers across the nation were allowed to not show up to work in order to protest in support of A Day Without Women? In fact, schools in at least four separate states were closed to allow teachers to protest. These school closings were not scheduled, and the teachers are still receiving their pay. How is this possible? Who are these teachers and districts accountable to? Clearly not those who are actually affected by their actions.
Just like the air traffic controllers, these teachers are attempting to hold our country hostage. They are attempting to utilize their numbers and importance to force changes whether others agree with them or not. These districts who allowed this conduct are showing their clear political bias. Most concerning about this is how this bias is manifested within the classrooms. Our educational system should be completely free of political prejudices. While I am not so ignorant to believe that you can teach without having your political views influence your message to some degree, such overt action should not be tolerated. When school corporations support this type of behavior, it sends a clear message about their values and beliefs.
According to the event organizer’s website, the protest’s purpose is to “highlight the economic power and significance that women have in the US and global economies, while calling attention to the economic injustices women and gender nonconforming people continue to face. We play an indispensable role in the daily functions of life in all of society, through paid and unpaid, seen and unseen labor.” I cannot he be stupefied by the idiocy of those individuals who actually support this goal while being responsible for school closings.
How can one say, with a straight face, that they care about economic injustices when they are directly causing them? This is no different than Al Gore or any other rich environmental nut-job lecturing me for driving my SUV while they fly all over the world in a private jet or live in mansions that utilize as much energy as a small neighborhood. When you close down a school with no notice, you force parents to take days off work or pay for last-minute daycare. Who exactly do they think will be negatively impacted by this? Clearly not those who are financially secure. They can afford to take a day off of work or pay someone to watch their children. What about the poor single mother who is working for minimum wage? What is she supposed to do? These schools claim to care about poor and minority women, but this is exactly who they are hurting.
Public servants are exactly that—they serve the public interest at large, regardless of their beliefs. I am married to a teacher, so I can empathize with the struggles that they endure. The majority of these incredible individuals attempt to do their jobs to the best of their ability without influencing the views of the children in their charge. In discussing this article with my wife, she expressed her frustration because teachers are supposed to show children how to think, not what to think. Teachers are supposed to open the door for discovery and free thinking, not give students the answers they want or push their political views. Nor should the parents be punished because of the school’s political leanings.
There are few things as important to me as the rights codified in our Constitution, to include the right of protest. I also believe that you ought to protect that speech you disagree with most vehemently, because at the end of the day, our rights are either absolute or simply smoke and mirrors.
I also believe in consequences for your actions. When a public servant chooses not to show up to work in order to make a partisan statement, it is incumbent on our elected officials to ensure that there is accountability. Our nation cannot have its military refusing to go into battle because they disagree with their officers. We cannot have our police decide to only protect those who support them. Our teachers, likewise, cannot continue to force their political views on those most vulnerable in our society.
Matthew Wadler is a Senior OpsLens Contributor and U.S. Army veteran. Matt served in the Army for 20 years as both enlisted and officer before retiring. His service includes time as Military Police, Field Artillery, Adjutant General, and Recruiting. His deployments include Somalia and two tours to Afghanistan. His formal education includes a master’s degree in HR Management. He is a strong supporter of the constitution and advocate for the military and veteran communities. Follow Matthew on Twitter @MatthewWadler.
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