In order to climb above 47th in education, Oklahoma must listen to teachers, students
I recently attended a screening of "Civil War (or Who Do We Think We Are)" by Rachel Boynton on Education in America followed by a panel discussion on the future of Oklahoma’s public education system.
The title got my attention because, as a sitting school board member for the Deer Creek school district, we had a patron recently yell at us from the podium during the public speaking portion of the business meeting, “Who in the hell do you think you are?” I am certain her question was rhetorical; nonetheless, I have often thought about my answer since that meeting.
Rhetorical or not, school board members are discouraged from answering questions during the public comment portion of the meetings so as not to risk deviation from the posted agenda in compliance with the Oklahoma Open Meetings Act. Therefore, we simply listen.
In "Civil War (or Who Do We Think We Are)," Rachel Boynton travels across the United States exploring how Americans tell their story of the Civil War, how our country broke apart and has never really come back together.
School was my safe space. It broke me to hear an Oklahoma student say that she didn’t feel safe to talk about issues of racism and equity at school. This is why Oklahoma is ranked 47th in education.
So, I have my own rhetorical questions.
We insist on accurate information and facts when we teach math and science, why wouldn’t have that same expectation in teaching history? We should trust our students with historical and factual information.
Our students have access to history and information at their fingertips. We should allow them to ask questions and learn with professional educators.
How and when have we become this society of parents that insists on shielding our students from discomfort? Real life is uncomfortable and by insisting that our students avoid all discomfort and uncomfortable conversations is doing them a huge disservice. How can they be expected to empathize with others in the real world, have difficult conversations and manage discomfort? Measures like House Bill 1775 and the lie that Critical Race Theory is being or could be taught in our schools is nothing more than an effort to appease a base that is refusing to think about all students, history and the future of education in Oklahoma.
If you want your children taught one story, your story, then by all means, homeschool or send them to a private school. This is public education and policymakers need to treat our educators like the professionals they are in pay, resources, respect and the power to teach in a safe space. If we don’t stand up for them now, we are going to lose more educators and find it impossible to replace them.
Stop the censorship of our students and teachers. In order to climb above 47th in education, we must listen to them.
So, who in the hell do I think I am? I am a volunteer public servant with a heart for educators and students, and I will make certain they are empowered and not silenced.
One Oklahoma student said, “This conversation will not end, and we will keep talking.”
And I will keep fighting.
Lorrie Bamford is a member of the Deer Creek School Board.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: To improve in education, Oklahoma must listen to teachers, students
