The inmates are also running amok in K-12, but no meds have been stolen here.
No. No, fear of that. This place is on lockdown and it's not just the meds that are kept under lock and key. Even the books are behind bars, banned by parent boards who have deemed them “inappropriate” as their stories could potentially make their kids “sad.”
If anything, K-12 would have padded walls if they could afford them (which they can’t). Anything to keep the children safe. And those padded walls would not only protect them from potential head/ physical damage, but also serve as a cozy place for students to crawl into for a “feelings break.”
And while these inmates may be smaller and less likely to burn things down as their older peers in college seem hell bent on, don’t look away from this asylum, as it too is on fire. These young inmates also have arms and they are loaded. Those arms being parents. They are a force and there is NO stopping them as they swarm our school boards. The result? A slow chipping away of history. All in the name of "SAFTEY."
In some districts the history of slavery is taught as a beneficial partnership where slaves gained valuable skills like English and farming in return for free shelter—an egregious portrayal that diminishes the profound suffering of African Americans who did not choose to be slaves. Similarly, Holocaust education is fading from curricula, with only 20 states mandating its inclusion, often reduced to a mere footnote as they can’t spend too much time on something so “depressing” and “sad.”
And it is sad. There is no denying that it is all sad, horrific actually. I remember when I first learned about the Holocaust. I remember not understanding and being caught in a morale quandary. I thought everyone is "good?" At least that is what the adults keep telling me.
Yes, it was uncomfortable, but it was also necessary. It made me hold two truths at one time. That man can be good and it can be bad. Shielding students from these truths does not protect them; it deprives them of the chance to learn resilience and understand the complexities of human nature. And students cannot vow "Never Again" if they are unaware it ever happened in the first place.
As educators, we are at a crossroads, where the drive to protect students from discomfort (their mental health) is clashing with the imperative to prepare them for the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. Understandably, parents who want to shield their children from all harm. However, it is crucial that K-12 administrators assert the integrity of our educational mission. We must engage with parents respectfully and effectively, valuing their concerns while also clarifying that our role is to educate about the world, not to shield from it.
We have seen the results of a shielded education, look at Gen Z on college campuses, their ignorance is alarming. Let educators teach the stark realities of life, and reserve your home as the place for comfort and reassurance. This balance is essential. It's time we recenter our focus not on creating "safe spaces" that insulate from reality (with padded walls), but on fostering brave spaces where students learn to face the world as informed, resilient individuals, informed by real history!
Let our students learn from the past or we are doomed to repeat them.
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