Filing under "Political Correctness". "Dispostions" have migrated from Schools of Social Work to Schools of Ed. Freedom of Thought? Freedom of Speech? Freedom of Belief?
The philosophy of Individual Freedom is dying in the places where it should be carefully nurtured – in our schools. Seems however, with this nonsense and other systems putting in curriculum that is specifically more "world oriented" (think International Baccalaureate) than "American values oriented", we may be in trouble. Deep trouble.
Well, now we know the answer – at least in part. Back at the turn of the last century, my "kind" were not wanted (at least on my Dad’s side) in Boston: Irish need not apply
Later on in the century, these signs were seen: Negros need not apply
Well, both the University of Minnesota and NH have hung out this shingle: Conservatives, don’t even bother
With few Conservatives serving in our school, it seems that the Educational-Industrial complex (remember, here in the US we spend more on education than on the military) doesn’t even want them to apply to become teachers! And if they do, they will have to give up their beliefs lock, stock, and barrel. I first caught wind of this over at Critical Mass (Erin OConnor) in a post called "Reeducation in Minnesota" as she brings the story by Katherine Kersten of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune – I urge you to read the entire piece:
Do you believe in the American dream — the idea that in this country, hardworking people of every race, color and creed can get ahead on their own merits? If so, that belief may soon bar you from getting a license to teach in Minnesota public schools — at least if you plan to get your teaching degree at the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus.
In a report compiled last summer, the Race, Culture, Class and Gender Task Group at the U’s College of Education and Human Development recommended that aspiring teachers there must repudiate the notion of "the American Dream" in order to obtain the recommendation for licensure required by the Minnesota Board of Teaching. Instead, teacher candidates must embrace — and be prepared to teach our state’s kids — the task force’s own vision of America as an oppressive hellhole: racist, sexist and homophobic.
Once again, just in the horrible event at Fort Hood where Jihadi Hassan gunned down his fellow soldiers because "political correctness" violations might have ruined the careers of those that could have put a stop to this Islamic warrior.
Political Correctness: death in disguise there, and here. For it is not enough the NEA and AFT (teachers unions) can’t teach Johnny and Janie to read, do math, to learn where countries are on a globe, major parts of American history and civics. However, their teachers will be up to date on the latest political correctness!
So, what does the U of Minn. School of Education think most important? Cultural competence. They truly believe that the problem is not in having teachers know the actual basics of what they teach but
The task group is part of the Teacher Education Redesign Initiative, a multiyear project to change the way future teachers are trained at the U’s flagship campus. The initiative is premised, in part, on the conviction that Minnesota teachers’ lack of "cultural competence" contributes to the poor academic performance of the state’s minority students. Last spring, it charged the task group with coming up with recommendations to change this. In January, planners will review the recommendations and decide how to proceed.
The report advocates making race, class and gender politics the "overarching framework" for all teaching courses at the U. It calls for evaluating future teachers in both coursework and practice teaching based on their willingness to fall into ideological lockstep.
Silly me – I would want English teachers that actually knew English grammer and literature. My math teachers – well, math. Science teachers would know geology, chemistry, biology, physics, and the rest. In short – know the course materials. These chuckleheads, however, believe that teachers HAVE to be in an environment where Political Correctness is running amok; no thinking for yourself here!
Instead of demanding that students rise to excellence, student teachers will need to suffer these liberal fools’ idea of "the right outlook".
What it boils down to is this:
Not willing to compromise? Too bad – you’re not teacher material then! These students are expected to (summarizing the piece):
- recognize — and confess — their own bigotry.
- be required to prepare an "autoethnography" report.
- describe their own
- prejudices and stereotypes,
- question their "cultural" motives for wishing to become teachers,
- take a "cultural intelligence" assessment designed to ferret out their latent racism, classism and other "isms."
- demonstrate the ability to be self-critical for extra "points"
Overall Goal?
- ensure that "future teachers will be able to discuss their own histories and current thinking drawing on notions of white privilege, hegemonic masculinity, heteronormativity, and internalized oppression."
- aspiring teachers must be able "to explain how institutional racism works in schools."
- and incorporate:
- the "myth of meritocracy in the United States,"
- the "history of demands for assimilation to white, middle-class, Christian meanings and values,
- history of white racism, with special focus on current colorblind ideology."
Unbelievable – and this is supposed to make parents, who want Johnny and Janie to be well educated in the Three R’s, feel more secure?
FIRE is not amused:
As Adam, who authored today’s letter, detailed in full yesterday here on The Torch:
It even intends to redesign its admissions process so that it screens out people with the wrong beliefs and values-those who it judges will not be able to be brought around to the correct beliefs and values of "cultural competence" even after remedial training.
the "Race, Culture, Class, and Gender Task Group" has proposed mandating certain beliefs and values—"dispositions"—for future teachers. Further, the College evidently plans to implement a screening procedure so that potential students with the "wrong" beliefs who seek admission will be excluded from participation. FIRE’s letter asks that the university abandon the proposals and "demonstrate that it shares an understanding of the basic premises of a liberal education and truly embraces human diversity on its most profound and essential level."
Over at the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, George Leaf weighs in:
As we know, American higher education is dominated by people with a leftist cast of mind. That is particularly true in education schools, which attract liberals like a magnet attracts iron filings.
Leftists like to tell us how much they favor “diversity” and open exchange of ideas, and how much they’re against discrimination. Unfortunately, when they have the power to run institutions, it turns out that they don’t like any dissent from their ideas and attempt to discriminate against students who don’t accept all of their beliefs. As in Orwell’s Animal Farm, once the supposedly high-minded reformers have control, we find out that they’re authoritarians.
Joanne Jacobs adds her observation:
I envision prospective teachers who think students of all colors, creeds, classes and sexual orientations are capable of learning, if they’re taught well and do the work. But the time they might have spent learning how to teach reading, writing, math, science or history has been devoted to faddish drivel.
K.C. Johnson at Minding the Campus opines as well
The guidelines for the relationship between the future teacher and his or her school are equally extreme and equally one-sided:
- "Future teachers are able to explain how institutional racism works in schools," appreciating "how dominant pedagogical styles, school curricula, behavioral expectations, personal prejudices of school personnel (among other things) often convey overt and covert messages that devalue the culture, heritage, and identity of minority students." (This revelation undoubtedly comes as news to the Minnesota state legislature, which has final responsibility for setting curricular goals in the state.)
- "Future teachers create & fight for social justice even if it’s just in their classroom"
- "Future teachers understand resistance theory."(!!)
It almost sounds as if the U of M Education Department expects to send its students out into a guerrilla warfare campaign.
Oh yeah, almost forgot – here’s another post by Erin on another Political Correctness filter by the American Philosophical Association. Bottom line: it’s not what you know, it’s how you believe and think. OUR way or NO WAY.
Here is the "Personal Statement" required to be filled out by all applicants to graduate study at the University of California at Berkeley. This is not a hoax. The required "Personal Statement" appears on p. 29 of the UC graduate school application pdf, following the more traditional "Statement of Purpose" on p. 28, and the usual basic information required on p. 27.
"Please describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Please include information on how you have overcome barriers to access in higher education, evidence of how you have come to understand the barriers faced by others, evidence of your academic service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and individuals from other groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education, evidence of your research focusing on underserved populations or related issues of inequality, or evidence of your leadership among such groups."
