Are teachers doing their jobs?

By Tom Quiner

I bet I’m like you.  I have tremendous respect for the teaching profession.

My Mom was a teacher.  I have been surrounded by family and friends who are, or have been teachers.  I enjoyed some fine teachers from my years attending public schools in Des Moines, Iowa.

In talking with teachers, I hear the same lament:  “please … just let us teach!”

Teachers seem to have a more difficult job these days.  More red tape.  More problem students. Less parental support.  Less time to simply teach.

I watched Jay Leno last week.  He got me thinking about the teaching profession.  The clip that follows is supposed to be funny.  I find it scary …

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkQ6XgXeNuY&feature=player_embedded]

What are we teaching kids these days, and what are we not teaching kids these days? Clearly, some school districts aren’t teaching basic facts about American history. Why is that?  How widespread is this ignorance of  America’s Founding Fathers and the birth of our country?

Let me ask you this:  who is most likely to be proud of their nation’s history, someone who is patriotic, or someone who isn’t?

I’d guess the patriotic are going to be more proud of America’s history.  Don’t you? By the same token, those folks who are not patriotic are less likely to be proud of our nation’s roots.

I mention all of this in light of a Gallup Poll that just came out last week.  It revealed that Republicans are two-and-a-half times as likely to characterize themselves as “extremely patriotic” as Democrats (52% to 20%).

I mention all of this in light of the fact that the largest teachers union, the National Education Association, overwhelming supports Democratic political candidates.  In other words, the NEA is liberal.  Their curriculums simply reflect their liberal values, which includes less patriotism and more political correctness.

They put their money where their mouth (and heart) is by donating 80% of their campaign contributions to Democratic candidates. I am less critical of teachers than I am of their union.

So, does patriotism really matter?  Look at a little French history for the answer. French teachers unions had history textbooks rewritten after World War One to reflect their liberal leanings. Brave French soldiers were transformed into victims … along with their German aggressors! Bellicosity was not “politically correct”, as it isn’t with American teachers unions.

France had waged an epic four year battle with Germany in WWI with huge casualties. In WWII, the Germans quickly dispatched them in six weeks.  French generals, including Charles DeGaulle blamed the defeat on moral decay and lack of national will, laying the blame at the footsteps of the teachers union:  “You are partially responsible for the defeat.”

Are our schools teaching our children the right facts along with the right values?

Or are they nurturing victimization and an ignorance of American exceptionalism?

The NEA has hijacked our schools.  It’s no wonder home schooling continues to grow. Nearly half of home schooling parents say the main reason is because they can give their kids a better education at home.

Something is wrong with American schools, and the NEA is part of the problem.