LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES FACING SOUTH CAROLINA'S EDUCATORS
BY TODD SCHOLL Positivity is wonderful, but being human means we will experience pain and suffering. When we experience hard times, our friends and colleagues will often try to encourage us. "Look on the bright side. The glass is half full." "Practice gratitude. Think of all the things your have to be thankful for." "There are people who have it worse than you." (Insert tragic story that just makes you feel even more depressed.) Brene Brown has taught us all to assume positive intentions, so I believe these attempts to pull us out of negativity are not meant to harm us. But our culture seems to promote the idea that, no matter what, there is ALWAYS a silver lining to every cloud, that positivity should be our permanent default state. We are inculcated with the idea that feeling negatively is a flaw, an error to be corrected as quickly as possible. It's not. In fact, by denying our pain, by trying to contort our negativity into positivity, we often strengthen the pain. We may be able to suppress that pain for a period of time, but there are no magical aphorisms to rid ourselves of the challenges we face as humans. And, by suppressing our pain, the artificial positivity we project can be toxic. For educators, that toxicity has reached critical levels over the past two years. Encouraged to don a mask of positivity, to be team players, to "suck it up buttercup," our educators are crumbling from within. Many have left the profession. Others are looking for a parachute and the right time to jump. And, in response to this, many administrators are encouraging their staff to practice self-care. They bring in facilitators like me to talk about self-care, but too often the motivation behind promoting self-care is to ensure that educators remain productive so that test scores don't plummet. Because educators generally have the best "b.s. detectors," self-care is then not seen as an aid. Instead it is seen as a deflection or dismissal of the very real challenges they face. Even when well-intentioned, it is viewed as another form of toxic positivity. The time spent in a self-care professional learning session is seen as time educators could actually be practicing self-care. They are screaming, "Take things off of my plate so I CAN take care of myself." Too often, self-care becomes just another thing to add to an already overcrowded to-do list." To the educators who feel that way, I hear you. In fact, most of the folks I know who facilitate sessions on self-care hear you. We are on your side, and we will stand by you as you fight for better working conditions, decreased workload, etc. But please, let's not "throw the baby out with the bathwater." Self-care, mindfulness, social-emotional learning, trauma-informed practices, and restorative justice are not your enemies. These practices, which are rooted in compassion, represent the hope of building a public education system that honors our humanity. Implemented correctly, they hold the promise of being an antidote to the toxicity we and our students are experiencing. The toxicity exists precisely because our humanity is NOT being validated. Self-care, in its proper form, helps us start prioritizing ourselves without feeling guilty for doing so. It encourages us to say no and set boundaries. Brianna Wiest puts it this way, "True self-care is not salt baths and chocolate cake, it is making the choice to build a life you don’t need to regularly escape from." Self-care, when executed properly, inspires us to take collective action. It motivates us to say no to things like:
Saying no is much more powerful when it is done collectively. If we can stand united together in saying no, that no becomes exponentially more powerful. Where self-care is introduced as means of quieting dissent or shifting the conversation from the very real problems educators face, it is not self-care. It is control disguised as self-care. It is manipulation dressed up as compassion. We need to be able to make the distinction between this destructive bastardization of self-care and genuine self-care because authentic self-care too often winds up being misunderstood and rejected when that contrast is not drawn clearly. Authentic self-care gives us the courage to take off the masks of fake positivity. It gives us permission to sit with our human pain and suffering without feeling like we are broken, crazy, or defective. It then helps us summon the courage to finally make our own health and well-being a priority without being gaslighted into believing we aren't putting "students first." Self-care is about demanding compassion for ourselves so that we have a reservoir of compassion available for others. Let's support each other by making these demands together. The SCEA is here to stand with you, not just to build the schools students deserve, but the schools our educators and support staff deserve as well.
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BY TODD SCHOLL In my last post, I wrote about dismantling our current system of education. But what do we build once it is dismantled? Let’s start with the end. Where do we want to go? We all want student success, but how do we define success? Better readers, mathematicians? Knowledgeable historians? Astute scientists? College and career ready? Surely, all of those things are important. Can we dig deeper than that? Can we take some time to examine what human beings need to flourish? We will go back to Maslow and let his Hierarchy of Needs, inspired by the Siksika (Blackfoot) way of life, guide us. When human needs become the foundation for an education, our priorities change. Our metrics shift from the myopic obsession with basic skills to a far more holistic framework. That shift redefines the quality of a public education by how well it meets human needs. This shift has the potential to reduce suffering and increase joy and peace. We can then reverse engineer our school system to meet those goals. Focusing on human needs, we start reimagining schools as more than schools. They are community centers, medical/dental/mental health facilities. They prioritize health, social competency, and psychotherapeutic structures. Proper nutrition is emphasized with schools not only teaching young people how to eat for health, but providing them with healthy foods for breakfast and lunch. Schools build and sustain gardens so students can experience producing and consuming their own food. Physical education is not considered an "extra." It is an integral part of every student's and teacher's day. Time and space for daily yoga, aerobics, walking/running, resistance training, etc. is provided. Mental health services are provided at no cost to every human being in the building. Everyone is encouraged to meet with mental health counselors as needed. Guided by our current understanding of neuroscience and psychology, we develop a school culture and climate that is healing, compassionate, and inspiring. We prioritize getting kids outdoors to experience the natural world. We give them the time and space to slow down and play. In this system, "race to the top" refers to the top of a mountain, not the top of imperious goals set by people who won't be forced to play the dreadful game those goals create. Field trips are strongly encouraged. Exposing students to cultural diversity becomes embedded into each day. Students taste new foods, hear new music, watch new films, experiment with dance, and view/create all kinds of art. In the framework I'm suggesting, "no child left behind" takes on new meaning. It represents a culture where every child feels loved, accepted, connected, and safe. Understanding that ANY system of education inherently promotes narratives, values, and power structures, we take a critical look at how our current system, intentionally or not, reinforces various forms of oppression, including white supremacy. Built within the context of liberatory design, students are given the means to not only recognize systems of oppression, but the tools and resources to deconstruct them so they can build a better world. A better world requires living with intention, in alignment with our humanity, and with happiness as a primary objective. We must be willing to slow down, be patient, and stop obsessing over test results. This does not mean we stop teaching basic skills or assessing student achievement. It means that we keep those things in perspective. They don't dictate every moment of the school day. But, Todd.....this isn't realistic! It's some utopian vision that can't work in reality! There is no question that this won't be an easy system to build, but fortunately we already have intrepid educators doing much of this work. We can use their models as inspiration. Check out some examples below. As a fierce supporter of public schools, I often find myself in a challenging position. I am constantly defending public schools, but I am also critiquing the current paradigm. The problem isn't the people. It's the system, and it's a system that produces a lot of misery. Within the current paradigm, people often feel they must start a private or charter school to escape the system, but that isn't the answer. At least it shouldn't be. One way to know if we are getting closer to the answer is to gauge how excited students are about going to school. Ask yourself where we stand on that measure now. How many students do you know who are excited to go to school? Heck, how many educators are excited about going to school? Our goal should be to produce a system where humans not only see relevance in what will happen in schools, but are motivated and enthusiastic about the opportunities and adventures each day holds. The ideas I'm proposing aren't new. They're just lost. Dewey, Montessori, Steiner, etc. shared their wisdom long ago. But, in our hunt to meet economic goals, we lost sight of this wisdom and, in the process, sacrificed our other fundamental human needs. It is time for us all to recognize that the current system of education in America is long overdue for a significant upgrade that will reconnect us with the natural rhythms of life and a celebration of our humanity. If, instead of overemphasizing basic skills, we set an intention to develop the whole child, resulting in a healthy, happy human being, we will have radically transformed our definition of success. Guided by that intention, we can finally build the schools our students and their teachers deserve. Note: I serve on the Education Advisory Board for WholeHealth Ed, "an independent, nonprofit program and policy organization advocating for infusing a comprehensive whole health learning experience into American elementary and secondary education. Check out their library of videos here. BY TODD SCHOLL This week's post is part one in a two-part post. Over the past two years, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on a palpable feeling of misalignment pervading most aspects of our society, including our public schools. That reflection led to a deeper investigation of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs with a focus on self-actualization, which Maslow placed at the top of this hierarchy (see important note at the end of this post). Self-actualization is defined as, "the complete realization of one's potential, and the full development of one's abilities and appreciation for life." CLICK HERE FOR MASLOW's characteristics of self-actualizers:
1. They perceive reality efficiently and can tolerate uncertainty; 2. Accept themselves and others for what they are; 3. Spontaneous in thought and action; 4. Problem-centered (not self-centered); 5. Unusual sense of humor; 6. Able to look at life objectively; 7. Highly creative; 8. Resistant to enculturation, but not purposely unconventional; 9. Concerned for the welfare of humanity; 10. Capable of deep appreciation of basic life-experience; 11. Establish deep satisfying interpersonal relationships with a few people; 12. Peak experiences; 13. Need for privacy; 14. Democratic attitudes; 15. Strong moral/ethical standards. If we still value Maslow’s model, we must ask ourselves if our public schools are designed to bring about self-actualization or instead alienate students from themselves, primarily promoting a vision of themselves as a market commodity. When our students ask us why they should excel in school, what is our response? What is the purpose of education that we sell to children? Is it to truly know themselves or to prepare them to be cogs in the machinery of our global economy, acquiring degrees solely for financial purposes rather than personal development and edification? In The End of Education, Neil Postman deeply examines the purpose of a public education. He writes, “The question is not, Does or doesn't public schooling create a public? The question is, What kind of public does it create? A conglomerate of self-indulgent consumers? Angry, soulless, directionless masses? Indifferent, confused citizens? Or a public imbued with confidence, a sense of purpose, a respect for learning, and tolerance? The answer to this question has nothing whatsoever to do with computers, with testing, with teacher accountability, and with the other details of managing schools. The right answer depends on two things and two things alone: the existence of shared narratives and the capacity of such narratives to provide an inspired reason for schooling.” As we consider which narratives are now prioritized, we must identify who controls the narratives and what their objectives are. What serves those people best: self-actualized students or students who are so alienated from themselves that they can only find meaning in the acquisition of the material items produced by those who are in control? Most of us, including me, are so caught up in this system, so alienated from nature and ourselves, so far removed from our "species-essence" that we have become conditioned to accept our objectification and powerlessness. Yet we sense our misalignment. We sense it in our workplaces, our government, our systems of education, and our society at large. We attempt to distract ourselves from this misalignment with sports, entertainment, alcohol, drugs, social media, etc. But we know it's there, and since self-actualization was never fostered within us, we have no clue how to deconstruct the system that traps us and rebuild a new one. Pete Stone, Chester Education Association President, alludes to the misalignment felt by educators and students in this brilliant video. Freire characterized this misalignment as being adapted to the reality in which we find ourselves rather than integrated. Thoreau wrote about living lives of quiet desperation rather than sucking the marrow out of life. Great thinkers from diverse perspectives note how hard it is to live in a society that tends to focus on productivity and conformity, rather than realizing our greatest innate potential. Schools, whether intentional or not, reinforce this misalignment. This is because our systems of education were designed to meet the needs of power structures --economic, political, social)-- rather than individual humans. As a result, teachers, the humans tasked with helping other humans develop, find their students and themselves increasingly toxified by this system. Before the pandemic hit, we saw the harm caused by the accountability movement and education reformers who framed their initiatives with vacuous aphorisms like "No Child Left Behind" or "Race to the Top." Educational initiatives have often been framed by "reformers" in ways that mask the underlying dehumanizing paradigm. As they promote their reforms, they position themselves as the ones finally putting "students first," as opposed to the educators on the front lines, who the public then infers have been "leaving children behind." Consider the 2010 Davis Guggenheim documentary "Waiting for Superman." The title alone cast teachers and teachers’ unions as the villains. The film pinned the systemic issues in public education on the very people fighting to save public education, but educators are as much victims of this dehumanizing system as their students. The dehumanizing aspects of the system became calcified by politicians on both sides of the aisle who viewed standardized testing as the superhero that would fix problems that were first highlighted after the 1983 release of A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform. Our supposed falling behind international peers and the “achievement gap,” which would more accurately be termed an “opportunity gap,” were supposed to be ameliorated by increased accountability in the form of bubble-in tests. The goal was to ensure that schools created a more competitive national workforce. The entire system soon warped itself to maximize test scores, setting up an insipid and miserable game that neither educators nor students ever wanted to play. As teachers saw the system become increasingly dehumanized, in an effort to appease the standardized testing "Gods," they became increasingly demoralized. In subsequent decades, inadequate funding, increased workloads, lagging teacher pay, and deteriorating working conditions added to the toxicity experienced by educators, so they began leaving the profession in record numbers to rid themselves of the poison. Now the pandemic has laid bare just how dehumanized our public education system has become. In South Carolina, we have seen 17,000+ students contract COVID-19 in the first few weeks of this school year. Three students have died along with dozens of educators and support staff. And what has been the response from our state leaders? They won't even allow local districts to do what is needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect human lives! If this isn’t proof of just how dehumanized the system has become, I don't know what is. Throughout my life, as I've wondered out loud about broken systems and illogical policies, I've always been told to follow the money. This helps us understand exactly what our leaders value, and I think that advice applies here. The health of our economy seems to always supersede the health of the people. When the purpose of life is reduced to a quest for material gain, success is then measured by the numbers on our bank statements, the value of our homes and cars, and our ability to purchase everything we are convinced we NEED to be happier. As the purpose of public education became aligned with these materialistic ends, our educational systems began deifying test scores. If the success of an adult is the number on a paycheck, the value of a student is their score on a high stakes test. And the worth of an educator, a school, or district is tied directly to these test results. Because it is solely based upon externally imposed metrics, this system forces students and educators to adapt rather than integrate. It alienates us from ourselves, preventing self-actualization. And, sadly, it has largely led to lives of quiet desperation. This system has to be attacked and deconstructed at its roots. Until we recognize that our problems primarily stem from this toxic system, our advocacy efforts will remain mostly palliative. We will perpetually be treating the symptoms of the diseased system rather than dismantling the system itself. We will grasp at technology, "innovative" methods, and interventions with the sole purpose of playing the game better rather than deconstructing it. We will be led to believe that kids just need more time in school, more access to technology, and more rigor. We will see state leaders continue to ignore the voices of educators. We will see more legislation that prioritizes the economy over the health, safety, and well-being of the people. And the destructive game will go on, driven by arbitrary goals created by people who value dollars more than humanity. This week we identified the problem and what needs to be dismantled. In part two, coming next week, we will identify some potential solutions and ways we can build the schools our students deserve. *Self-actualization has been taught as the pinnacle of Maslow's Hierarchy, but before he died, he wanted to add a higher piece, self-transcendence. Rather than stray too far from the overall point of this post, you can read about this here or watch the video below. BY TODD SCHOLL Sitting through boring, irrelevant professional development sessions is awful. How many times have you spent an entire session thinking about all of the better ways you could be using your time? I suppose the one positive thing about terrible professional development is that it makes the rest of your day seem more exciting and useful in comparison. Educators deserve better. We deserve autonomy over our professional learning and access to the kind of learning that WE believe will improve our practice. In South Carolina, we have seen mandates force us to take courses we would never choose on our own. If that weren't bad enough, most of us were forced to pay for those courses out of our own pockets. By dictating to us how we must grow our professional practice, we are stripped of our voice and choice. This has to end! Fortunately, The SCEA and NEA are here to help solve this problem. The NEA now offers over 175 micro-credentials to our members. This is a HUGE benefit of membership. For those new to micro-credentials, these are short, competency-based recognitions that allow an educator to demonstrate mastery in a particular area. NEA micro-credentials are grounded in research and best practice and designed to be:
The NEA organizes these micro-credentials into "stacks." Within each stack you will find specific micro-credentials related to the stack topic. As you complete these micro-credentials, you not only collect renewal credits, you also can add these credentials to your resume. Sample NEA Stack & Micro-CredentialsThe SCEA is also hosting a series of webinars throughout the year. These are free and open to ALL South Carolina public educators. The SC Department of Education has stated that districts can grant educators renewal credits for NEA's micro-credentials. They recommend a minimum of 12 renewal credits per earned micro-credential. The SCEA will also issue you a certificate of completion for each of our webinars you attend. We recommend that you consult with your school's or district's certification specialist to discuss the acceptance of renewal credits. Together, The SCEA and NEA are working to elevate professional learning for all teachers. By providing choice and quality, educators can get excited about honing their craft, and this will help us build the schools our students deserve. BY TODD SCHOLL Our minds crave certainty. Over many generations, natural selection has favored those who pay close attention to threats. By doing so, our ancestors were better equipped to avoid mortal mistakes. Most of us have inherited this high level of vigilance. Psychologists Paul Rozin and Edward Royzman called this "negativity bias." We pay closer attention to what is wrong than what is right. Dr. Rick Hanson puts it this way, "Your brain is like Velcro for negative experiences, but Teflon for positive ones." This adaptation is great for survival. Unfortunately, it often leaves us feeling nervous, worried, and anxious. As we consider everything that could go wrong in our future, we can imagine those catastrophes vividly. These mental projections can activate our stress response sending stress hormones through our system. Our body's alarm system is designed to help us fight off or flee from threats. Unfortunately, when you are in the middle of second block, and you start worrying about the difficult student in your third block class, there's nothing to fight and nowhere to run. Our systems can kick off the stress response, and we are left with the physical and psychological damage that is done. As teachers, this process may repeat multiple times through our day. Maybe we become anxious about the amount of work left to do. Perhaps we are worried about a family member. This year many of us are anxious about the spread of COVID and the incredibly foolish response by several of our state leaders. Week after week we may experience many stress responses, and this toxic stress takes a huge toll on our health and sense of well-being. Experiencing this long enough can lead to burnout and high levels of teacher attrition. Well, there are essentially two ways to work on this problem. The first way, and often the only way chosen, is to work on our external conditions. We modify our classroom management approach, ask for help from administrators or colleagues, or call parents. We may also use our voices to ask for change within our school, district, or state to create better working conditions. For example, we may advocate for smaller class sizes, additional counselors, or changes in discipline policies. Working on external conditions is absolutely necessary, but if we are waiting on our external conditions to be ideal before we can find any peace, we may find ourselves miserable for a while. So while we are waiting for external change, we can complement those efforts by doing some inner work. This inner work is often sacrificed by educators as they focus their lives on supporting others. To effectively help others, however, teachers must invest in taking care of themselves. I can hear some of you now, "Todd, if I HAD time to take care of myself, I would." I understand that sentiment. I've lived it. I was a teacher, father, coach, club organizer. I get it. When I facilitate sessions on self-care, I start with the meme below. It is really hard to make yourself a priority when you don't have the time, but if you don't make yourself a priority, your health and wellness will eventually force you to. If you are struggling with stress and anxiety, here are five ways you can start that inner work to make more room for joy and peace. 1. See a therapist. If you thought you had strep, you would go see a doctor and get the meds you need to feel better. If stress and anxiety are chronic issues, therapy is a wonderful place to start learning how to better manage. Talking through your issues with an unbiased third party can be incredibly helpful. Your therapist will give you specific tools to help you understand the sources of your stress and anxiety. Techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy are effective and truly help improve the quality of your life. Search for a therapist near you here. 2. Practice meditation. Meditation has been shown to be very helpful in creating a sense of calm and well-being. Research shows that just a few minutes each day can help build new neural pathways conducive to better states of mind. Below is a free five minute meditation by Hanna Attafi. Download it and play it once each day. Consider expanding your practice. Try apps like Calm, Headspace, or Insight Timer. If you are dealing with a mental health issue, consult with a professional before diving into these practices.
3. Exercise. If your doctor has no objections, it is critical to get your body moving each day. Start with a short daily walk. Consider joining a gym. Find fitness classes that work for you. There are tons of free exercise classes online. Exercise has so many benefits:
Read more here. 4. Sleep well. So many teachers are sleep-deprived. Sleep deprivation can worsen anxiety. All of the suggestions above can help you sleep better. You can also try the following:
Read more here. 5. Say no. To make time for all the four items above, you may have to start telling people no. Take a day to really examine your life. List everything you are saying "yes" to. Include the notifications on your phone and the time you spend on social media. Critically analyze how you are spending your evenings, weekends, and breaks. What can you let go of to make time for the inner work you need to do? It may feel selfish, but, as Dr. Hanson notes, "Nurturing your own development isn’t selfish. It’s actually a great gift to other people." The SCEA is fighting to improve your external conditions. We hope you will join us in those efforts. The SCEA is also here to support you as you work on your internal conditions. If there is any way we can support you, please contact us. Join the movement for the schools that South Carolina students deserve!
BY TODD SCHOLL
Early on in my teaching career I was content to close my door and do my best to create amazing experiences for my students. I did not pay much attention to what happened in Columbia. I didn't really know what advocacy was or how I could make a difference outside of my school. In 2005, I was fortunate to be selected as Carolina Forest High School's first Teacher Cadet instructor. The following year I was elected to The Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement's (CERRA's) Advisory Board. This provided me with opportunities to learn about teacher advocacy and leadership. In 2011, I went to work full-time at CERRA and began learning just how important it was for all of us to find our voices and use them. Finding your voice can be intimidating. For some, it may feel easier to let others stand up for the profession. That was my attitude early on in my career, but as I gained more confidence and discovered areas of expertise and passion, I was able to begin advocating for change. At first, it was simply a willingness to lead professional learning and discuss issues with my administrative team. It then became writing letters to legislators and OP/ED pieces for the local paper. My voice didn't always have the impact I wanted, but sometimes it did, and those victories meant better working conditions for my colleagues and me. For example, our school used to have time-consuming end-of-year procedures that were unnecessarily cumbersome. As a member of the Principal's Cabinet, I recommended changes that vastly cut down on the amount of time and effort this process took. At the state level, I began familiarizing myself with legislation, reaching out to legislators, and connecting with educators who were fighting for the same things. Advocacy work CAN be done alone. You don't need to wait on anyone's permission, but our voices are stronger when we speak collectively. That is why The SCEA wants YOU to work with us to not only find your voice, but use it together with thousands of other South Carolina educators so we can build the power needed to facilitate true change. There are myriad ways for you to lead. You don't have to take on everything by yourself. Download The NEA's Teacher Leadership Competencies below and look for areas where you can grow as a leader. Equip yourself with knowledge, resources, and allies. Then go LEAD! Start a blog, podcast, or website. Build a transformational professional learning session. Create a Facebook Group around your area or find one and join it. Get outside of the four walls of your classroom. Start thinking about how you can create systemic change. During my time at CERRA, I met Teachers of the Year from all across South Carolina. Many of them found their voices during that process. I was fortunate to meet Pete Stone a couple of years ago, and he is a shining example of a teacher who has truly found his voice and uses it to improve his profession. Check out his video below. When you're done, consider how your voice can contribute to creating the kind of schools our students deserve.
Join the movement for the schools that South Carolina students deserve!
BY TODD SCHOLL A couple of nights ago someone ripped down the pride flag I had waving from my front porch. I was able to get it back up, but it occurred to me that my advocacy efforts must go far beyond waving a flag or posting to social media. As an LGBTQ ally, visual symbols of my support should only be the beginning of my advocacy. Our LGBTQ teachers need allies who are willing to be vocal at school, online and in our communities. Too many of them continue to live in fear. Too many feel unsafe, concerned that their sexual orientation or gender identity will jeopardize their careers or result in an untenable work environment. Just over a year ago, The U.S. Supreme Court finally ruled that employers could no longer fire anyone based upon sexual orientation or gender identity, but the fear of some sort of reprisal or punishment remains etched into the minds of too many of our fellow educators. That has to change. In order for this fear to be eradicated, all allies need to step forward. Our LGBTQ students also need our support, and that is a moral imperative. LGBTQ youth have suicide rates 1.5-3 times higher than heterosexual youth. The SCEA and NEA are allies, and we are committed to standing by and supporting LGBTQ educators and students. Will you join us? If so, here are five ways you can help us create the inclusive environment our teachers and students deserve. 1. Examine yourself for biases you may still hold. Change starts from within. Take a close look at the political and religious leaders you support. Consider whether the organizations to which you are connected are allies. 2. Be a vocal advocate. Use your voice in person and online to ensure LGBTQ educators and students know you are a safe ally who will have their backs. Call out discriminatory policies and do not ignore anyone using homophobic or transphobic language. 3. Study GLSEN's Classroom Resources. This will help you develop a more inclusive curriculum and classroom environment. Seek feedback from LGBTQ educators.
5. NEA is also offering its members an opportunity to enroll in online blended learning LGBTQ courses to educate NEA members about a variety of LGBTQ+ topics and to inspire action. NEA LGBTQ Blended Learning courses will be facilitated by NEA-trained blended learning facilitators and provide a certificate for 15-hours of professional development upon completion. Together we can build a world where no teacher or student has to live in fear. Together we can promote love and extinguish hate.
Join the movement for the schools that South Carolina students deserve! BY TODD SCHOLL We are right in the middle of hurricane season. Thankfully, we have not had any major threats along our South Carolina coast this season. I know. I need to go knock on some wood. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) plays a critical role in preparing the public for hurricane season. These experts observe, monitor, and collect objective data to provide reliable information about tropical systems, and we are all safer thanks to their work. In May 2021, NOAA predicted we would have 13-20 named storms this season. They recently updated that to 15-21. These are not numbers they pull out of a hat. They are based upon detailed analysis of atmospheric conditions and global weather patterns by meteorologists who dedicate their lives to collecting and interpreting data to make the most accurate forecasts possible. Imagine, for a moment, that NOAA warns us of a major hurricane heading towards our shores this week. They release a forecast track that shows catastrophic impacts to our coastal communities. Now imagine a campaign on social media that began sowing seeds of doubt about that. Thousands of South Carolinians begin accepting this disinformation and fail to take the precautions necessary to safeguard their homes and lives. The storm comes and ravages the coast. Thousands die, needlessly, because they believe the research they did on YouTube was more reliable than the research done by the experts at NOAA. Twenty years ago, this hypothetical scenario would seem preposterous. Today, we see that the glut of disinformation proliferated on social networks and countless websites, combined with a lack of critical reasoning, has produced the perfect storm of ignorance and arrogance. This perfect storm has rolled in during a global pandemic. It has cost thousands of lives and threatens to continue doing ongoing and unnecessary damage to our state. Like NOAA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is an agency designed to help protect the public. Their experts have studied COVID-19 and make recommendations based upon their research. Similar to the constantly updated track and intensity of a hurricane, the recommendations on how to best safeguard ourselves during a global pandemic are subject to change as new data is collected and analyzed. These changes to forecast models or CDC guidance don’t imply incompetency. They imply a capacity for experts to modify their understanding based upon that new data. It’s called science, and it’s awesome. The CDC is, as of today, advising all people, regardless of vaccination status, to mask up in indoor public spaces if they are in areas reporting “substantial” or “high” transmission of the virus. The CDC stated that this will “maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others.” They have also advised universal indoor mask-wearing in K-12 schools for everyone over the age of 2. This includes teachers, other staff members, students and visitors, even if they are fully vaccinated. In South Carolina, however, some state leaders believe that they know better. These lawmakers have decided that their beliefs about the pandemic, grounded in a surface level understanding of epidemiology (at best), are more valuable than guidance coming from experts who have dedicated their lives to studying diseases. (Educators are all too familiar with this arrogance as their expertise is too often ignored by lawmakers who force ill-advised policies upon them and their students.) This hubristic mindset is killing people. Many South Carolinians are dying because our elected officials believe that their thirty minutes of internet research is more valuable and trustworthy than the exhaustive work conducted by the CDC. The cynic in me believes many of these leaders know better, but have calculated that telling the truth to the public would result in too much damage to their political careers. Their desire to be reelected means more to them than protecting human lives. I don’t enjoy wearing a mask, but if the folks at the CDC are now making new recommendations, who am I to object? If experts have determined that wearing a mask, in certain environments, can help reduce the spread of a deadly virus, why would I choose my own selfish preferences over the health and survival of others? It does not take a Herculean effort to wear a mask until we can safely stop doing so, especially when such a small gesture could save someone else’s life. The internet has been a wonderful tool and democratized access to knowledge, but it has also opened a Pandora’s Box of nonsense. It has provided a megaphone to anyone who wants to spread deception and ignorance. Without safeguards, too many of our fellow citizens who lack critical reasoning skills will fall further into the rabbit holes of conspiracy theories and disinformation. Rather than acknowledging the limits of their expertise, folks now believe that watching a handful of YouTube videos on a subject makes them MORE knowledgeable than the experts at the CDC.
I don’t know how we stop the momentum of this, but it is incumbent upon educators to take a stand. While we should always be critical of official sources and question authority, we should not assume that our own understanding of any subject supersedes that of the experts. If we continue to travel down this road to insanity, it is only a matter of time before we begin doubting all authority. Those category five storms will come. NOAA will warn us. And many of us will be blown away. Join the movement for the schools that South Carolina students deserve! |
AuthorTodd Scholl is a Professional Practice and Policy Teaching Fellow. Archives
October 2021
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