I am 64. My Blakely, Pa public school system reinforced our family’s values rather than undermine them. Those days are gone. I’ll bet that there are no private schools today which would stand up to Blakely’s excellence. In 1969, we had to become part of a jointure with two other inferior school systems. Our education fell off a cliff within months.
I know Blakely had great football teams. We- Mt. Carmel played you for the championship back then. I don’t remember who won but it was a big deal to us. Good times. Off topic but you clicked my memory.
I witnessed a similar steep decline, but much later than yours. When “desegregation” was imposed in the 70s, the lowest common denominator was immediately put in place, for EVERYONE. Couldn’t have the appearance of failure hurt little black children’s egos due to the government’s meddling. Busing students across town when we had a neighborhood school a few blocks from our house was a massive, useless waste of time. Black kids routinely threw rocks at our buses. The hallways were unmanageable war zones much of the time.
By middle school, I saw open, militant atheists teachers coming in to denigrate belief in God. We had a flaming homosexual teacher who was as vicious as they come. Had many more after that, including a band instructor in high school. I realize now that he subtly came on to me as a freshman. He was murdered at a “gay” bar he managed and co-owned after retiring. I later learned that he was quite the activist.
My folks grew up in the early 60s. Sometime back then, prayers in public school was discontinued by order of SCOTUS. One of their teachers announced that nevertheless they’d continue the morning routine that began with a psalm and the Lord’s Prayer. Teacher was a progressive by the standards of the day; a Vassar girl...or maybe it was Wellesley...one of the 7 sisters from the northeast. A former suffragette still itching for a little civil disobedience.
This was in NY. Liberals in the schools, but not entirely deranged at that point.
The stories they told me about the late 60s, well, that’s some scary stuff.