Posted on 10/15/2002 9:54:50 AM PDT by TCSparkman
Shocking Personal Story from a Student at Santa Monica High
Posted by the ChronWatch Founder, Jim Sparkman Tuesday, October 15, 2002
ChronWatch received this amazing letter from a student at Santa Monica High. The events happened last year and early this year. It speaks for itself:
To whom it may concern:
My name is Christopher Moritz and I am a senior at Santa Monica High School in California. For the last four years I have endured the stigma of being an outspoken conservative Republican in a sea of liberalism. This is my story.
As we are all well aware, the American educational system has been hijacked by the left who use impressionable young people as a modem for proselytizing their neo-Marxist ideology. This problem is of national concern and affects every region of the country. Typically we associate this radical takeover of education with the university level. However, as I have learned from experience, left wing bias is prevalent throughout the high schools as well. When I entered high school I was astonished to discover the extent to which my school leaned in a singular political direction. Nearly all of the staff were liberal Democrats as were the overwhelming majority of the student body, which is over 3500 people.
The direct correlation between the political beliefs of the students and the teachers cannot be overlooked. If a student is unsure of his political beliefs and all of his teachers purport the same message, than it is safe to assume that he will adopt a similar ideology. In affect, this destroys the educational process, which is intended to provide people with the knowledge they need to formulate their own ideas. I believe this is clearly indoctrination of the youth, a tactic used by both the Nazis and Islamic radicals.
In an attempt to promote the underdog of campus politics, I formed the Political Forum Club. Along with a small band of conservatives, we have dedicated ourselves to fighting the political status quo of our school. This has been an arduous process that has brought us great criticism and retaliation by students and teachers alike. Nevertheless, we endure to promote diversity, an issue typically of great concern to the bleeding heart of the leftist--except of course, diversity of thought.
One of the first steps I took was to invite Libertarian talk radio host and author of the New York Times bestseller The Ten Things You Can't Say in America, Larry Elder, to speak at an assembly held at our school. Mr. Elder, who is black, spoke about the fact that racism no longer prevents minorities from succeeding in America. Mr. Elder also emphasized his message of personal accountability and the importance of a limited government.
The response following the assembly was frightening. Keeping in mind this was a voluntary assembly and that no one was forced to attend, many teachers and students were in an uproar. They called Mr. Elder an Uncle Tom, accused my club of racism, and some even protested our right to congregate on campus. Although a barrage of left wing speakers, including Al Gore and a radical from the United Farm Workers Union, have appeared at our school, Mr. Elder was the first conservative/libertarian to do so.
(Excerpt) Read more at chronwatch.com ...
I am refering to the vocabulary and syntax of the piece.
Despite a few minor errors (one of which is "in affect", instead of the correct "in effect"), it reads as if it were written by a grown man.
If this was indeed written by a high-school boy, then he writes with a clarity and perception beyond his years.
First, a little background on myself. I am a retired military officer turned middle school teacher. I entered the education field two years ago, after a twenty-year career in the Air Force. Like you, I once blamed teachers for most of the ills in our education system. However, time in the classroom has changed my perspective.
First, this may come as a shock, but most teachers are NOT NEA members. At my school here in the south, only about 20% belong to the state education association, which also requires dual membership in the NEA. Most of us recognize the state association and the NEA for what they are: an ultra-liberal political action committee, hell-bent on advancing an agenda. The NEA lost interest in improving education a long time ago, and that's why most teachers have given up on the NEA.
Regarding our work schedule, there may be a few teachers who stagger in the door just before the bell and race out of the classroom at 3:00 pm, but they are also a minority. I usually arrive for school about 45 minutes before I go on duty, or about an hour and fifteen minutes before the first bell. After school, I stay behind to grade papers, meet with parents, or prepare lesson plans. I generally leave the school between 4:00 and 4:30 each day, roughly 90 minutes after the last bell rings. If there's a football game, I'll be at school until 9:00 or 10:00 pm, since all male teachers are required to work these events. We also work basketball games, baseball/softball games, field trips, fund raisers and a host of other school-related activities. We receive no additional compensation for these events. The coaches are paid extra, but "regular" teachers get nothing extra for working games or other after-school events.
After working at school after the last bell, I also work at home in the evening. There are always papers to grade, letters to write (explaining why little Johnny or Susie is failing) and phone calls to make. My "typical" workday is 12 hours a day, five days a week, roughly the same schedule I had as an Air Force officer. However, my take home pay is about half what I was making in the military.
That long summer vacation? Sounds nice, but I won't see it for at least a couple of years. Next summer, I start grad school to earn a second master's (in education). Between that and a few remaining certification classes, my vacation time is already allocated.
Make no mistake. I knew what I was getting into when I became a teacher. There are many frustrations with this job, including pay, class size and (most importantly) our refusal to get rid of bad students who drag down the entire system. But teaching is far from a cakewalk. It takes dedication, infinite patience, and a belief that (somehow) you're making a difference. I wish I had a teaching job like the one you describe. If you know of one, please let me know. In my (brief) experience, they simply don't exist. There are more than a few bad teachers in the business, but there are a lot of good ones, too. Don't tar us all with the same brush....
You must admit that the rest of us cannot take the summer off to concentrate on getting a second graduate degree and get paid while doing it. We must squeeze it into our work day.
I think until the teachers as a whole refute the NEA, teachers will get no respect. The NEA speaks for all teacher whether they are members or not. And I never hear any teachers publicly disputing what the NEA says.
I have talked to teachers here who tell me they have no choice but to join. I have asked them if they go to meetings and make there feeling known. They tell me they don't because they would be looked down upon for doing that. Time for teachers to either get a back bone or admit that they agree with the status quo.
Teachers must also begin to take responsibility for the failure of the education system and push to improve it. As long as they continue to blame everyone else, nothing will change.
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