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The January 28 letter from Mary Anne Royal in the BDN deserves discussion. She says she believes people are testifying before school boards in order to stifle teaching about racism. I think this is a gross misunderstanding that adds to the dissension, not the discussion. Did anyone actually say that racial topics should be avoided? Personally, I haven’t heard anyone think the story should be cleaned of any wrongdoing.
I encourage Royal to actively listen to the flood of parents who come to school boards and expect their views to be heard. Parents fear that their community values will be implemented in the school curriculum, not superseded by it. The problem is to point out that any group has the exclusive right to be labeled as guilty solely because of their skin color. let’s all support The standard of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. of a person judged on the content of his character and not on the color of his skin. If history teaches us anything, it’s that there’s always a good band that wants to knock down another band’s incorrect position. Reason and logic have been the traditional methods of liberal education to combat sociological fluctuations.
We all need to respect the dialogue and point of view without rushing into judgment. Educators who adhere to a professional code of ethics know that they should ask students questions designed to foster critical thinking and not to propagate their own personal point of view. Let’s all unite for facts and discussion to enhance our future citizens’ understanding of historical events and forces through questioning and wondering, not finger pointing. If we don’t learn from history, we will repeat the mistakes made.
We need to encourage parents to be involved in our educational process, not discourage them.
Joan Peterson
Swanville
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