Here is another side to recent opinions about schools written recently in the TR. In the early 70s, I saw the beginning of schools changing to accommodate more women returning full time to the workforce; half day kindergarten went to all day, lunches and breakfasts were served, after school activities were added.

As the nuclear family unit began to erode and morals began to loosen, basic support like coats and boots were supplied by the schools. More children were exposed to drugs, multi-parents, abandonment, abuse, etc. and it was only natural for teachers to step into the parent role that was left vacant. “Traditional ” families were becoming the minority and became overlooked.

As the vacuum grew with less parental involvement in the home and at school, the ideas of a liberal, progressive democrat base began to filter into curriculum and personal student decisions that left parents out, somewhat due to activist teachers being democrats and having a strong teacher’s union pushing their agenda.

I know this because I experienced it from being an active PTA volunteer and a teacher at the alternative high school. Overall, I found teachers caring, sacrificial, smart, creative, fun, and deserving of respect. On a small scale, I also experienced teachers, administrators and social workers taking the place of parents in helping students make very personal decisions about their life choices without parental knowledge. Along with this was the promotion of the national Democrat party and its policies at the complete avoidance of the other side. This was not teaching critical thinking and I saw it as malpractice. I have been present at a Republican representative’s town hall meeting where he was shouted down by activist teachers; nothing was learned and I thought, “And they are teaching our kids!”

Somewhere along the line a basic trust has been broken. Everyone needs to take a step back and get back into their proper roles. Our schools were not meant to take the place of parents, or used for social experiments, political footballs or to make one person’s definition of “compassion” the end all. Parents who are capable of being parents need to be in charge. Educators need to stay in their roles to be trusted and respected again. The children of families that have fallen apart need special help but not at the expense of the whole system.