Teachers are (mostly) getting a bad rap these days. Sometimes, it seems like conservatives revile them even more than Antifa, BLM, or The Squad. We blame them for shutting down the schools, making kids wear masks, and pushing critical race theory. We accuse them of being lazy and coddled, being bad at their jobs, and thinking only of themselves.
None of that is entirely fair. Sure, we’ve all seen videos of teachers behaving like self-absorbed little tyrants. We’ve read the statements from craven teachers’ union officials. We’ve heard our own kids’ stories about crazed classroom commies.
But those descriptions do not fit most teachers. And in lumping them all together, we make the same mistake leftists make when they stereotype police officers based on the bad actions of a few.
The fact of the matter is, in the red and purple parts of America (which, geographically, make up the bulk of the country), most teachers are still good, solid, hardworking people who chose the profession because they want to make a positive difference in young people’s lives. They go to work every morning with that goal in mind.
I speak from experience. In the interests of full disclosure, I should note that I am a teacher myself, although at the college level, where what I am saying here isn't nearly as true (although it still holds true to a degree). But that’s a topic for another column. Right now, I’m talking about K-12 teachers, including my wife, a semi-retired middle school teacher who still gets occasional calls to fill in.
She and I also know many other teachers, at church and elsewhere. They are, to a person, fine people. Most of them are very conservative. Very few are far left. And, generally speaking, they are just as appalled at what’s going on as we are, even if they can’t speak about it openly. They are our allies in this fight, or at least potential allies. Viewing them as enemies just because some loon in Chicago said math is racist is just plain dumb, not to mention counterproductive.
Of course, we’ve all had our own experiences with teachers growing up—both good and bad, but mostly, I dare say, good. Personally, some of my most positive, powerful influences were teachers and coaches. Many of you would probably echo those sentiments.
And it’s not just us Boomers who benefited from good teachers. The same is true for my children, the youngest of whom just graduated a few years ago. For every tale of indoctrination or left-wing lunacy, I can tell you eight or ten stories of nurturing and inspiration. My children would not have been nearly as successful, in school or in life, without wonderful teachers. And for that, I am grateful.
During the pandemic, teachers have been criticized for sitting at home, doing nothing while still collecting a paycheck, then lobbying for that cushy state of affairs to continue indefinitely. That represents a profoundly warped view of what’s going on in most of the country.
For one thing, most teachers haven’t exactly been “doing nothing.” Far from it. This is something I can speak to, even as a college professor: Figuring out how to teach effectively during the lockdowns was a major challenge. And it was even harder for K-12 teachers, because they have more students, less discretionary time, and far less autonomy. They pretty much had to go along with whatever district administrators decided, however tone-deaf or impractical that might be.
Returning to “in-person” school did little to make things easier. Since so many students elected to continue “learning” at home, many teachers had to pull double duty: teaching the students who were physically present in their classrooms while at the same time not neglecting those who were tuned in remotely.
If you’ve ever sat through a one-hour Zoom meeting, with a handful of people in the room and several others participating online, you understand the challenges. Now imagine doing that all day, every day, for ten months. With teenagers. Or seven-year-olds.
None of this means conservative parents shouldn’t continue to promote their values and push for reforms in their local school systems. Obviously, they should. In fact, they must. In particular, we must demand (as many parents have already been doing, with some success) that schools stop needlessly and cruelly masking children and renounce any ideas that actively promote racism.
Nor does it mean responsible parents shouldn’t consider moving to saner districts. Or putting their kids in private schools. Or home schooling. Those are all viable options for improving your child’s education.
I’m just saying that, by and large, teachers are not the villains. School boards are far more to blame—and we elect them, so we can do something about that. Arrogant, authoritarian school administrators are a big part of the problem, too. And of course, so are teachers’ unions. But most teachers—especially in right-to-work red states—are not union members, and many of those who join do so only because they feel they have to. They don’t necessarily share the goals or vision of union leaders—or even their own school board or administrators.
In many of our communities, the overwhelming majority of teachers agree with us—about masks, about in-person school, about CRT. Many of them are our friends and neighbors. And I can tell you, they’re feeling a bit blind-sided right now. Understandably, they don’t appreciate being blamed for things that aren’t their fault—especially when they’ve been working harder than ever under extremely adverse circumstances.
These good teachers need your moral support and appreciation. They need you to advocate for things they can’t. Above all, they need you to see them as the allies they are. They’re on your side—and more importantly, they’re on your children’s side.