Target: Ryan Walters, Oklahoma Superintendent of Schools
Goal: Don’t play politics with teacher recruitment in Oklahoma’s schools.
The state at or near the bottom of academic performance every year is at it again. Oklahoma has already had its push for religion in public schools vetoed in court. Now the state’s superintendent, who seems more interested in political stunts than improving education for Oklahoma’s children, has announced that teachers from two states only will have to pass so-called “America First” tests before they can educate in the state. The two states in question, California and New York, supposedly teach “antithetical to our standards.”
These “standards” apparently include teaching disproven conspiracy theories about previous elections and about the pandemic. They also incorporate material from a political media organization, Prager U, that has no academic standing. As one example of such material, a video featuring a cartoon Christopher Columbus downplaying slavery – even claiming “slavery is better than death” – is shown to elementary school children. The tests devised for New York and California teachers, who are singled out from the rest of the country, require the teachers to “prove” their conservative credentials.
As the superintendent grandstands, Oklahoma continues to face a severe teacher shortage. Sign the petition below to demand this elected leader start serving in the best interest of the children of Oklahoma rather than his own political aspirations.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Superintendent Walters,
Oklahoma is in dire need of teachers. Educators in Oklahoma already have meager salaries compared to the rest of the nation, which unfortunately does not make the state a very attractive prospect for any teacher. If you truly want to resolve this crisis, give your educators the respect of a living wage and the freedom to teach students to think critically and independently. Stop driving them away with supposed “standards” better suited for the halls of Congress than classrooms.
Moreover, stop unwisely excluding educators based on their geographical location. This dictate – if it even moves beyond a political play for the cameras – is prejudicial and inflammatory at a time when the teaching profession badly needs to be uplifted, not degraded with divisive rhetoric. Effective teaching challenges and inspires students to raise questions and to engage in spirited debate with people who share opposing views. You want to speak about “liberal indoctrination,” but in this moment you are the indoctrinator.
Stop the games and allow educators to start the conversations.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: JESHOOTS.com
