Have you been following politics lately? Pretty hard to avoid it. Strong opinions…loud and sometimes intolerant, seem to get a lot of attention. At the forefront is what might be be described as national “bullying.” I would suggest that a clear parallel is recalled in the classic American courtroom drama, Inherit The Wind.
I’ve admired this play for many years, and am now privileged to be involved in a new production at the Country Gate Playhouse in Belvidere, New Jersey. Though the work, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, takes it’s origins from the Scopes “Monkey Trial” of 1925, its authors insist it is “not history.” Certainly, the issues of creationism vs. evolution often take center stage, but the play is largely an argument about thought. Moreover, the individual’s right to think…freely. And the mission of educators to promote, motivate and inspire creative thinking in their students.
It is alarming that in all the discordant political fervor, education seems conspicuously absent from the agenda. It’s true, the Founding Fathers delegated education as a function of the states, but that fact hasn’t stopped or reduced the influence of ruinous federal initiatives like No Child Left Behind. And, generally, the states have only exacerbated the situation. Many school districts have been forced to denigrate staff and curriculum in order to redirect resources toward the contemptible task of “teaching the test.” Has it been helpful? Has it been worth it? The answers we receive are mostly garbled and dysfunctional.
I was a New Jersey educator from 1970 through 2007. Over that period many strategies for effective instruction appeared. Some endured, most came and went. But in my experience, the most meaningful student engagement, regardless of technique, resulted in a sense of self-discovery…the student’s ability to bring critical thought to a problem, concept or new idea. In the ’90’s, a Best Practice citation was awarded to my district by the New Jersey Department of Education for innovation in interdisciplinary teaching and learning. I recall it to have been a powerful experience for both teachers and students. I worry that some of the many talented and creative teachers in today’s schools may become discouraged from pursuing such innovation in the current climate.
As the right to think is challenged in Inherit The Wind, I fear the governmental obsession for arbitrary success in one-dimensional standardized testing, has paradoxically diminished the ultimate power of the 21st century classroom.
This pivotal exchange by the two lawyers in Inherit The Wind, crystallizes the issue:
Brady: He wants to destroy everybody’s belief in the Bible and in God.
Drummond: You know that’s not true. I’m trying to stop you bigots and ignoramuses from controlling the education in the United States.
A cautionary tale? Yes, I’m afraid it may be so. As the political campaign intensifies, it would seem crucial that the candidates stop the bullying and, instead, launch a thoughtful, visionary dialogue about quality education. I think it’s an important issue. How about you?
WARNING! SHAMELESS PLUG BELOW:
In the meantime, be sure to exercise your own thought process by seeing Inherit The Wind at the Country Gate Playhouse.
billbenbarker 