take a lesson from james cook, america. you're not above critical analysis
Photo Credit: "James Cook," 2021
For many years, James taught American and Canadian History, and Social Justice to secondary school students. I stepped into his classroom as a Grade 10 student for my mandatory History course – one class turned into two, and two turned into as many I can take that he taught. One thing about James is that he opens young adults' eyes to become more critical of the world. And it's hard not to want to learn more about the world.
He has since packed up lesson planning and a position as the Head of the Canadian and World Studies Department at Brooklin High Secondary School that earned him the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence in 2020 for something new – a shiny plaque on a door at Sinclair Secondary School in Whitby that says "Vice-Principal."
In an interview, James shares his frustrations as both an educator and parent of three daughters, condeming the protest. He speaks on the significance of CRT in classrooms and combating social injustices, along with the dangers of protecting a narrative of a country that is intertwined with nationalism and white supremacy.
Many protestors carried signs that read "education not indoctrination," accusing teachers of indoctrinating the impressionable, young minds of students (Steinbuch, 2021). Another prominent sign read "you don't end racism by teaching it" (Oliphant et al, 2021). As a teacher, how does this protest make you feel?
These quotations would be laughable if they weren’t so serious in nature. People naturally cling to their world views. It’s hard to change our perspective on what we’ve always believed to be true. These people have been told a story about America and that story just isn’t true. They are clinging to their view that America is inherently good and that America is best for the world. They believe America is a hero and is above critical analysis. Blind nationalism is dangerous.
At the risk of being philosophical, teaching is an act that requires teaching of values. Whether we want students to learn to be responsible by attending class regularly or we want them to recognize the humanity and inhumanity in historical events like slavery or the Holocaust, we cannot separate teaching values from teaching of facts or ideas. Teachers are in the business of preparing students for the future, in both skills and attitudes.
This protest makes me feel sad that these protesters don’t understand the importance of learning about history. They don’t recognize that students need to understand their histories and the history of their community in order to understand why things are the way they are. Why are Black Americans more likely than white Americans to drop out of high school? An analysis of history of the United States shows that there is a clear correlation between structural racism and inequality today. Slavery, Jim Crow laws, red-lining, college admission limitations, multi-generational wealth, and many other factors have lead to an America where Black youth are statistically more likely to leave high school before graduation. If students aren’t made aware of this multitude of factors, how would they answer the question? Would they assume that there is something inherently better about white students? Worse about Black students? The possibility that a young person could feel inferior based on a system that has worked against them and their families for over 400 years is unacceptable. Students deserve the truth and the education system has an important role to play. So, I have little patience for these protesters who are clearly not experts in the field and are holding onto an idea of their country that isn’t real.
Photo Credit: Hockstein, 2021
Photo Credit: Hockstein, 2021
"These people have been told a story about America and that story just isn’t true "
The story of Ruby Bridges has significantly impacted James' daughter. In 1960, Bridges was the first African-American student to integrate into a white, Southern elementary school. She is now 67 years old (Michals, 2015.)
Photo Credit: Herrera, 2020 (AP/ Photo)
Brenda Sheridan, the Chair of the board, reassured protestors that CRT is an academic theory only taught in higher education; it is not a K-12 history unit and it would be "inappropriate if a fifth grader was doing [CRT]" (Bonk, 2021). In your opinion, is there an age restriction with teaching CRT?
I think that there should not be an age restriction on teaching CRT. Like all topics, it’s important to recognize the age of the students and ensure that we aren’t harming children, but there are ways to teach students about inequity in history without traumatizing them. There are great children’s books about individuals overcoming tremendous odds to become successful, and these stories are great, but students need to understand that these individuals should never have been in those awful situations in the first place. For example, my seven year-old daughter has a book called “Bedtime Stories for Rebel Girls” that tells young children stories about girls overcoming adversity. The story of Ruby Bridges has really impacted my daughter. She wants to understand why people would want to stop a six year old from attending school. Reasons include both social and structural racism. These ideas are not too advanced for her and she doesn’t feel guilt for what happened, but she does feel empathy for young Ruby. Telling the story of Ruby Bridges without providing context would be harmful while discussing the historical background to the situation is critical.
Many protestors feel that CRT is racist because it makes a virtue of white guilt (Oliphant et al, 2021). As well, that CRT is destructive because it "takes a negative position against the U.S" (Oliphant et al, 2021). Notably, they collectively sang the national anthem during the protest (Heim et al, 2021). What do you make of the protestors' anxieties and unified stance?
America was built on white supremacy. White people have grown up to believe that white is “normal”. America was also built on unquestioning loyalty to the country and American exceptionalism. White supremacy and unquestioning loyalty are a powerful combination that have led us to this point where people feel like white people are being treated unfairly.
Questioning a country and its leaders is a healthy part of democracy. In fact, its an integral aspect of democracy. So, questioning the United States’ history and recognizing that it was built on white supremacy is a starting point. Once we recognize the racist structures that continue to exist in the United States (and Canada), then we can begin to dismantle and change those systems for the benefit of everyone.
The idea of white guilt is ridiculous, and, to borrow a phrase from a famous book, the idea of white guilt shows white fragility. We should be able to look at our histories, both personal and national, and recognize our flaws so that we can be better in the future. Critical analysis is integral for improvement. Take Germany, for instance. Holocaust education is extremely important in Germany today. All young Germans grow up learning about the horrific events of their country in the mid-20th century. The German government spends over $70 million per year, paying to maintain concentration camps so that they can be used to educate people from around the world. This is an example of a country that has recognized its past, taken responsibility, and worked to ensure that the horrors of the Holocaust never happen again. I don’t believe that anyone would want young German children (or German adults for that matter), to feel guilt over what happened. The events of the Holocaust took place before they were born. There is nothing that Germans living today could do to alter the past.
Photo Credit: Education Week, 2021
Think about your own history classes in the last 3 years. What do they look like? How do you approach facilitating conversations on systemic racism and does CRT help shape your lessons?
CRT wasn’t anything that I was aware of until the last couple of years, however, since taking my History degree in the 1990s, I’ve been aware that Canada and America were founded on white supremacist/Eurocentric principles and biases. In my teaching, I’ve tried to include a critical analysis of structures in our two countries so that students can recognize the injustices that have happened and continue to happen. In Canada, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and lack of clean water in many Indigenous communities are clear examples of on-going structuralized racism. In the United States, the Black Lives Matter protests highlighting the on-going injustices in America against Black Americans have provided modern examples for my classroom. I remember starting my career teaching about the murder of Emmett Till. Then, when Trayvon Martin was killed in 2012, I began having students compare the two murders. The similarities in both the murder and the failure of the Justice System are clear and shocking. It’s incredibly sad but important that we teach about ongoing injustices in both Canada and the United States. There is nothing more important in education and once you see the pattern of injustice, you can’t ignore it.
"There is nothing more important in education. Once you see the pattern of injustice, you can't ignore it"
"white supremacy and unquestioning loyalty [to the country] are a powerful combination that have led us to this point"
John Beatty (2021), a member of the school board, wrote an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal after the protest. He argues, as opposed to CRT, children need to be taught respect at home (Beatty, 2021). As both a parent and teacher, is respect enough to combat systemic racism and is it a sufficient replacement for CRT?
Again, I find this sad and troubling. Certainly, respect is a great value to teach. I think the world would be better if people were taught to respect one another, however, respect is not a substitution for understanding. When a person recognizes historical factors that have shaped inequity and they see the on-going systemic racism, then they can work to transform the system. If they see that the drop-out rate of Black youth demonstrates white supremacy, then they can start to imagine an education system that works for Black children. If there is only respect for those Black students and their parents, then important structural changes won’t happen. If a person understands that much of the American justice system is based on upholding white supremacist culture, then that person can begin to alter the system. Again, respect for an individual won’t change a system, but an understanding of history and on-going inequity can make real change.