No one ever accused the Fairbanks School District of giving students a true classical liberal arts education. The proficiency scores from the PEAKS tests show students skimming along just above the pitiful state average.
But all those classics that you may consider literature, and all that Socratic pedagogy used to get kids to think could be thrown in the burn pile, if “decolonization” efforts by the district’s Diversity Committee are taken seriously.
[Read: The value of a classical liberal arts education]
The Fairbanks School District’s Diversity Committee met June 10, and while the topics covered the expected — inclusion and diversity — several members expressed a new sense of urgency for more training on what it means to be woke.
Schools across Alaska have been out of session for months due to COVID-19, and the way the diversity committee sees it, now is the time for more intensive training.
Members argued that training should be mandatory on topics such as inclusion, micro-aggression, white supremacy, decolonization, and gender expression.
Listen, as at-large committee member Alyssa Quintyn describes her vision of what that training should be and how it should include indoctrination on white supremacy and decolonization. (Audio only at the click:)
WHAT IS DECOLONIZATION TRAINING?
What does “decolonization” training actually mean? In academia, it means the banishing certain works of literature or art.
The “decolonize your bookshelf” movement is now removing American and Western classics from schools, when the authors of the literature were white men or women, and who may through today’s lens appear racist, sexist, xenophobic, or merely heterosexual.
“In essence, it is about actively resisting and casting aside the colonialist ideas of narrative, storytelling, and literature that have pervaded the American psyche for so long,” explains Juan Dival, writing for NPR.
“If you are white, take a moment to examine your bookshelf. What do you see? What books and authors have you allowed to influence your worldview, and how you process the issues of racism and prejudice toward the disenfranchised? Have you considered that, if you identify as white and read only the work of white authors, you are in some ways listening to an extension of your own voice on repeat?” he wrote.
One could reasonably come to the conclusion that decolonization training for Fairbanks teachers would include having them evaluate their reading lists under the watchful eye of a Maoist cultural moderator.
Removing books from required reading lists is something that the MatSu Borough School Board tried recently when it sought to remove a handful books that described child rape and human degradation. The school board found itself under siege by a national and local group of liberals that were horrified that literature be removed from reading lists, even though the books were still on the shelves in the school library.
The entire committee meeting can be listened to at this link.
Nothing wrong with being white or any color. Sounds kind of racist to me if you are anti white.
The objective is optical diversity in order to obscure intellectual intolerance.
What a fantastic description!!! Seriously, BRAVO!!!
Well said!
Yes. Totally racist!
Cannot believe that I made it this far into my life without someone telling me what to read and to research the ethnicity of an author before taking the time of reading the book. I just glanced up to the bookshelf above my desk where I keep some of my favorite reads. The first hardcover I see is “Bo Knows Bo”, the autobiographical book by Bo Jackson. Does that count?
This is getting way out of hand. When I pickup a book to read, I don’t look at the race of the author. I look to see if this book interests me. This whole idea and mindset that they are pushing along with NPR is racist in itself.
The are trying to sell more Roots books and others.
My kids loved doing homeschool after Spring break. I guess I might as well keep them in it. Who is on this committee anyways? A bunch of loser moms? These freaks need to stop trying to erase the mistakes of the past and let people learn from it. I encourage my kids to think for themselves and tell them to let me know if some pathetic teacher tries pushing his/her beliefs on them.
Its getting worse. My niece is 28 years old and a teacher down south and they teach all this stuff now. She even mixes in religion. Really whacky stuff, it promotes civil disobedience under the guise of making us all equal. Sad state of affairs. If I had a young child I would keep them out of public schools.
This has gone far enough. This is no more that anarchy training in my eyes. Books are books. Some worse than others. They all are so fragile, they cannot watch an old movie, read old books or even learn our history because in their Kool aid stained eyes it’s ‘racist’. Well adjusted adults can easily watch old movies or shows like Sanford and Son (my fave) , read old books with racist slants without thinking hmmm, this is blasphemy! Who can I write and complain to!
They can ban and remove all the books they want.. It won’t stop folks from buying them or finding them. This stupid culture is so dumb, they are removing statues of people that were abolishionists, that freed slaves… They don’t know that because they haven’t learned history. I have an idea, instead of focusing on dividing this state farther, why don’t these low scoring children on these tests repeat the entire year? With the subject being real history? Load them up with books to read. It’s painfully clear the kind of minds Alaska schools are cranking out. Liberal owned education is dumbing down our children and it’s really sad… Why there is not more resistance to this is beyond me.
I’m in favor of economic decolonization. The money created from our vast resources leaves immediately or eventually. Why doesn’t anyone care about the wealth created here, residing here? Be it furs, whales, minerals, oil, gas, timber or fish – the objective is to extract the commodity for the lowest cost and get it elsewhere in the world for value to be added. We are still an economic colony.
Maoist is communist. Why hasn’t anybody contacted the FBI, CIA.
I understand calming the storm. But really, last I checked, Alaska was not a slave state and the government never approved these changes to take place.
Get these do-gooder types out of the school system. They are a mess and making a mess where ever they are. NO!!! to the junk they preach.
The last thing I’m interested in doing is having my kids learn from some White nannies who rob them of historical literature and brain-wash them with appeasement. Their method is fueling resentment. The nannies think Black people are too stupid to read the classics and too ignorant to understand them. History is what it is, not what a bunch of nannies decide what it should be. The nannies should find something productive to do with their lives. Milk goats or do the down dog on your paddle board. Leave Black people alone and quit telling us what is best for us. You haven’t a clue.
Oh hell yes!
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Wait a minute, can you really say what you just said?
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Can I still give you a shout-out and vote for you?
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Seems like the paddle-board thing had a whole different meaning (and application) back in the day.
But we don’t need more White nannies, as L stated above. The universities are graduating too many White nannies… all with worthless, useless college degrees…..designed to promote more White nannies. Caretaker programs. Love what L. said above. The Truth.
L,
Black people have the same rights as any other color. We do have a clue. We are all Americans. What’s best for all is best for our country. We are all equal, according to our Constitution, several amendments and Civil Rights bills. Hard work, faith, determination, self-discipline, ambition and drive is what sets any person apart, no matter the color of their skin. Join in. Be an American. Not telling you what is best for you at all. What is best for Alaska and America is what we need.
You see Ben, there in-lies the problem – it’s not about adhering to an American “culture” if you will; it’s about altering our past to shed light on the fact that whitey has done nothing but rape, kill and pillage foreign lands that they arrived on to build a new empire. We celebrate the past with Thanksgiving, Columbus day, Independence day and so forth. I believe the intent of all of this is for light pigmented skin citizens to admit the past atrocities, destroy anything that shows any “white superiority” and re-learn history through their point of view. Whitey also needs to be shameful and should feel guilty for what they have.
See, all that “hard work, faith, determination, self-discipline, ambition and drive” doesn’t apply to whitey due to the White Privilege that they’ve had.
It’s way past time to allow/enable parents to choose the best educational fit for their child and let the money follow that child to that chosen school. Why does the Education Industry fear parents being responsible for their kid’s education? Disgusting.
Taking a cue from the “woke” generation…. don’t “decolonize”…”segregate”
Haven’t we seen the rebirth of segregation and “separate but equal” in how minorities want colleges and universities set up with separate dorms, separate classes, separate meetings, and graduations?
Most of the world has appropriated the trappings of Western Civilization. So, do buy those books written by those who criticize the world they appropriated.
They wish to exchange it for cultures that have failed or ideologies that have murdered tens of millions. Just keep those book purchases separate.
Right?? I honestly would like to see what results truly segregated schools would produce. And, why stop there?
Want to read a good (true) story about all the similar “mental training” being suggested by the commies in Fairbanks school destrict? It’s called “Gulag Archipelago”, by Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
For the real “training” by the communists, you had to be shipped to their ‘gulag’ (prison, re-indoctrination camp). Is that what’s coming for us in Alaska and America if the senile ‘basementarian’ should stumble into the White House? I’ll say no thank you, right up front. My powder is dry.
C’mon November.
The diversity committee seems aloof that they are in direct violation of the United States AND The Alaska Constitution. They just float along and are blissfully unaware that they are getting ready to be sued.
White Nanny diversity training:
Tool of the radical Left. Designed to keep minorities pinned down.
I and my family will read whatever the hell we want, thank you very much. That is the essence of freedom and the pillar of the American Dream. Black authors like Star Parker, Thomas Sowell, and Walter Williams have long cautioned us regarding the use of racist tactics to fight racism and how government consistently establishes bad policies in a misguided attempt to create equal outcomes instead of equal opportunities.
Well stated Mayor.
The teaching of literature ended in Fairbanks when Ms. Susan Stitham retired.
Partly responsible for the muddle-headed thinking around what’s important in education is the discarding of classic literature. What passes for literature these days is just perplexing.
In other news for these social manipulators (smile), I’ll keep my colon just as it is thank-you-very-much.
If I was white I’d note the assertion that “white privilege” is simply a result of skin color, is baked at birth, and means I am a victim. Victim status means…. take it from there.
This is just another “distraction”, something to take your eyes off the ball. In this case the ball is 58% of the kids in the FNSB are below or far below proficient in the PEAKS test.
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