Growing up in the generation that I did, I should be one of the millions of people who believe in these terribly damning conspiracies theories. But as a child of the 60s and early 70s, I also grew up with magazines like the National Enquirer and The Globe. I remember those two specifically, but the counter in front of the cash register was full of these. We made fun of them. We were educated enough to understand what they were doing and why everything in them was such a laugh. I mean, Archie Bunker believed in The National Enquirer. We also read things like books and newspapers, had dinner conversations with our parents, and generally were more concerned with the world than seems to be the case today.
Being a teacher during this time has proven to be a challenge that I never saw coming. I mean, kids are kids, right? I was aware of social issues which my students face today that were not faced by my generation. Ok, maybe some kids faced these things but the numbers were small and they had others who made sure they had what they needed. My generation was not, for the most part, raised by uncommunicative parents who believed they were the only ones who had a child's best interest at heart. My parents had much more of a tribal mentality in that other ADULTS were here to help kids. The government was not out to hurt children or the family unit. School was a place where facts were important, discussion and debate was the norm, and students were allowed to question but not curse the adults.
I had one of my sophomores ask the most mundane question yesterday. At my school, they have begun to have a moment of silence and reflection after the Pledge of Allegiance. It did not exist last year so I am not sure whether it was there before Covid-19 or a relatively new development. He asked, "Why are we doing this now and what is it for?" (when I was in high school I actually told my father, a career Army guy, that I would no longer say the Pledge until things were more fair for women in this country)
I tried to explain the whole state and church separation, the fight against school prayer, why we now have a moment of silence etc. I think he understood but in my opinion, how sad that he doesn't even know the history of why we no longer have school prayer, how big the fight was when we still had school prayer and who seems to always lead the way, the parents.
I guess when my students see so much conspiracy theory going on in their own homes, they cannot help but believe what they are hearing there. We should not have to fight against this phenomenon and I am not sure how we can. I do know that with each passing day, with each struggle to maintain my composure when ignorance raises an ugly head, my time as a teacher is coming closer and closer to an end. I sometimes feel like I have fought the good fight but I am tired of fighting. Teaching is the hardest job I have ever loved but I refuse to let it kill me.
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