Western Civ Fades into Fantasy

Education reformers have been struggling for decades to bury the history of Western Civilization and their efforts have borne more fruit in recent years. Now, the most elite of elite American universities, Harvard, has banished Western history courses altogether in favor of a fantasy narrative that includes crediting barbarian invaders with culturizing the Western world via the Silk Road.

Western Civilization, or Western Civ as it is more commonly known, documents the history of civilization beginning with the ancient Greeks and Romans and continuing through our present age. It encompasses all areas of human development, including culture, politics, invention, and innovation.

McMahon to Teachers: You Don’t Have to Pay Union Dues

In a Feb. 11 YouTube video, U.S. Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, reminds public school teachers that the June 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Janus v. AFSCME allows them to avoid paying dues to the teachers’ unions no matter what state they live in. “Public employees, including teachers, cannot be required to join or pay a union as a condition of employment,” McMahon explains. “This [law] was a huge win for American workers. No employee should feel obligated to turn over their salary to a union that is bankrolling political causes.... If you choose to stay, that’s your call, but the point is, it’s your call.”

The secretary took the opportunity in her video to reemphasize the Trump Administration’s efforts to return the responsibility for education to the states and subsequently to parents. But some observers wonder if she may have had another reason for reminding teachers about the 2018 law.

Schools Force Kids to Protest ICE

Across the country, teachers and school officials are inciting their students to stage walkouts and take to the streets in protest of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). While doubtless some kids object to the deportation of illegal alien criminals due to what they see and hear on mainstream news, social media, and at home, others are neutral or hold opposing views. The question many parents are raising is whether schools should be fomenting one-sided political activism by allowing and even encouraging their children to leave school premises in order to protest.

Most parents want their children in the classroom learning academics rather than engaging in political activism outside the classroom on behalf of causes with which they may not agree. MEA WorldWide Digital News (MEAWW) reported on Feb. 14 that parents and other family members are complaining that “using school authority and resources to push students into political activism crosses a line, raising concerns about safety, education, and parental consent.”