More Thoughts on ND Education

I’ve been thinking a bit more about education in North Dakota, and in particular, how this education reflects your and my values. This applies to everything from kindergarten through higher education. What got me thinking about the importance of this subject was something that happened while I was driving home from Fargo.

I was on I-94 making my all-to-common trek back to Bismarck and was in the process of passing a school bus full of children. They looked to be second/third graders. As I passed, I saw lots of smiling faces pressed up against the glass and hands waving excitedly at me. They were wanting a response from me, but more importantly, what I saw was innocence.

Contrast this to a recent event, where innocence was betrayed. A fifth-grade child in the Fargo School District was pulled out of class and disciplined for using the wrong pronoun for a classmate. That’s right – it happened here in North Dakota. Some of you may downplay this, recognizing that the Fargo School District is on the more liberal side of the spectrum for our state. So, let me give you another example.

Take the University of Jamestown, part of a very conservative community, where their “commitment to the Christian faith encourages an atmosphere of self-discipline, responsibility, and concern for the continuing growth of the individual.” For Black History Month, they highlighted Marsha P. Johnson on Facebook, a transgender prostitute. They chose her over such individuals as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Booker T. Washington, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and other prominent black leaders, who they never bothered to mention on the Facebook page during Black History Month. I truly love the University of Jamestown, but this made me very sad.

Or take the recent school board elections. In Grand Forks there were 23 candidates for 5 open positions, and in Fargo 15 candidates for 5 positions on their school board. Why so many candidates? Because parents are frustrated with authoritarian and unresponsive administration of our schools. A number of these candidates in both races supported yours and my values, and said as much in their campaigns, but do you know how many of them were elected? None. Do you know how many of the candidates supported by the powerful Fargo and Grand Forks teachers’ unions made it into office? 80%.

So, what’s going on here? Simply put, you and I don’t have a say into these educational institutions. Sure, they would argue that we simply need to attend school board meetings, contact them about issues, or sit down and talk about what’s bothering us. That’s well and good, and I encourage you to do that, but what if there is nobody on the other side of the conversation taking it seriously, or if they simply never acknowledge you or respond? What change can be made then?

As parents, you try to teach your children many lessons – some stick, some don’t. One that we’ve tried to instill in our children is this. Even if you think you will lose a battle over your beliefs, you still fight. In spite of opposition, in spite of insults, lies, or other tactics. You take the high road, but never give in. God does not call us to be successful, but to be faithful.

The mental picture of those children on the bus has stayed with me. Their enthusiasm and innocence is something I will not soon forget.

So, what did I do? I smiled and waved, and then drove home thinking about what more we can do to support our kids.