Are Schools Teaching Students What to Think Instead of How to Think?

School was always known as the place you went to learn. Every student has dreaded attending at some point. Who would want to wake up at 6am every morning to write an essay in English, learn sine graphs in math, or take notes on who said what on a random day in the 1800s?

Now don’t get me wrong, I love English, math, and history, but it’s not always as black and white as it seems. Four years ago, I was reading classical texts and learning the foundations of our nation, but now I’m forced to read Two Boys Kissing and understand the idea of America’s oppressive “Master Narrative”—a concept where our history only highlights the stories of white Christian males and defines our country as prosperous, when according to modern curricula, it’s not, and we’re actually a nation founded on stolen land and forced labor. Clearly, the shift in schooling is tremendous. Students are now being taught from a young age to resent their own country because it isn’t “inclusive” enough.

This should concern every parent, taxpayer, and citizen. Our education has become no more than an ideological agenda that teaches students to parrot what their teachers preach. Individuality is only permitted now in one way—dyed hair, boys in dresses, and rainbows galore. If you’re male, white, and Christian, your voice no longer matters in the classroom.

For me, as a Puerto Rican Christian female, I’ve gotten to see racism and suppression in a completely different light. In the summer, I become extremely tan and look visually dark-skinned. When I enter school in late August, I feel a welcoming sense of respect. If I express different values, they’re dismissed as “oh, she doesn’t know better.” One person even asked me, “have you heard what they’re doing to your people?”—which wouldn’t have been asked if schools actually taught, given that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.

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Then winter comes. I lose most of my tan and return to being “white.” Suddenly, those same views are labeled “racist,” “fascist,” “Nazi”—whichever label fits. It adds insult to injury when I express my faith as well. I essentially become the equivalent of the white Christian male previously referenced.

All these remarks are rooted in what students are being taught, particularly within public schools. The curriculum is saturated with far-left views on hot topics: climate change, race, and gender. Students are no longer encouraged to ask questions or research multiple perspectives.

In one of my own class discussions regarding the Minneapolis ICE shootings, the majority of my peers sided with Renee Good and Alex Pretti. They refused to even consider what someone with opposing viewpoints may have to say. When I raised my hand to further question their narratives, I was told to let others have a chance at speaking—someone who shared “opposing values.”

Another instance within history classes is how America is painted as a nation of oppression and inequality. This returns to the concept of the “master narrative.” I have yet to witness any recognition of progress, innovation, or the sacrifices of white people made for freedom within the last 3 years of my schooling. We are taught that any person of color should be trusted and respected over a white individual. It is generous to even call this “teaching”; in fact, I’d argue it’s outright indoctrinating.

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Furthermore, on a social issue project earlier this year, I wasn’t allowed to make it about Charlie Kirk’s murder because it was “too political.” The only problem was that one of my classmates was allowed to make it about how Trump himself was committing heinous crimes worthy of impeachment against immigrants. The student failed to mention these were illegal immigrants. While all my peers made projects on grand political issues such as climate change, MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+, immigration, etc., the teacher suggested for me to do mine on a more neutral topic—bike helmet safety. I am an avid cyclist and am all for wearing helmets, but the topic paled in comparison to my original idea and those of my peers.

Science, too, is not safe—at least not biology. During our gene and chromosome unit, we were reminded that the gender “assigned” to us at birth is not always the one we may identify more closely with. The reasoning? Our body does not know before our mind does. Moreover, this social-emotional, equity, and racism awareness jargon has sidelined the subjects that remain neutral, one being math.

This didn’t happen overnight. Four years ago, these ideas were just starting to show up in our classrooms. Now, they’ve taken over entire lessons, assignments, and even how students treat each other. What used to be introduced as one perspective has become the expectation, and we are much further along than most people realize.

Ultimately, schools were established to empower students to think for themselves, not to impose a worldview. But for many, when they have been indoctrinated with these narratives day in and day out since as early as kindergarten, they begin to believe everything.

Parents must demand accountability from school boards, teachers, and administrators. Taxpayers must question whether their hard-earned money is funding education or propaganda. And as a nation, we must demand that our schools return to teaching critical thinking. Our ever-present political polarization began in the classroom, and it’s time we change it. We cannot afford to allow this “trend” to continue. If we wait too long, we truly risk losing the foundations of our democracy.

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