Rights On FIRE For Teachers At University Of Minnesota
I read stuff like this and, for a moment, I'm not sure whether I live in the USA or the USSR. This is from FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in education -- a terrific organization that doesn't care what your political background is, liberal or conservative, as long as you are allowed freedom of speech. A few snippets from a piece written for FIRE by Adam Kissel:
All signs are that the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is planning to enforce a political litmus test for future teachers. The university's College of Education and Human Development intends to mandate certain beliefs and values--"dispositions"--for future teachers. Yet that is not enough. It even intends to redesign its admissions process so that it screens out people with the wrong beliefs and values-those who it judges will not be able to be brought around to the correct beliefs and values of "cultural competence" even after remedial training....Here are the key excerpts regarding how the group describes the "obligatory," "indispensable" features of "cultural competence" on the level of "Self":
Our future teachers will be able to discuss their own histories and current thinking drawing on notions of white privilege, hegemonic masculinity, heteronormativity, and internalized oppression.Future teachers will understand that they are privileged & marginalized depending on context ... It is about the development of cultural empathy, if you will. Teachers first have to discover their own privilege, oppression, or marginalization and also are able to describe their cultural identity.
Future teachers will recognize & demonstrate understanding of white privilege[.]
Future teachers will understand the importance of cultural identity and develop a positive sense of racial/cultural identity[.]
On the level of "Self & Others," future teachers must take the Intercultural Development Inventory, "which measures five of the six major stages of the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity." Their "Cultural Intelligence" also will be assessed. They must reveal a "pervasive stereotype" they personally held about an identity group, and presumably argue in their paper that this view has now been "challenged" on the basis of their experiences with that group. They also will be assessed regarding "the extent to which they find intrinsic satisfaction" in being in "culturally diverse situations."
In the area of "Self & Schools,"
Future teachers will recognize that schools are socially constructed systems that are susceptible to racism. That schools and classrooms are often structured in ways that advantage and disadvantage some groups but are also critical sites for social and cultural transformation.
Actually, I would say schools have state-supported systems that are guided by racism -- like affirmative action programs, where a rich black or Latino kid is given special savings a poor white or Asian kid cannot get access to.
Read the whole FIRE report. There's also a letter to the University. Or, rather "University," as it should now be called.
Clearly, the place isn't an institution of higher education but of a low form of indoctrination.
via @KateC
"hegemonic masculinity, heteronormativity, and internalized oppression."
Whoa... I'm having flashbacks to my classes in sociology 101 and 201.
Sio at November 30, 2009 2:01 AM
Odd. I thought of a PZ Myers post when I saw this, but he calls it something else. I'll have to come back to it later to see the differences...
Radwaste at November 30, 2009 2:17 AM
Geez. Why don't they just make them sign a loyalty oath in blood and skip all the preliminaries.
Cousin Dave at November 30, 2009 7:22 AM
But, but. . . . You don't *understand*! We need as much diversity as possible, and to be effective, that diversity has to be uniform.
Axman at November 30, 2009 7:41 AM
Sounds like they're gearing up for self-criticism sessions.
I wonder what will be more important -- subject mastery or sensitivity? I know, I'm not that naive -- subject mastery is actually measurable.
old rpm daddy at November 30, 2009 8:48 AM
I love the term "heteronormative" because, while intended as criticism, it is actually accurate: alignment between one's biological sex, gender identity and gender roles is normal. The vast majority of people fall into one of two genders, are heterosexual, and have XY or XX chromosomes.
Pseudonym at November 30, 2009 9:27 AM
The funny/scary thing is that people seem to think this is something new, or somehow different than what goes on in most every education program in the U.S.
I'm in grad school for child ed in NY right now, and this kind of thing is a huge part of the required curriculum, they just don't make a big deal out of it like this.
Jake Taylor at November 30, 2009 10:43 AM
It doesn't start in "University."
Grammar school boys are systematically taught that they are inferior to girls, but that they can fix themselves -- if they can be more like girls. White boys, especially, are taught that they are GUILTY.
Funny how boys seem to be largely giving up on an educational system designed to make them hate themselves, and to accept the feminine domination of their lives.
Jay R at November 30, 2009 11:57 AM
Jake, you are a brave brave man and/or a stupid one for studying child ed. these days. No way could you get me into schools to teach.
Sio at November 30, 2009 1:08 PM
@Sio - I guess I'm hoping I can salvage a few of the kids who come my way while maybe providing a rare positive example of a white male role model in schools - god knows they won't be getting it from the curriculum.
And hey, if I can bring down the teacher's union from the inside, all the better!
Jake Taylor at November 30, 2009 1:31 PM
The time has come to lobby our Senators and Representatives to outlaw tenure in any school receiving state or federal funding.
Then fire every school administrator who can't dance. Seriously, these people are way too uptight.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at November 30, 2009 4:20 PM
A lot of universities seem to exist solely as sheltered workshops for people who harbor intellectual pretensions but cannot function in the real world.
Many of these places should really have been shut down a long time ago and their tenured staff told to go and get real jobs.
Nick S at November 30, 2009 7:59 PM
Jay R, zed lays that all out here:
http://mensnewsdaily.com/2009/11/17/confronting-martriarchy-and-the-false-premise-of-feminism/
Jake, does NY have hate speech laws? Sounds like you as a man are being subjected to hate speech.
I remember some district there that designated the English language as inherently oppressive and colonialist. Funny, somehow they didn't designate Spanish the same way.
Jim at December 1, 2009 8:50 AM
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