There is a lot of controversy about the things that are going on in public education today. Things like rewarding excellence among students have taken precedence over “equity,” which ensures that all subgroups share the benefits roughly equally, whether earned or not.

For example, some schools have eliminated advanced math courses for all students because certain subgroups are not equally represented among students taking these courses, which penalizes high-achieving students. Some students are good at math, some are not. And others may be good at history, languages, or the arts, and high achievers deserve the opportunity to progress as far as they want in their areas of strength.

Many high schools have multiple valedictorians, so as not to hurt the feelings of students who have slightly missed the honor. There are also other issues, such as the invasion of critical race theory into the curriculum.

An email last week contained a video that addressed this and other public education issues by presenting an approach that focuses on what is really important in education and how to get back to this goal. The points of this video, as well as some quoted elements follow.

It started with this introduction from the presenter: “If every high school principal gave the following speech, America would be a much better place.”

Then, speaking as the principal of a secondary school, he began, “To the students and teachers of our secondary school, I am your new principal and honored to be one. There is no greater calling than to teach young people.

He then explained the important changes coming to the school.

1. This school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. He said the color of a person’s skin, where their ancestors came from and how they got here, didn’t matter. “The only identity this school will recognize is your individual identity: your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity that this school will recognize is American.

This includes after-school clubs that cultivate narcissism, an unhealthy preoccupation with the self, “whereas the goal of education is to get you to think beyond yourself”.

“This is an American public school, and American public schools were created to make better Americans. If you want to assert an ethnic or racial identity here, or a national identity other than American, you will have to go to another school.

2. It doesn’t matter if English is your first language, what matters is that you leave this school writing and speaking English as fluently as possible.

It is the duty of the school to ensure that the students are prepared to compete successfully in the job market, which is why students must leave this school with excellent language skills.

Other languages ​​will be taught, he said, noting that unfortunately many or most people born in the United States only speak English.

3. Everything in this school will reflect the high status of learning. There will be a dress code for teachers and students. Students will address teachers by their title – Mr., Mrs. or Miss – and not by their first names. They are your teachers, not your friends, and will be treated with due respect.

4. No obscene language will be tolerated on the property of this school. This will help students learn the difference between ‘high and low’ and ‘sacred and obscene’. In other words, you will show respect for each other.

5. We will end all self-esteem programs. “In this school, self-esteem will be achieved only one way, the only way self-esteem can be achieved: by earning it.” Therefore, “promotions will only have one valedictorian, not eight.”

6. I reorient the school towards academics and away from politics and propaganda. Topics such as racism, sexism, Islamophobia, homophobia, global warming, tobacco or gender identity will not be part of the school atmosphere. And no time will be spent trying to convince students that they are victims because of their particular situation. “This school will have failed if any of you graduate without considering yourself excessively lucky – lucky to be alive, lucky to be American.”

He noted along the way that if these new rules aren’t right for some students, “this isn’t the right school for you.”

The principal then asked everyone to stand up and join him in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our country, adding that since many of them did not know the words, the teachers would hand them out.

This video was created and distributed by Dennis Prager, an American conservative radio talk show host and writer. He is a co-founder of PragerU, a non-profit organization that creates short videos on political, economic and philosophical topics, like this emailed video.

The importance of education to America’s future cannot be overstated. Whether through unconscious influences or outright subversion, many public schools no longer adequately teach our young people about the nature and substance of our country.

If this is not corrected soon, millions more young people will be unable to understand what America is and why its original principles must be continued in the future.

James H. “Smokey” Shott, a resident of Bluefield, Virginia, is a columnist for The Daily Telegraph. Contact him at [email protected]