“Well, we’re Florida, OK? Parents will decide. Parents are the ones who are going to drive the education system here in Florida. The governor said that, and we’re with the governor. Parents don’t decide what is taught. But parents know what that curriculum is. And parents are entitled to know anytime their child is being taught a controversial topic and picture.” – Barney Bishop III, Board Chair of the Tallahassee Classical School
Well, here we go again. Rightist politics have driven out more educators in the past couple months in the new right-wing utopia of Florida than anywhere else in America, in my recent experience.
You may have read about the ouster of the Principal of Tallahassee Classical School this past week over an art teacher’s display of a picture of the Statue of David, the world famous sculpture by Michelangelo in Florence, Italy. Former Principal Hope Carrasquilla was forced to resign when Bishop presented her with two letters, one advising her of her termination without notice and without cause (allowed by her contract) and the other for her voluntary resignation.
In Mrs. Carrasquilla’s 20-plus years as an educator, she has been through the rigors of public, private, and classical/charter, and Christian schools according to her LinkedIn profile. I’m sure being summarily forced out by the tempestuousness of a political decision that was precipitated by a howling parent to the right man—Bishop—was the last thing she envisioned for she and her family. No matter, I’m sure Tallahassee Classical will come up with a suitable, and party-approved person to replace her.
Mr. Bishop would certainly disagree but the issue came down to the art teacher not sending out a letter to parents of a Renaissance Art class, in advance, that David’s statue was going to be shown in all his glory. This was done last year, but the teacher apparently failed to do so this year. One of the parents felt the statue was pornographic, and objected to its display altogether. Two other parents wanted to be advised that wanted advanced notice but otherwise had no problem with the picture.
Too bad for the art teacher. He wasn’t forced out, and he was the one who had the class, and told the kids: “it’s a ‘nonpornographic’ picture” and “don’t tell your parents”. Bishop told Slate “why wouldn’t we show Renaissance art to children?”
Indeed. What made 21st Century parents so touchy, ignorant, and willing to hand over the educational thought processes over to politicians, who notoriously get things wrong so often? Florida is, you’ll pardon the expression, a poster child for this kind of indoctrination. I’m sure the kind of classical education you’ll see in this school won’t include books like Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury or Animal Farm by George Orwell.
Make no mistake, this charter school—modeled after Hillsdale College, which I have mentioned before (see the New College post) is run by politicians. Bishop is a lobbyist for a number of causes in Tallahassee, and is on numerous boards and political clubs in the area. Matthew Mohler has several children that attend the school and is a Young Republican, and political consultant. Treasurer Pam Griggs has served on the Foundation for Excellence in Education, founded by Jeb Bush, former Republican Governor of Florida.
I remember as a first grader in my elementary school in Florida. It was 1964. I was always curious about history, geography, and other social studies. I had a small “Golden Book Encyclopedia” for kids at home that I was always reading and looking at pictures. My parents were well educated, Christian, and wanted me to learn as much about the world as I could, in order to build a foundation of wisdom. Some of the pictures had nude pictures in them. When I went to the school library once a week, my friends and I would go to the history section. There were many books with artist’s renderings of ancient scenes. Imagine naked cavemen, and women, their children, and opposing warriors of Rome, and Carthage bathing to get the blood off after battle! The horror of pornography in history is just palpable.
My librarian would hear us 6 year olds giggle in a corner of the library, as we took in the art, and history, not to mention all those National Geographics of unclothed tribesmen and women in many of the unsubjugated parts of the world. Neither the librarian, nor my principal indoctrinated us or perverted any of us. They didn’t lose their jobs or careers because we looked at a book or magazine, or a picture widely available to anyone.
If anything, I would suggest that the complaining parents of the children are the ones who have been indoctrinated, and in years to come their children will pay the price for their ignorance.
Indoctrination is a concern on either side, left or right, of the political and educational spectrum. You have read it in my posts just how poorly I believe government handles most things, education being among them. But when parents are placing their children in a private or charter school expecting excellence in every respect, politicization of the curriculum—even when it’s called classical—will never measure up. Here’s what Mr. Bishop had to say later on in his interview with Slate: “And by the way, a large number of our students are Title I, from poor families, underprivileged families. It’s not just rich white people. We don’t even pick our students; it’s a lottery. The mission of the school shows that standards are important—even poor people have standards.”
It seems appropriate to close with one of my favorite quotes. This, intended for the poor parents who complained about the pornographic David. May they never have to look upon it again:
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” –C. S. Lewis
