Commentary: False Dichotomy – A Tyranny Over The Mind Of Man

Big is bad. Small is good. They are dumb. We are smart. They are political. We are not (?) They fail at teaching. We will succeed.  Unfortunately, this is the depth of the argument for a Caledonia School District. It has been disparagingly said that you can’t fix stupid and that RUSD must be stupid. If that is what you stand for - O.K. – but we should all ask ourselves if there are more options to consider.

RUSD – they have a school board, so would CSD. They have a leader, so would CSD. They need to tax (uh-oh!) to support buildings, administrative staff, and the teachers, so would CSD. They have a structure of school districts not unlike what has been used nationally for a very long time. CSD would use the same as well. Let’s all think… what would be different?

Do you think we’ll never have to ask for more tax revenue to support the school? That we’ll never have to find new Principals? That the state won’t continue to reduce funding for that school? That we’ll never have to maintain buildings or attract and retain good teachers? The fact is a CSD would face every one of the issues facing RUSD and our only argument is that we will do it better? We had better hope so.

Does it boil down to the fact they don’t know what they are doing but we do? Hubris and bravado are emotional constructs void of logic and not conducive to creating a school district. Of those who think we can do it better – for how long? What about the next generation and the one after that?

False dichotomy of choice is a form of mental tyranny that is crowding out critical thinking. We must think deeper than - if one is bad, the other must be good.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not against a separate school district, but lets examine our motives and what all of this will mean to us. Let’s make sure this isn’t just about power but about educating EVERY CHILD in our community including those we would abandon at RUSD.

To fix RUSD, we should abandon it? Oh, that’s right, we don’t want to fix it. RUSD has problems? Yes, they do. Call in Captain Obvious. Let’s organize to fix it, not just be sideline critics. Saying you can’t fix stupid is the wrong question. The question needs to be reformulated; like, what is RUSD successful at, and how do we continue to build on that success? (for starters).

Critical thinkers understand that there are many choices and avenues re: education. Fixing RUSD is about leadership and hard work. That doesn’t change by moving children to a different building.

We should not fall for arguments that demonize the teachers, or make fun of anyone who doesn’t agree with us. This is not about us against them. We should not believe in getting our way thinking we are the only “knowers of truth,” and the rest are Beelzebub in human form.

Thomas Jefferson once said; “I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” False dichotomies are that tyranny. Ideological love affairs are that tyranny. Not doing the right thing by our children is that tyranny. Demonizing those who express differing viewpoints and other ideas is that tyranny. Thinking beyond just our own children and recognizing that we must educate all children …Priceless.