Daniel Suddeath: SUDDEATH COLUMN: Setting the right example for our youth
May 25—For most institutions, May marks the end of the school year, and what a year it has been.
The worries of my school days seem quite inconsequential compared to those of contemporary students and educators.
Will I pass algebra?
Do I get extra credits for all the hours I spent in detention?
Will I get a date to prom?
No was the answer to most of those questions, and here I am today, blessed to be the editor of the News and Tribune. Sure, even the seemingly mundane aspects of our youth were stressful at the time, but I rarely feared for my safety. I never had to wear a face covering to protect myself and others against a global pandemic. I don't recall organized rallies protesting against the subject matters of my schooling.
In retrospect, life was great back when I roamed the halls of Christian County High School in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. But somewhere along the way, we've turned education into a divisive topic. Somehow, we've allowed our children to be sacrificed in the name of theoretical liberty.
Late last summer when our students returned to the classroom, they were immediately met with uncertainty. We had been fooled into believing that COVID-19 was gone. It took less than two weeks for us to realize the pandemic wasn't over.
As a result, students and staff in most schools were required to wear masks and social distance. Those who became infected with COVID stayed home. Their peers and educators were isolated because of potential exposure.
Simply by following CDC guidelines, administrators and school board members were chastised by some people. Police even had to escort a few folks out of school board meetings.
What kind of example does that set for our youth?
Spurred by the pandemic, The Great Resignation created worker shortages that haven't been endured in our country during modern times.
Our school systems felt it with substitute teacher shortages and even more so with a lack of bus drivers. School officials scrambled and came up with incentive packages to entice workers, which helped ease some of the problems.
As if dealing with a pandemic wasn't enough, a nationwide debate over so-called Critical Race Theory emerged. Without providing much in the way of evidence for their claims, some questioned what our Southern Indiana educators were teaching students.
Across the nation, this debate spurred legislation censoring teachers. And CRT wasn't the only target. Soon the outrage over whether students learned slavery and racial injustice bled into arguments over whether transgender girls should be allowed to participate in girls' sports.
Though even the sponsors of the Indiana bill struggled to present examples of how this topic is affecting much of anyone in the Hoosier state, the legislation passed. Gov. Eric Holcomb vetoed it. On Tuesday lawmakers met in Indy for a technical session — footed by taxpayers — and a GOP majority overrode Holcomb's veto.
Think about all of the issues that are affecting your daily life. High gas prices, high health care prices, high utility prices and high food prices. How do you think those rank compared to whether a transgender girl plays a high school sport?
But the majority of our legislators didn't want to address those issues. They were too focused on capitalizing off of culture wars so that you'll vote for them.
And before the day was done, 19 children and two teachers were massacred by a shooter in Texas.
Before we even knew the names of the victims, social media was ablaze with reactions. Sadness, anger and finger-pointing. The same reactions we've had since Columbine, back when I was still a student.
And nothing has changed. What kind of example are we setting for our youth?
Part of the educational process is an expectation that the pupil will mature and improve. Through trial and error, research and application, students will grow intellectually. Their mistakes will serve as lessons. Their successes will fuel a desire for more knowledge.
But apparently those goals don't apply to us adults. We've seen the damage of gun violence, yet we don't have the collective will to really address it. We've witnessed how violent rhetoric can influence a person and push them to kill, but we still spew hatred. We're in love with violence. From movies, music and video games to our obsession with guns. It's as much a part of our country as the Red, White and Blue on our flag.
But our schools give us hope. We should all be proud of how our students handled this school year. In so many ways, they performed much better under pressure than us adults.
Hats off to our educators. It's hard enough to teach, but it's downright unimaginable to do so under such scrutiny and the daily threat of violence.
Yet our teachers, administrators, bus drivers, aides and support staff showed up and did their jobs. They helped our children while others were using them for political games. They were a bright spot in what was a very dark school year.
Thank you for setting the right example for our youth.
Daniel Suddeath is the editor of the News and Tribune. He can be reached at 812-206-2130, or by email at daniel.suddeath@newsandtribune.com.
