20 Comments
Sep 2Liked by Will Leitch

Phenomenal piece this week Will. You summed up this issue so well and added quite a bit of perspective. Teachers definitely seem to be on their heels and with good reason. Across the country their profession is under fire and completely under funded. My state (AZ) is ranked higher than 45th in education spending -- not ranked in a good way either.

Definitely agree with @Rick Dandes, you should read Will's books! They are amazing. 👍

And S.A. Crosby is now on my TBR list. 👍

Expand full comment
Sep 2Liked by Will Leitch

Amen

Expand full comment

Well said.

Expand full comment

This whole piece is phenomenal, but this part in particular got me: "That fundamental decision by people, as they get older, to decide they have done all the learning they are going to do—that the world must freeze exactly at the moment that they understood it to the best of their capabilities, and they will go no further."

Expand full comment

Fantastic piece. You’re not mistaken when you catch exhaustion and trepidation on your sons’ teachers’ faces. I have no doubt it’s there because it’s even here in a state and community where all of those St. Charles “evils” merit celebration rather than firings.

I just did ninety minutes of online training about bullying, suicide prevention, and hazardous materials this Saturday morning. Claiming schools aren’t motivated by the best interest of kids is never an argument in good faith.

Expand full comment

Yeah that DeSantis is a real piece of work. I remember him pushing to pass legislation that prohibited teachers from teaching fact-based history if it "made white students uncomfortable."

I remember actually yelling at my tv THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO DO YA FRIGGIN DUMBASS!

Great take today on this subject. 👍

Expand full comment

Fight the Civil War long enough and eventually you'll win it. Because, let's be clear, all this comes from the same place: people daring to teach that yes, this country is and always has been hysterically racist, and there are other thing in the world rather than a white-centered Christianity. Or the gender you were born with. Etc.

As I routinely thought during the Obama administration and haven't stopped thinking since, I hope the death rattle of the nostalgic Donna Reed American Dream (you know, back when it was all white men 27/9/382) doesn't take the rest of us down with it. I'd much prefer to die of natural causes and old age.

Expand full comment

Well said, sir! And Go Dawgs!

Expand full comment

Trying to find the silver lining in all of this. The fact that my mother, a public high school English teacher for 30 years is not alive to see this outrageous upheaval in her coveted profession is a plus I suppose.

Expand full comment

As always, intereting .... BTW. loved your latesgtg book.

Anyone reading the WL Newsletter for the first time. Buy both his latest books.

Oh, and Will, thanks for turning me on to S.A. Crosby.

Here in PSU country, when I walk around proudly in my National Championship T-Shirt all I hear about UGa is how absurd a match up today is... of course, no mention that Oklahoma was originally scheduled, but SEC mandated a change.

Be interesting, th\ough, to see how the new QB does.

Expand full comment

My high school freshman's English teacher sent a note to parents about her plans for having our kids read "To Kill a Mockingbird." My eyes rolled out of my head when I got to the part about how I could opt him out of reading it. I wrote back to her and said I'd really love to know how many parents opt their kids out of reading "To Kill a Mockingbird." She said they provide that option for all books now.

Expand full comment