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“It is necessary for the dictatorship to keep the people as ignorant as it can; only while the people remain unsuspecting, unaware of the truths of the past and present, can the dictatorship unleash its lies.”
Erika Mann – School for the Barbarians: Education Under the Nazis. 1938
The failure to establish trust and respect with our students engenders alienation and despondency, discouraging students from seeking someone to confide in. Sometimes, students go through intense emotional turmoil that is bottled up until a teacher, counselor, administrator, coach, paraprofessional, security guard, secretary, or another concerned adult takes the time to ask how the student is feeling. If no one asks or shows interest, no help will be offered or given. This proved especially difficult when districts closed their doors and education went online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The gap between teachers and students widens as our society becomes increasingly obsessed with technology. This ultimately leads to a significant decline in retention and understanding. While technology can be a valuable tool for teachers to enhance their lessons, it can never replace the essential connection between teacher and student. This connection is the essence of teaching, as it is crucial to almost every human activity.
Although conversation is where democracy begins, it requires time to listen to one another and a willingness to sit face-to-face without assumptions. This cultivates the free exchange of ideas, which “is one of the best and readiest means of informing the mind, and certainly the very best means of developing it.” In this atmosphere, truth can be separated from the noise of weaponized words and discordant attacks on opposing political beliefs. No person, organization, or institution has the right to discourage someone from reading what they choose, irrespective of the authority or position of the would-be censor. It is shameful when done by those who feel threatened by what someone else is reading. It is disgraceful when educators discourage students from reading controversial books and articles. Only the insecure are afraid to confront their own lack of knowledge; they mask ignorance with platitudes and regurgitate narratives they heard from their favorite news channel. Doing so is a clear sign that one is not an independent thinker. Many desire results, but only a few will stop making excuses and start reading, walking, dieting, joining a gym, running, biking, or weight training.
The specter of ignorance haunts our world. Despite the endless amount of knowledge available through the Information Revolution, ignorance remains the most significant threat of the twenty-first century. Although humanity faces a future laced with uncertainty, one thing is certain: Our ongoing love affair with ignorance persists. Consider our relationship to the past. Many are indifferent to the serious study of history, yet a fascination with the past prevails. Despite history’s popularity, people’s knowledge and depth of understanding regarding our nation’s past (only considering the American situation) are lacking and cast an ominous shadow over our ability to remain a free people. Ignorance, indifference, and apathy are deeply ingrained in the American ethos.
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