The Time Has Come
There was a time in the history of this country when parents and teachers held up the president as an example to children. Presidents had qualities to be emulated. The family of the president was also worthy of imitation, the highest form of flattery.
However, that was before the present administration. Now, parents fear turning on the news while children are in the room because they are not sure what words will be reported or, worse yet, spoken by the president.
How do you explain to a child why hate, misogyny, bigotry, and poorly constructed sentences are falling from the lips of the person who is running our country? How do you justify the apparent inability to feel compassion for others? How do you defend the need to play golf when our neighbors are drowning, when their homes are burning, or when the earth opens up, swallowing everything whole?
Worse of all, how do we explain as parents and teachers, who have trusted in the democratic system created by our Constitution, that such insanity is still holding ground after nine months?
Critical literacy theory suggests we use this time as a teachable moment - write letters, send emails, make phone calls, and demonstrate. But, what do we say to the children after we have done all this? How do we explain that change takes time, that justice is not swift, and Congress and lawyers must gather proof of misdoings? The time has come to stop looking for reasons.
The time has come to take back our country. The time has come for Congress to develop backbones and represent ALL Americans, not simply the privileged few.
History is rife with examples of what happens when privilege and power forget the needs of the masses. Indeed, our country was built on such formidable history; lest we forget.
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