“The faculty, from adjunct professors to deans, tell you what to do, what to say, and more ominously, what to think. They say that if you voted for Donald Trump, you’re a threat to the university community. But the real threat is silencing the First Amendment rights of people with whom you disagree.”
Really? Maybe Betsy should begin by educating herself on such key concepts in today's college classroom as:
- Critical thinking
- The flipped classroom
- Group work in and outside the classroom
Perhaps she's recalling the good old days when Old Betsy --- and me too (Old Jim) --- sat through long lectures in which, yes, the profs may very well have injected their own political views and cultural biases.
That's not what's happening today, Betsy... not at the good schools, anyway.
The Secretary of Education delivered her remarks to the Conservative Political Action Conference, an audience primed to applaud these kinds of remarks.
And guess what? Not all faculty and staff voted for Hilary or Jill.
To the contrary, not long after the November election, I joined a group of faculty and staff meeting with LGBTQ students on my university's campus. At that meeting, a senior administrator explained why she had voted for Trump. And guess what else? These students --- perhaps the most rabidly and fearful anti-Trumpsters --- heard her out and thoughtfully discussed her position.
Similar discussions are still occurring. And, guess what else? The next major speaker scheduled for my campus is Newt Gingrich. So there, Betsy. As my old mother would have said, put that in your pipe and smoke it. (And get the clouds of ignorance out of that crystal ball.)
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