No. 781 - THE NEW HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

No. 781

Jim Davidson -- NEWSPAPER COLUMN

THE NEW HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

Sometime back a very thoughtful reader sent me a fantastic article titled, “The New High School Principal.” Since no author was given, I am not sure if this is a fictitious or a real person, but it is certainly worthy to be passed along to you, as education is the very foundation of our society.
The article begins: “To the students and faculty of our high school: I am your new principal, and honored to be so. There is no greater calling than to teach young people. I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our school.
“I am making these changes because I am convinced that most of the ideas that have dominated public education in America have worked against you, against your teachers and against our country. This high school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. I could not care less if your racial makeup is black, brown, red, yellow or white. I could not care less if your origins are African, Latin or European, or if your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower or on slave ships. The only identity I care about, the only one this school will recognize, is your individual identity -- your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity this school will care about is American.
“This is an American public school and American public schools were created to make better Americans. If you wish to affirm an ethnic, racial or religious identity through school you will have to go elsewhere. We will end all ethnicity, race and non-American nationality-based celebrations. They undermine the motto of America, one of its three central values — E Pluribus Unum, ‘from many, one.’ And this school will be guided by America’s values. This includes all after-school clubs. I will not authorize clubs that divide students based on any identities. This includes race, language, religion, sexual orientation or whatever else may become in vogue in a society divided by political correctness.
“Your clubs will be based on interests and passions, not blood, ethnic, racial or other physically defined ties. Those clubs just cultivate narcissism – an unhealthy preoccupation with the self – while the purpose of education is to get you to think beyond yourself. So we will have clubs that transport you to the wonders and glories of art, music, astronomy, languages you do not already speak, carpentry and more. If the only extracurricular activities you can imagine being interesting in are those based on ethnic, racial or sexual identity, that means that little outside of yourself really interests you.
“I am uninterested in whether English is your native language. My only interest in terms of language is that you leave this school speaking and writing English as fluently as possible. The English language has united America’s citizens for 200 years, and it will unite us at this school. It is one of the indispensable reasons this country of immigrants has always come to be one country. And if you leave this school without excellent English skills, I would be remiss in my duty to ensure that you will be prepared to successfully compete in the American job market. We will learn other languages here – it is deplorable that most Americans only speak English -- but if you want classes taught in your native language, this is not your school.”
There is much, much more that really hits the nail on the head, and if you would like to have the complete article, send me a self-addressed envelope and I will be happy to send it to you.
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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Davidson is a public speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034. To begin a bookcase literacy project visit www.bookcaseforeverychild.com. You won’t go wrong helping a needy child.)