Our department spent many a meeting reading, writing, discussing and arguing about the creation of a mission statement to define who we were as a department and as a faculty. In the end, the following mission statement was developed and stands front and center on our department web page:
"The Department of Teacher Education and Foundations engages with graduates and undergraduates at "unnamed California State College" as well as with community members to transform education to achieve equal opportunity for academic achievement; promotion of social justice and human rights; honor and respect for diversity; and creativity and joy in learning."
I personally believe it is quite well written and reflects my own personal beliefs about my role as an educator. The only problem I have is the disconnect I have seen when we (the department) have been discussing and implementing various policies and procedures in the department as well as when it comes to the treatment of some faculty members and students who do not tow the party line.
A clear example happened at a faculty meeting in the spring of 2016 when we were discussing how to recruit more students into our various teaching credential programs. The discussion began about the mission statement and our need to recruit students who firmly backed our vision of social justice. It was at this time that an administrator and superior of mine joined the conversation by stating that we really needed to find a way to ensure that "people who listen to country music are screened out of our programs" and more importantly we needed to find a way to make sure that they weren't admitted in the first place. One might think this was a joke but it was not- this particular administrator frequently made such comments.
As I sat and let the comment soak in, I then raised my hand and interjected that I was a country music fan and then sat quietly. We both looked at each other, and ignoring my comment he continued on with his views about the types of students we should be actively recruiting. While the comment may seem quite innocuous at first glance, it was a very telling statement about how he (and others) view a particular group of people. It is a statement filled with condescension and does little to support or promote "social justice and human rights; honor and respect diversity". In fact, it seeks to limit the opportunities of those with differing points of view and to ensure that one person's worldview is the prominent one in our public schools.
The insidiousness of such a comment was evident in the tragedy that took place in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017 when some of the first mouthpieces to speak on the mass shooting spewed venom towards the very people hurt in the shooting. Again we have evidence of the hatred of some based on skewed stereotypes and bigoted worldviews. The irony in this situation is that these types of mean-spirited comments often come from those who espouse inclusivity and social justice. I have to say that should cause us all to question these notions once we have seen who is actually behind the curtain supporting these causes. I, for one, would like the truth to be heard and that truth is that these folks only believe in including certain people who they have deemed worthy of honor and social justice. In no way does this support true diversity and inclusion.
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