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There are several contemporary educational issues currently. A Lot of the educational issues also
conflict with Biblical principles through legal and societal expectations. One of the educational
issues is the laws that are being passed to control what topics teachers are banned from teaching
or discussing in their classrooms. “Across the U.S., educators are being censored for broaching
controversial topics. Since January 2021, researcher Jeffrey Sachs says, 35 states have
introduced 137 bills limiting what schools can teach with regard to race, American history,
politics, sexual orientation and gender identity” (Gross, 2022). Educators are losing their
autonomy in classrooms and students are losing the opportunity to become well-versed and
aware of society and the people around them. Timothy 4:10-11 says, “This is why we work hard
and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and
particularly of all believers. Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them” (Timothy
4:10-11).
While some topics aren't school appropriate and should be taught by parents and
guardians, the education topic banning negatively affects students and staff's awareness because
it prohibits the autonomy of teachers to select information that is culturally appropriate for their
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students, it makes students close-minded, and students will be oblivious to history that is
important to the world. “Their aim is to activate parents to contest what is taught in the
classroom, what books are available to students, and the professional authority of teachers,
administrators, and librarians to carry out their work” (Nossel, 2022). Schools used to be a safe
place for educators to influence their students and students to be challenged with evolving
information. This has become a challenge.
Parents and guardians have the right to instill values and to provide protection to their
children. However, when you are sending your child to school they are going to be taught by
someone else other than their guardian. This is a part of the cycle of life and how we can begin to
develop our own personal self awareness. It is understanding that parents want to censor topics
that are being discussed with their students. But, controlling topics that teach our children about
other people that are different from themselves shouldn’t be taken away from their teachers.
“The impulse of parents to shield their children from what seem like alien social forces and
values is age-old. The challenge is compounded in an era in which traditional geographic
boundaries that demarcated communities are eroded by online platforms that make traditional
controls on what children see, hear and know virtually impossible to enforce” (Nossel, 2022).
Guardians can continue to advocate for their children on what they are taught, but the right to
control what other students are learning shouldn’t be an option.
How are we as individuals supposed to look outside of ourselves if we aren’t allowed to
discuss topics that could change the narrative of what an event, person, or culture looks like? The
answer is simple, there won’t be any change. Romans 12:1-2 says, “Do not conform to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to
test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2).In
order to change the picture in our minds we have to be open to learning and educating ourselves
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and today’s youth. By banning topics, this creates a school environment that isn’t accepting of
others. Not to their own fault, with no awareness of hardships there isn’t acceptance.
Learning and teaching topics that are unfamiliar to students and yourself allows the
community to grow and to evolve their knowledge. “Part of education is critical thinking skills,
understanding all the arguments from all points of view and sorting through them and deciding
for oneself what one believes or what one wants to think about a particular topic,” she said. “And
so I think that should be available to readers despite what one group or an individual thinks of
those books.” (Pendharkar, 2022). By limiting the information that students are exposed to this
also limits their mind. It limits their mind to being open to new ideas, new cultures, and new
people. Students are unable to learn about those that are different from themselves if they aren’t
exposed to diversity. “It becomes overwhelming because we…end up in this place where
people’s individual feelings, morals, and political ideations take control of a larger narrative. We
live in a society where we have different people who make up our communities…and make our
country unique, and so to take those aspects away from students when you censor literature is
really unfair.” (Álvarez,2022). The education ban is creating a harder divide to teach about
oppressed systems and people affected by them.
When teachers are given the opportunity to teach culturally responsive information to
their students, the entire school benefits from this opportunity. Everyone's culture is diverse and
unique and brings a different perspective to the table. “Many of the bills, for example, would
drastically curtail how districts conduct anti-bias training for teachers and severely limit schools’
ability to offer ethnic studies courses, or partner with outside advocacy organizations”
(Pendharkar, 2021). This creates a very difficult situation for educators and students. Educators
are forced to teach one-side of history. “Students lose a full sense of history, and for educators, it
creates a situation where they’re expected to teach a one-sided history.” (Álvarez, 2022). The
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cycle of a world that lives one-sided will continue. Students are taught another side of history if
the books are off the shelves.
History plays an important role in learning. History should be the foundation of what and
how we are teaching our students. Especially history about our country and our culture. Teaching
students about where America came from and where we are now is so important. “When you
choose censorship as your tool for controlling access to information and controlling individuals’
ability to learn more about various ideas,” she said, “inevitably it’s going to sweep up ideas and
materials that you actually agree with.” (Pendharkar, 2022). We can’t grow as a society if we
decide to close all of the doors that were left behind us. Each topic brings a value to awareness
where we came from and how we can evolve. “In other words, the law now is saying that
whenever a teacher talks about racism, they may only describe it as a product of an individual's
own biases or prejudices. They cannot describe it — even when the facts command them to — as
something more endemic or embedded within American society. It's a way essentially of
preventing teachers, I think, from being honest about a lot of the uglier sides of American history
and contemporary society” (Gross, 2022). History molds the future generations and allows them
to build off of one another.
The education topic ban can negatively affect every aspect of education and our world.
The ban destroys teachers and students' awareness and prohibits both from making decisions that
positively impact them. Without the ability to learn about various topics, cultures, oppressed
people and places will be untaught and our society will be unaware of how to best support them.
The history of our world will go unspoken. Psalm 78:2-4 says, “for I will speak to you in a
parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past— stories we have heard and known,
stories our ancestors handed down to us. We will not hide these truths from our children; we will
tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord,about his power and his mighty
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wonders” (Psalm 78:2-4). Educators should continue to fight and work to share God's gospel
with future generations by being role models and advocating for human and world rights.
Resources
Álvarez, B. (2021, January). The freedom to read and learn: Educators respond to book bans.
NEA.https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/freedom-read-and-learn-
educators-respond-book-bans
Gross, T. (2022, February 3). From slavery to socialism, new legislation restricts what teachers
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can discuss. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/02/03/1077878538/legislation-restricts-
what-teachers-can-discuss#:~:text=Across%20the%20U.S.%2C%20educators
%20are,sexual%20orientation%20and%20gender%20identity.
Nossel, S., & Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All. (2022, September 20). Rallying cry
of “parents” rights’ threatens public education. Time. https://time.com/6215119/parents-
rights-education-gone-too-far/
Pendharkar, E. (2021, September 21). Four things schools won’t be able to do under “critical
race theory” laws. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/four-things-
schools-wont-be-able-to-do-under-critical-race-theory-laws/2021/06
Pendharkar, E. (2022, December 16). Why the Bible is getting pulled off school bookshelves.
Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/why-the-bible-is-getting-
pulled-off-school-bookshelves/2022/12
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