Last week’s paper contained a letter that accused me of wanting to end social and emotional learning (SEL) in Madison County Public Schools. Usually I ignore misinformed letters but I feel I ought to respond so the community knows what I really think and intend to push for on this topic.
Social and emotional learning has been around forever and is an essential part of learning to work with others and to manage emotions productively. While it is primarily a parental right and responsibility to develop children in these ways, schools have always been an important place to further develop these life skills. I am reminded of that every time I hear of one of Madison’s excellent teachers leading a spirited classroom discussion in a respectful way; when I watch one of our great coaches teaching students to win and lose with grace and resilience; and when I observe a dedicated educator helping children set goals and encourage hard work towards achieving them. In these and in countless other good ways, Madison educators partner with parents every day, developing important social and emotional learning skills in children.
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Contrary to recent breathless claims about my intent, I clearly stated at our recent school board meeting that I applaud local initiatives like the Primary School’s Bucket Filler initiative that develop these skills. I believe such programs build character and promote social and emotional learning, while teaching habits of kindness to young children. I certainly do not object to programs like this one, or to similar programs in our other schools.
What I do object to are curriculums that have agendas that are inappropriate or contrary to the predominant values of our families and community. When I ran for the school board, I was clear that I would try to protect children from left-wing agendas that are regrettably common in the national educational establishment. I intend to be true to that promise. Unfortunately, the two national SEL curriculums chosen several years ago for our schools have agendas and affiliations that seek to indoctrinate children and turn them into progressive activists by promoting divisive ideas on race and ethnicity, advocating for transgender identity affirmation, undermining parental rights and religious freedom, promoting sexually explicit material in schools, and teaching children that our country is not the exceptionally great nation that it is. If you doubt this, research these companies and their agendas and affiliations. Such research reveals a clear intent to inject left-wing bias into these SEL curriculums. Madison educators have wisely kept out the most controversial aspects of these curriculums but why partner with companies that consistently push liberal indoctrination on our children?
We can do better. Let’s replace these curriculums with strong non-partisan character education and SEL curriculums that support the good local initiatives that we are already using. Let’s focus on teaching children right from wrong in a non-partisan way, while giving them the moral, social, and emotional habits and skills they need to be successful and patriotic American citizens.
Christopher Wingate, Madison