The beginning of the newspaper story seemed fairly innocuous in that the Commonwealth Education Organization (“CEO”) contacted eighth-grade teachers to encourage their students to participate in an essay writing contest. This was to be the fourth such contest in as many years and the topic was for students to “Explain the difference between a representative republic and a democracy, comparing and contrasting both forms of government.” That seems like a good subject to challenge students to learn about our system of government. I wondered how many adults have basic knowledge about our government in an earlier posting that included a question about our democracy.
Here is where the story written by Pittsburgh Tribune Review’s Colin McNickle gets a little strange. It seems that a teacher in the Hampton Township School District took it upon himself to decline the offer. McNickle reported that Social Studies teacher, Cliff Stevenson, sent an e-mail to CEO declining for a number of reasons including:
- “even though we cover the difference between a direct and representative democracy in eighth grade, we don’t spend a lot of time on it and the more in-depth intellectual reasons are left to our 12th-grade course.”
- “(T)here has been a little brouhaha in our district this year from one resident who wants the district to stop using the word ‘democracy’ and replace it with ‘republic.’ We do make the distinction between a direct democracy and (a) representative democracy which is a synonym for ‘republic.’ A quick investigation into the matter shows that there is a group of right-wing zealots in this country who want to eliminate the word ‘democracy’ because it is too close to ‘Democrat’ (as in Democrat Party) and replace it with ‘Republic’ (as in Republican Party).
- “(S)o as not to fuel the issue in our district, we will pass (on our participating in the essay contest). Had the question been worded as ‘comparing a direct democracy to a republic or representative democracy; we would be more open to participating.”
I am perplexed by the position of Mr. Stevenson. I have no doubt about Mr. Stevenson’s political leanings, but he is described as “a social studies teacher” and not the head of the department or a representative of the administration or even the elected school board. Stevenson is certainly entitled to his viewpoint, but his job at the district is not to push his viewpoint. I am sure that he will be attacked by “right-winged zealots” in the district and the school board, but it seems to me that may be his intention, martyrdom.
How else can you explain his actions to deny his students the chance to participate in an essay contest because “in eighth grade, we don’t spend a lot of time on it” yet later admitting that if the question were worded more to his liking that “we would be more open to participating.” The two statements do not correlate unless you factor in an agenda. That is where he may have crossed the line from teacher to activist and he seemed to have used his position at the school district to do it.
Stevenson also used some pretty charged words when he chose the phrase “right-winged zealots” to describe people in the country who may just want to set the record straight that the United States is not a democracy and is actually a representative republic. There are a lot of people who get the privilege (yes it is a privilege) to vote who are probably not aware of that fact..
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
For all the bluster that this is probably going to brew, the people involved had to know what was going to happen. Mr. Stevenson sent the e-mail, the CEO released the e-mail and Mr. McNicle printed the story. Is this martyrdom or just stupid?
All that I know is that there are some pretty bright eighth grade students who may not have the opportunity to participate in this contest.
