The man elected to lead Oklahoma public colleges for the subsequent 4 years believes the state’s academics all want remedial education from a conservative evangelical college in Michigan in order to educate “true history” that favors “Judeo-Christian values.”
Republican candidate Ryan Walters defeated Democratic candidate Jena Nelson in this week’s election, following the developments making Oklahoma one of probably the most conservative of all states in its political management. Walters, a former highschool trainer from McAlester, had been named to the highest education put up by Gov. Kevin Stitt after the well-respected secretary, Joy Hoffmeister, resigned to run towards Stitt in the governor’s race.
Professional educators and their associated skilled organizations actively opposed Walters however couldn’t sway most of the people to act on their fears that the brand new secretary holds excessive views which might be a hazard to public education in the state.
His marketing campaign web site listed endorsements from a number of conservative political motion teams and the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association however just one education group, the Licensed Child Care Association.
KOCO-TV news in Oklahoma City reported earlier this fall that Walters had instructed a crowd of GOP supporters each trainer in Oklahoma wants to endure training from Hillsdale College, a Michigan college on the forefront of a nationwide effort to form public colleges in the style desired by conservative evangelical mother and father.
“Our kids need to know about the founding. They need to know this country was founded on Judeo-Christian values.”
“What we have to have is true history taught in schools. Our kids need to know about the founding. They need to know this country was founded on Judeo-Christian values. They need to know about the Constitution. They need to be inspired by heroes like George Washington,” Walters stated.
At an Oct. 25 debate with Nelson, Walters stated: “We have to continue to stay vigilant as the far left has decided that they’re going to launch a war for our kids’ minds and convince our young people that they are racist. They’re going to inject this division into the classroom. They’re going to inject this hatred of the Constitution and the values this country was founded on.”
The Norman Transcript reported that Walters wants to set up a “God-based history curriculum” in the state’s colleges, one that may spotlight the position God performed in the founding of America.
“Our history is our history” and the founders believed “our rights came from God,” the papers quoted Walters as saying. “It doesn’t matter if somebody else doesn’t believe it came from God. That’s what (the founders) believed so that was their belief and their intention.”
“It doesn’t matter if somebody else doesn’t believe it came from God. That’s what (the founders) believed so that was their belief and their intention.”
The notion that America was based as a “Christian nation” is a key ideology of Christian nationalism and is disputed by non secular liberty teams {and professional} historians.
Yet Walters calls his view of America “history without indoctrination.”
“This is a very specific vision of Christianity that is not something most denominations share or that most Christians really share,” stated Clark Frailey, govt director of Pastors for Oklahoma Kids. “It seems like a very small minority that have this vision of taking it over, but it’s being sold as if Christianity is ubiquitous, it’s all one thing. That’s not really true or we wouldn’t have 35,000 denominations out there.”
Frailey famous a priority that Walters wants to “sugarcoat history” and make it look like nothing dangerous occurred, just like the Trail of Tears or slavery. “That’s really spooky because there’s been some pretty big atrocities that we don’t need to cover up.”
Christian nationalism additionally embraces the concept of manifest future, that it was God’s will that Europeans settle North America and take dominion over land beforehand populated by native peoples.
Walters has stated he wants to guarantee Oklahoma educators are educating American history that’s “void of left-wing indoctrination” and doesn’t educate “our children to hate our country.”
In his victory speech at a GOP Election Night watch celebration, Walters declared: “We believe that we’ve got to reject Joe Biden’s radical agenda right here in the state of Oklahoma. The message was sent loud and clear: In Oklahoma, we’re doing more than any other state in the country to empower parents. … Folks, Oklahoma won’t go woke.”
“Folks, Oklahoma won’t go woke.”
Walters is a proponent of taxpayer-funded college vouchers that might permit mother and father to use public funds for personal or homeschool choices for his or her youngsters.
Walters maintain a bachelor’s diploma in history from Harding University, an Arkansas college affiliated with the Churches of Christ.
In an interview with the Daily Oklahoman, Walters stated he realizes his views could also be seen as controversial by many in Oklahoma, however he has a better objective in thoughts: What will history say about him?
“I think it’s important to fight for the things that are right, and I think that as time goes on, history will judge folks and their decision-making and the general public will, too,” Walters stated. “I’ve always been inspired by people like (Lincoln), Winston Churchill, George Washington that had to make decisions at times that, again, didn’t get 100% consensus, but what you’re going to do is you’re going to try to do the right thing, you’re going to build a coalition and try to get the right thing done.”
So far, that coalition doesn’t embody Oklahoma’s academics.
Writing for Free Press OKC, George Lang warned: “An authoritarian theocracy is upon us in Oklahoma.”
And in an opinion piece printed by the Oklahoman, professor of education Dan Vincent warned that Walters was campaigning on a pink herring.
“It is time for elected leaders in our state to deal with the real issues in education. ‘Woke teachers’ are mythical figures created to instill fear in residents and to capture votes; they are not the issue. Let’s rally around the real needs of educators and kids in our state. Let’s work collectively to bring respect to the profession; let’s find ways to better compensate teachers; let’s explore ways to address the teacher shortage. In short, let’s put to bed the myth of ‘Woke Schools’ in Oklahoma and work together on addressing the real issues in education.”
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