Editor’s note: View House Bill 198 online.
In a recent Guest Commentary by Delaware Secretary of Education Dr. Mark Holodick, he laments that his teaching experience was diminished by not fully teaching or understanding the concept of Black history and its ramifications on his students and this country (“Educator reflects on importance of HB 198,” May 21). His solution to that conundrum is his full support of House Bill 198 and what I consider to be the teaching of critical race theory.
Sadly, he totally misses the basis upon which critical race theory is built — the degrading of one race by another and how that continues today. Rather than use your office to try and unite our students by teaching them the good and bad of our history, you embrace a methodology highlighting that very little has changed. CRT does not offer a meaningful way in which to discuss the good and bad of our country’s history but rather stokes the fires of racism and brings us back to the mid-’60s.
I find it terribly disheartening that the secretary of education, who claims his teaching career was flawed, recites and supports the flawed talking points of the Democrats who run this state. As a former high school math teacher, I can tell you that, over the years, “innovative” ways to teach various subjects have failed miserably. The same will hold true with the teaching of critical race theory.
It is sad that our secretary of education has chosen to fully support a political ideology versus finding ways to strengthen our failing public education system. Education is based on the teaching, not indoctrination, of our students in the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. Every student needs to be taught reading, writing and math to the best of their ability. Education should be about making our students stronger and capable adults. We do that by teaching them to learn from the mistakes of the past. Teaching about our past mistakes in a nonconfrontational manner gives our students the knowledge and the understanding that they can do better. Learning must be the process we use to teach our children to grow and build, not hate and destroy. Our future generations will suffer immensely if we teach history on a flawed political ideology.
You need to be proud of your history of education, Dr. Holodick, and have the courage of your convictions with respect to your teaching, rather than praise the political ideology of the Democrats, which pits one race against another.
Retired U.S. Army Reserve Col. Frank Daniels
Dover
