Letter to the Editor: Emotionally Frenzied January 30th Anti-ICE School Chaos

On Friday, 30 January I substitute taught at Sandy Creek High School in social studies for just that day. In my 5^th period class several of the students decided to run through the halls screaming and brandishing anti-ICE posters. They arrived 15 to 20 minutes late for class bringing an energy that was emotionally frenzied, irrational, self-harming, and anti-law-and-order.  

One student sat in the corner and spent the remaining minutes fanning herself and accomplished zero work that was assigned for the period. The others were similarly flustered and distracted and required my attention to control. They lost view of reason, disobeyed rules, and robbed others of learning, but mostly harmed themselves. Consider the truth expressed in the song “I fought the law, and the law won.”  

To control allocating and spending national resources, and to maintain social cohesion, all sovereign nations must be able to control their country’s borders and immigration. That is truth; that is reason. Across the country these actions and attitudes are harmful to all impacted institutions, and especially harmful to the frenzied participants themselves. If such activists across America do not learn to be thoughtful, reasonable, and civilized, then that emotionally frenzied, irrational, self-harming, and anti-law-and-order path will ultimately lead to prison and even extreme cases like “Drive baby drive!” or “Gun, gun, gun!” death by law enforcement.

I really do not substitute teach for the pitiful $15/hour (minus federal, state, and local taxes) although I would not substitute teach for free. I’m retired and I am very comfortable. I substitute teach with the hope that I might make some positive difference in the world and in the rising generation of Americans. That hope suffered a major blow on January 30th. It seems like a significant percentage of our rising generation wants this country to descend into 3rd world open-border unvetted-immigration crime and chaos. It might take a few weeks for “hope to spring eternal” and for me to find the motivation to go forth and try and make a small dent for good in our great and beloved country by way of substitute teaching.

I also taught social studies for 3 days at Bennetts Mill M.S. In the social studies hall there is a sign (pictured below) depicting America as a democracy, but America is not a democracy, it is a representative (or democratic) republic. I asked the department chair to fix the misrepresentation, but I doubt it has been fixed. 

Also, in that same hall there are two big posters that say, “Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History” and the posters show famous women that made history. However, is being famous and making history the highest human aim? Hitler, Stalin, and Mao all were famous history makers. In the final analysis, should one’s highest goal be making history or having a loving family? Being well behaved is certainly a good foundation for every family member. “Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History” promotes the idea that it would be better for women to misbehave. 

Is promoting misbehavior an appropriate message for taxpayer funded public schools? The truth is that virtually every single one of the very finest, most successful mothers and fathers, wives and husbands, sisters and brothers, daughters and sons are well behaved, and whether they are famous and make history on this tiny little planet has zero importance in the scope of this vast universe and eternity from the perspective of creating a loving family.

Brad Beaton

Fayetteville, GA