Behind Iowa teachers’ ‘sinister agenda’

Most of us have heard by now the recent comments from the current president of the Iowa Senate accusing teachers of having a “sinister agenda.” While many are saying this is just the latest attempt by the majority party to use a made-up issue to whip up their base for the midterm elections, I can confirm as a former high school teacher I did have a sinister agenda and will gladly pull back the curtain on my dastardly and nefarious plans.

You see, back in 2012, I had grown disillusioned and bored with my previous job and wanted to switch gears and join a profession where I could make a difference and be a positive influence on America’s youth. Even more than that, I wanted to help mold our future generations to become informed, engaged citizens in an ever-changing world. I was accepted into the College of Education at the University of Iowa and in two years earned my 5-12 all social studies teaching certification.

I went on to teach 9-12 grades in a small, rural district in Iowa where my room had no screens on the windows, no hot water in the upstairs boys’ bathroom, and I documented it to be 92 degrees in January and 49 degrees in May due to an inefficient and outdated heating and cooling system. I had books that were more than 10 years old, students had to share Chromebooks and my compensation — to say the least — was wholly inadequate for the amount of time and effort I was putting in day after day teaching seven different classes with one prep period, in addition to coaching multiple sports, and sponsoring student council and Model United Nations. In addition, this was at a school where the administration and parents cared a lot and put in the extra time, effort, and resources to improve things. However, more than a decade of below the cost of inflation increases by the current majority party have turned our K-12 education system into a frog boiling experiment (except, of course, during those spring cold snaps after the boiler heat gets turned off).

Now, getting back to that “sinister agenda,” it does not happen without its share of criticism. However, I always took pride in being called a conservative, liberal, libertarian and authoritarian (among other things) at various points by students and parents alike, as that meant I was challenging their worldview — not pushing my own as the governor has also accused teachers of doing — and getting them to back their claims with facts and evidence not hearsay and highly biased sources. I was teaching them how to think, not what to think. Teaching them to be critical thinkers and how to fact check, not follow the herd. Teaching them to be informed, engaged citizens because our democratic republic depends on it. If that is how some want to define a “sinister agenda” well then they better send the education gestapo on the double — I and countless other teachers are guilty as charged.

Michael J. Jacobsen of Williamsburg works in higher education and is a former high school economics, geography, government, psychology, sociology, U.S. history, world history, and world political theory teacher. jacobsenmike84@gmail.com.