MEGA; Make Education great again

Nurses, physicians, police officers, fireman, engineers and educators have consistently been considered noble and respected professions. For the 18th year in a row, the most recent Gallop poll has Nursing as the most honest and respected profession.  The Covid-19 pandemic, #BLM, cancel culture, police brutality, online education and removal of statues and monuments should make next year's Gallop poll very interesting. My guess is that nurses will still hold the top spot, but the rest of the 2020 list of respected professions will look like Gallop put the names of each profession on a ping pong ball and randomly pulled them out of a Bingo Ball Hopper. 

I was honored to be hired as a college Biology professor at Bakersfield College in Bakersfield, California in 1997. A college professor is a position of prestige and considered an expert in his/her field. Faculty are entrusted by the community and society to provide students course content, listen to dissenting opinions, and argue for or against a topic using evidence through the use of research and critical thinking.

Things have changed dramatically over two decades. Consider recent events that have occurred on college campuses:

• Bret Weinstein; Evergreen State University
• Lindsey Shephard; Wilfrid Laurier University
• Gordon Klein; UCLA
• Stephen Hsu; Michigan State University
  
  

I'm now part of a profession that does not trust incoming students or our society to "think properly". Students must be indoctrinated to ensure that they are not brainwashed by the "other side". And don't think that this is because of the all the "lefties" on our campuses, this also happens on the "right". 

There is an "implicit bias" on campus. But it is a different bias I more concerned about. This is a "faculty bias" that students are naive and faculty need to ensure that students think properly. These dangerous ideas include, but not limited to;

• Trump is a racist
• BLM is trying to dismantle our country
• People from the south are all "rednecks"
• Californians are hippy-weirdos
• Cops are killers
• "Don't you dare touch my guns."

As a scientist, I've been trained to be skeptical and pragmatic. I look for data and evidence. Data and evidence have consistently pointed the advancement of our society towards the truth...and the truth will set you free (John 8:32). To my fellow colleagues...quit being egotistical and narcissistic. Admit we don't have all of the answers. Quit treating students and the community as unsophisticated, ignorant or naive. Let's provide the student body with course content, allow dissenting opinions, and argue for or against a topic using evidence through the use of research and critical thinking.

What would happen if we allowed this to happen on our campuses? Anarchy? Chaos? I disagree. The result would be empowered students transformed into community members and leaders that would find the truth and/or solutions to...

• Homelessness
• Police brutality
• Healthcare
• Mental illness
• School to prison pipelines
• Poverty and hunger
• Wage disparity
• Unemployment
• Broken educational system
• Suffocating traffic
• Home ownership
• Social programs
• Gun violence
• Immigration

But what the heck do I know...I'm just Joe.

By the way, the California Community College State Chancellor has sent out a "call to action" to the entire California community college staff, faculty and administrators. This is the direction of the Californian Community College curriculum.