Letter to the editor: the Butterfly Effect in Minnesota's public education

Have you heard of the Butterfly Effect?

While you've been busy living your life, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has been quietly changing the future of education in all Minnesota schools, public and private. His self-appointed licensing board is embedding Marxist principles and practices such as critical race theory, fluid sexual identity, and gender politics into teacher licensing requirements that will usher in radical ideologies. These changes will impact new teachers earning their teaching licenses as well as all current teachers renewing their license.

The Butterfly Effect is an expression that means from little things, come big things.

Though teacher licensing may appear to be a little thing, this will impact who is allowed to teach AND what they will be required to teach in all Minnesota classrooms, whether they are public, private, Christian or charter schools.

Here are just a few of the mandates which will be mandated this July for new teachers and thereafter for teachers seeking re-licensure:

• Focus on implicit bias and systemic racism, including "white privilege";

• Comply with the construct of "multiple identity formation" ;

• Fully affirm and incorporate identity politics into the school, including race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, economic status, and ethnicity;

This is only a partial list. There is more explanation on the Alpha News website, https://alphanews.org/commentary-state-to-require-teachers-to-demonstrate-marxist-worldview-to-obtain-license.

Butterflies are beautiful, however, this effect is not. I personally know of an extremely proficient science teacher who is leaving a Minnesota school after this year to move to North Dakota so that he can remain true to his values. This, at a time, when Minnesota is experiencing a shortage of qualified teachers.

How do you respond to this? My hope is that you don't fold the newspaper and dismiss this editorial, rather, you make some phone calls, talk to your representatives and get involved with your local schools. The future is yet to be written.

Rebecca Carlson

Glenwood