The War Against Teachers as Public Intellectuals in Dark Times
Monday, 17 December 2012 08:22By Henry A. Giroux, Truthout | Op-Ed
(Image: Students in class via Shutterstock)Please support Truthout’s work by making a tax-deductible donation: click here to contribute.A little learning is a dangerous thing.
- Edgar Allan Poe
The tragic deaths of 26 people shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., included 20 young children and two teachers. Many more children might have been killed or injured had it not been for the brave and decisive actions of the teachers in the school. The mainstream media was quick to call them heroes, and there is little doubt that what they did under horrific circumstances reveals not only how important educators are in shielding children from imminent threat, but also how demanding their roles have become in preparing them to negotiate a world that is becoming more precarious, more dangerous - and infinitely more divisive. Teachers are one of the most important resources a nation has for