Student view: We are not the children of yesterday

Guest writer Anna D is a senior at Catalina Foothills High School

Earlier today, my mom forwarded me an email that she received on October 28th from Back to Basics (BTB) Candidates. Within it, the group dictates how the students of Catalina Foothills School District (CFSD) have been “not proficient” in school and have had to suffer through degrading policies and how they (BTB) have a plan to bring the school district back to its former glory.

I find it interesting that while the BTB candidates preach their gospel of improving the school district, they have not presented an actual plan to do what they preach. Several of their general educational concepts are already in place. My parents, for years now, have had to sign syllabi to acknowledge the content of the class. They have had to give permission for me to watch films in my classes. In my health class freshman year, they had to sign a permission slip to allow me to learn about Human Growth and Development. Even this year, they had to sign a permission slip to sign off on the books I have to read in my English class.

I also find the whole “Back to Basics” call to action very backward thinking. We are not the children of yesterday; we are the future. We are far more technologically and socially developed than you were at our age. We use laptops to take class notes and do homework. We meet up to do homework “virtually” in group chats. We even create and use Google Slides presentations for classes, not poster boards. More importantly, we are not homophobic— we see the world and our fellow humans through a different lens, and we can handle tough subjects that apparently they can’t, like LGBTQ issues. Diversity, equity, and inclusion make us stronger, not weaker. Acceptance, compassion, and respect for others innately make us better people.

If we as children are the future, why do they want us to go “Back to Basics”? Maybe it’s not the school that should change, but them.