What education is all about

I applaud and thank the state of Connecticut, and all the Boards of Education, for embracing a curriculum that addresses race, racial history and racial experience. This is important and difficult work; a longterm journey of self-exploration and community understanding about the issues that challenge and divide us.

Learning to understand ourselves and others better — that’s what education is all about. It’s the reason we learn history, art, language arts, science and math; otherwise, why bother?

I’m angry, and sad, too. I did well enough in school to attend and graduate from Yale. I also realize how much I learned in school was wrong. It’s like living in a grand house with 10 windows — all of them shuttered except a tiny one in the bathroom. The only view of race I have ever had was through that tiny window.

Suddenly, the shutters of the other nine windows open. The brightness overwhelms — when the light floods in, we all see the different views we’ve missed, inside and out. And what do we do? The light hurts our eyes, we squint, we draw the curtain, we can’t believe it.

The real issue here is that we, the adults, are afraid. We only ever learned there was one window. The light from other windows hurts our eyes. We’re scared of the light. We all benefit when we look through the different windows — it helps us see a better future, based not on fear and ignorance, but on light and truth.

So, are we, the adults, brave enough to admit to our children we don’t know everything? Can we model the joy of learning something new, of looking through other windows?

There is nothing in this curriculum that takes away from anyone, despite what some people would have you believe. It’s about adding for everyone — let’s be brave and embrace the light. Therese Eke

Milford