Why America is changing on guns - #2art

This is a continuation of yesterday's post, and this article is about the effective activist campaign launched by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida -- and how they can be so knowledgeable and articulate.   It's a profile of their remarkable teacher, Jeffrey Foster, for the popular advanced placement course on U.S. Government and Politics.

Splinter News, a print division of Univision, reported on an interview that I will excerpt below.   The Splinter article is by Jorge Rivas.

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Stoneman Douglas High school senior Emma Gonzalez spoke before a crowd of thousands at a vigil in memory of the students who had died in the shooting massacre at their school -- only three days before.

"After she delivered her speech, Gonzalez was so confident in front of news cameras that conspiracy theorists quickly accused her of being a crisis actor.  Critics questioned how a high school senior could have such tight talking points.  Rumors spread on YouTube and Twitter that the Stoneman Douglas students like her who were making repeat appearances on cable news networks were actually 30 year old pawns of gun-control advocates. . . .

"But it turns out that Stoneman Douglas students being scrutinized are just teens with really good teachers at a school with resources.  They are a testament to what public schools can produce if students have support at home and in well-funded schools.

"Many of the high-profile Stoneman Douglas seniors are in the same [Advanced Placement] United States Government and Politics program this year,  helmed by Jeff Foster, who helped create the AP government curriculum for the entire Broward County Public Schools system.

"Foster is going on 20 years teaching AP government classes.  He worked in finance for a few years before his mother suggested he try substitute teaching.  He fell in love with it and went on to get his masters in education. . . .

"When [classes begin again] he's going to also start teaching geography.  Like his other colleagues, Foster has volunteered to absorb a period left behind by a teacher who was killed. . . .

"On the day of the shooting, Foster taught the AP Gov students about special interest groups, like the NAACP, American Medical Association, and the National Rifle Association.  His lesson plan that day included a discussion about the Columbine and Sandy Hook school shootings, with emphasis on how every politician comes out after a tragedy to say the right thing about changing gun regulation.   The students learned how the NRA goes to work as soon as news reporters and the public move on to the next story.

"'That's not the NRA's fault;  that's our fault,' Foster says.  'We lost attention and that's why interest groups run the country.  If it's not the NRA then it's another group.'

"Foster teaches AP Government all day.  It's the only subject he teaches.  He had taught this particular special interest lesson four times [that day] by the time the gunman started shooting.

"The following day the students were scheduled to have a test on the special interest chapter.   The exam was supposed to include a free response question asking students what techniques the NRA used to be successful.  The students were supposed to discuss how the NRA used mass mobilization, campaign contributions, and litigation to push their agenda forward. . . . 

"Emma Gonzalez had already taken Foster's lesson by the time the shooting happened.  So did fellow student David Hogg, who has made multiple appearances on cable news networks. . . .

"These students are clear-eyed, media-ready, and sophisticated, often rejecting the premise of interview questions or entirely reframing them.   Foster says it's not surprising to him which kids are getting repeated interview requests and continue to speak publicly.  He's seen these same students shine in his classroom debating controversial issues like gun control, abortion, and Colin Kaepernick.  Foster says he stirs the discussion to both sides.  When students don't bring up counter-arguments, he brings them up himself. . . . 

"'It's unfortunate not all schools are funded the way we are.   We have a lot of resources at our school,' Foster says.   [The school serves an area where both economic and educational levels of the families are higher than average.]  Only about 24% of the student at [this] school are considered economically disadvantaged [compared to some schools in the district as high as 89%]. . . .  About 40% of the senior class takes the AP Government class. . . . 

"Foster helped organize a field trip of about 100 student to [the state capital] to meet with legislators. . . .  Some critics have accused Foster of pushing the Communist Manifesto. . . .  [But] he's not even a bleeding hear Bernie bro.  He's a registered Republican who voted for Hillary Clinton. . . .

"Foster thinks the students are running on adrenaline.  He wants to prepare [them] to be emotionally ready for when and if the media attention goes away.  And he hopes the students can continue to stay positive and not crash or move into depression.  He wants his students to leave class and vote, run for office, or join a special interest group for an issue they care about.

"'You can't bitch,' he tells his students, 'if you don't participate.'"

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There are many lessons in this article.   First is how good quality public education can be when you have the combination of affluent, educated families, school resources to offer such courses, and the ability to hire and retain talented teachers, like Jeff Foster.    Second, is the corollary:   so many of our public schools lack all of those factors -- the sad fact of the inequality in our public schools.

But that's a problem to solve another day.   The involvement of these prepared students as activists to bring about change has already shown some results in the gun control law just passed by the Florida legislature and signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott (neither of which was pro-gun control before).   The bill doesn't ban semi-automatic rifles, but it does raise the purchase age from 18 to 21;  it bans the sale of bump stocks;  it imposes a three day waiting period on rifle purchases;  and it allows school personnel to be armed.

It's a start.   As one of the students said:   "It's baby steps."

And then there's the March 24th March on Washington (and everywhere) for Gun Safety that was initiated by these students.   Great teacher, great kids.

Ralph