In the classroom: Bri Ulery, a senior at Indiana State University with a major in social studies education, talks to her class about the baby boomer generation as she student teaches on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022 at West Vigo High School. Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza
Paul Harden always wanted to be a teacher.
So after a 14-year career in retail, the 32-year-old Monroe County resident pursued his goal at Indiana State University and is now doing his student teaching.
But the social studies education major is closely watching what is happening in the Statehouse, especially with House Bill 1134, a controversial “parent transparency” bill that opponents say would limit how teachers approach race and other issues in the classroom.
On Wednesday, the Senate Education Committee approved a major amendment that would drop some of the most controversial aspects of the bill, which originally had called for classroom materials to be posted online and vetted by parent review committees.
Critics say it would still restrict teaching about issues, including racism.
Sen. Linda Rogers' (R-Granger) amendment seeks to address many of the concerns raised by educators and maintain the bill's focus on curriculum transparency, parental involvement in education and limiting promotion of concepts that divide students based on their backgrounds, according to a news release.
As initially written, the bill included punitive consequences; teachers could have licenses revoked for "willfully or wantonly" violating its provisions around promoting divisive concepts.
Harden, who graduates in May, said of the legislation, "It definitely adds some hesitance to becoming a teacher. I am concerned that I'm not going to be able to teach the materials I've been trained to teach."
The proposed legislation has already impacted his student teaching, he said Feb. 11. He had hoped to show a video on slavery to eighth graders as part of his student teaching, but was advised not to because some might label it critical race theory, especially since he was a university student.
He continues to oppose the bill, even with revisions. "I fully disagree on placing limits on certain concepts teachers are allowed to cover. We do not place these same restrictions on other professions," he said. "We need to remove politics from our schools and let educators educate. We are trained for this. Let us do our jobs."
At ISU, his professors have drilled into students how to approach and cover controversial topics.
"If we attempt to teach history without controversy, then we will not be able to teach at all. I am currently on a unit covering Andrew Jackson. Anyone that has read into President Jackson is aware of the atrocities that he committed," Harden said. "He openly defied the Supreme Court of the United States and initiated the removal of Creeks, Seminoles and other natives. Without teaching the bad, we can never have the good."
Some may not enter, others may leave
Daniel A. Clark, coordinator of ISU's social studies education program, said he communicated recently with an "excellent social studies education student who has decided to switch to a straight history major, and she directly noted the hostile climate that HB 1134 represented as one significant reason for her decision to switch majors."
Terry McDaniel, ISU faculty member in the Bayh College of Education, works with those pursuing school administration.
"I do hear from superintendents and principals their concerns about this affecting people entering and staying in the profession," McDaniel said. They worry that "young people will look at all the restrictions and concerns [HB 1134] creates and will look at different career paths."
Alexander Cuenca, Indiana University program coordinator for social studies education, believes if HB 1134 passes, it will deter young people from entering the teaching profession, especially if the potential punitive aspects and "overabundance of work" putting class materials online are part of it.
"I think those are significant deterrents," he said.
The college students he works with remain committed to their chosen profession and "are still determined to be professionals and to be truth-tellers with their curriculum and instruction," he said.
They understand the politics of HB 1134 and nationwide efforts to stop conversations related to race and racism in America. "I believe it is making them more determined than ever to ensure that their future students know truth, and know true history and are able to grapple with hard history," he said.
But if restrictions become law, how will that "hard history" be taught? "Everyone is in a wait-and-see pattern," Cuenca said. "We're all kind of holding our breath."
His students say they will find a way "to get truth in classrooms and provide as much of an accurate story of America and of history as possible," whether the bill passes or not.
HB 1134 is just one example of proposed legislation that is causing experienced teachers to consider leaving the profession, and perhaps discouraging other individuals from entering it.
Another bill that has the concern of the Indiana State Teachers Association is Senate Bill 356, which would allow for part-time adjunct teachers who don't require teaching experience and would be excluded from collective bargaining agreements. The adjuncts would have to have at least five years of work experience in the content area they intend to teach.
ISTA has called it a "union busting" effort. The intent of the bill is to help with the ongoing teacher shortage, advocates say.
Kim Fidler, ISTA Uniserv director, says there already exists a significant turnover of teachers with five or fewer years in education. But now, more experienced educators are seeing proposed legislation and deciding they've had enough.
"It's been difficult. I get more and more people saying, 'What would be the process if I want to resign?' I try to talk them out of it," Fidler said. "I do feel at the end of the day, these new, proposed bills, especially HB 1134, are becoming the deciding factor and people are saying I'm not coming back and doing this."
Teachers are in demand in other professions because they are viewed as good prospective employees, she said.
"We want to keep them in education," Fidler said. "In Indiana, it's not looking like that's what the goal is."
Future teacher reflections
Similar to Harden, Brianna Ulery is an ISU senior majoring in social studies education. A native of Royal Center, near Logansport, she is doing her student teaching at West Vigo High School and will graduate in May.
The prospect of HB 1134 becoming law "really kind of terrifies me" in the sense that she wouldn't be able to do what she's spent four years training to do and she wouldn't be able to respond to certain questions that students may raise.
"I came into social studies education to teach kids about the past and to learn from it," she said. "I worry as a future educator, that won't happen anymore."
When she was in high school, she asked many questions of her teacher in U.S. history. "I'd be like, 'Wow. Why did we do that to them,'" she said. Even now, with student teaching, some students ask pointed questions about issues.
"To think in a year I wouldn't be able to answer those questions ... it kind of terrifies me for future generations," Ulery said. "It's almost like the death of social studies education."
She gave the example of a discussion on McCarthyism and a related discussion on the Lavender Scare, a federal policy starting in the 1950s that called for the removal of gay men and lesbians from the federal government because they were viewed as posing a threat to national security.
McCarthyism and the Lavender Scare were mentioned in students' assigned textbook. That prompted a question from a student who asked why LGBT employees would be targeted if they didn't do anything wrong.
Ulery fears if the bill passes, "I would no longer be able to answer that," she said. "I probably wouldn't even be able to talk about the Lavender Scare."
Ulery plans to teach, but wants to see what develops if HB 1134 passes. If it severely limits her teaching, she may consider a different career. She may pursue graduate studies such as in school counseling, again depending on how it might be limited by proposed legislation.
Ulery said several of her high school teachers helped her through things outside of school and gave her life lessons. Now, "I want to be that person for students," she said.
Even if the bill doesn't advance, "it's very concerning," she said. Many Indiana House members did support it.
"It concerns me that this is even being proposed because why would we not want our kids to know about the bad things that happened in the past, because that's how history repeats itself," she said.
Other future educators reflect
Madison Nichols, an ISU student from Sullivan, also is studying social studies education, an area especially affected by HB 1134. Nichols said she's been troubled by some of the legislation being proposed this session of the Legislature, including HB 1134.
"I'm doing history so it's like almost defeating to be like, oh, I can't teach history correctly, the way I've been taught it," she said.
It's caused her to reflect on her chosen profession. Still, "I'm pretty determined to be a teacher. I've got dreams to do that. I'm hoping [the bill] doesn't get passed, but I hope even if it does pass, I'm able to find a different way to teach it correctly or a different way to do it," Nichols said.
Nichols also wants to be a positive influence on young people "and tell them there is somebody who cares and wants you to learn and wants you to be here."
ISU student Drew Daner is from California and originally came to Terre Haute to study at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, but eventually decided her heart is in teaching. She's working on a secondary education mathematics teaching degree.
As for HB 1134, she believes if parents want to control what their children learn, "Then perhaps they should ... take it upon themselves to maybe home school their child or place them in a private school, where maybe more of those topics can be controlled and monitored," she said.
The proposed legislation would add a lot more work to an already full plate for educators. "I think it's very unfair to educators," who already work hard to provide students with the best possible education, Daner said; the pandemic has been tough on educators as well.
The controversy hasn't deterred her from wanting to teach. "I want to be someone who really makes a positive difference in someone's life," Daner said. "I've been very fortunate to have great educators." To be able to give back in the same way she's benefited from caring teachers "would be so great."
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