Baldwin’s “A Talk to Teachers” explores the reality of growing up and being brought up as an African American in the United States of the 1950s. Yet even though race features prominently in the text, the essay is about more than just racial matters. At the core of “A Talk to the Teachers” is Baldwin’s assumption that any group’s social standing is the direct result of its historical development. Hence, to understand race-associated problems in the United States – and many other issues as well – one has to examine the history of this country and the social assumptions that permeate it. There is no better place to learn historical facts and separate them from myths designed to further the interests of particular social groups than school. Thus, it is indeed necessary to reflect on Baldwin’s ideas in educational settings – both to promote a better understanding of one’s interests and to create responsible citizens.
One reason why Baldwin insists that learning about one’s history is mandatory to understand one’s play in today’s society is because it is the only way to recognize and pursue one’s own interests. Any country generally wants a “citizenry which will simply obey the rules of society” (Baldwin). However, in any community, there are groups designated to be at the bottom tiers of its structure – just as African slaves brought to the Americas to toil the land. To further their power over subordinate racial groups, the ruling elite does not merely resort to violence or threat thereof – it also produces ideological justifications for its authority. In the case of African Americans, this justification crystallized as an assumption that a measure of a black person’s worth is their “devotion to white people” (Baldwin). As long as a person does not question such assumptions, he or she would be unable to distinguish between one’s own interests and social expectations, which can be far from selfless. Hence, thinking about what Baldwin wants his audience to think is the way to understand one’s own interests better – already the reason enough to teach that.
However, teaching Baldwin’s ideas of critically assessing a culture’s base assumptions can be beneficial for the society in question as well. The essay points out that social change comes from the people willing to examine and challenge the dominant views of their society rather than blindly accept them. Moreover, having instilled complete compliance with its base assumption in every citizen, a community “is about to perish” (Baldwin). Unable to evolve and change, such a society will eventually lag behind its more dynamic counterparts and come into disarray. The importance of critical thinking to social change is yet another reason to teach the ideas Baldwin writes about.
As one can see, “A Talk to Teachers” has value beyond their immediate relation to racial matters because they are ultimately about binging up rational citizens able to promote beneficial social change. On the one hand, questioning a given society’s base assumptions is a necessary step toward recognizing one’s own interests as opposed to those of other groups. On the other hand, only those willing to examine, evaluate, and challenge the dominant beliefs may bring social change when such is needed. With this in mind, one can agree that Baldwin’s ideas deserve a place in the curriculum.
Work Cited
Baldwin, James. “A Talk to Teachers.” Rich Gibson’s Education Page For Equality, Justice, Freedom, and Retribution, 2020. Web.