The time has come to speak and say that we need to resist
the pressure to wear face masks at our school.
In many places people are wearing face coverings
regardless. Our response is going to impact
our kids at Oak Hill.
1. Truth
We teach first graders that Virginia has 3 branches of civil
government. Laws come from the
legislature.
Can the governor decide when a mask requirement ends? Can he decide where one has to be worn and by
whom? These types of decisions are made
by legislation. “It’s the Law” means
that it was created by those who create laws.
The legislators are those who using their own limited authority create
laws. Northam isn’t even a
legislator. Yet, here he is considering
pronouncing more rules rather than carrying out the rules the General Assembly
has given him and our independently elected sheriffs to enforce.
We cannot condone the Governor’s actions and teach 3
branches. Even if we did, the students
would see through this and learn to be as untruthful as we were. Or, they may just be confused. They’ll memorize “legislative, judicial,
executive” but never really grow to understand
what the difference is between a legislative and an executive power. They’ll never mature in this case to love the
wisdom of American government—the concept of not giving a lot of power to one
person or to one group.
The popular thinking is that the governor can override the
law in an “emergency.” Well, that isn’t
true. And, I think the emergency is
over. Models showing an unusual death
rate didn’t come to fruition.
Are the masks designed to stop the spread? At the start of this, I recall the experts
saying that it was not necessary for the general population to wear masks. Or are the masks, coming late in the game, a
way to continue the panic and prolong the claim to crisis powers?
2. Communication
A priority of classical education is teaching students
communication. Teachers must model this
and train it in the kids. Wearing a mask
makes speech difficult. It makes eloquent speech nonexistent. It
also eliminates the emotions and ethos that come from watching a person’s face
and mouth. Masks would ruin
communication and promote poor social adjustment in children.
Teaching also requires one to sense the impact that a lesson
is having on students. This requires
that a teacher be able to hear what a student says and also that he be able to see
whether a student is smiling.
3. Freedom
Another aspect of education is teaching students to be
fearless. Not imprudent. We teach handwashing. We look before crossing the street—we don’t gamble. Those who are sick should be isolated from
everyone else. I’m happy to even
increase these standards. But, do we
really need to be afraid to walk around without masks?
Do not students see that we are relatively safe? We will face viruses like this in the future,
maybe every couple years. The WHO says even
Corona may never go away. See here. Has not God given us in America ample
resources to maintain our health and to fight sickness when it does come? We need to teach our children to fear
God. We need them to gear up for real
battles. We don’t want them to run for
safety when they aren’t seriously threatened.
4. A Mask Can be a Symbol
Over the past weeks we have seen legally enshrined God-given
rights taken away in the name of an emergency.
Our right to assemble for school or worship or play has been taken
through orders and through fear of spreading Corona. You can’t have a political meeting. You can’t even go into a coffee shop and talk
to someone. You can take your food and
run. In a week you can get your hair
cut, but don’t plan to talk to the barber because you’ll be wearing masks. The only place left to “talk” is on social
media. And, the left has been noisily
complaining that social media needs regulated.
What message does a mask send to the children? If we support mandating them are we not
snuffing out some of the last vestiges of speech? Health issue or not, do we want someone to be able to force a person to cover his mouth, the mouth which he uses to spread
ideas and with which he confesses his beliefs and with which he worships?
What We Can Do
I ask patience from those who sincerely wish to wear a mask
or who are among those who genuinely need to wear one.
My dad often told me that American government was more
reasonable than one would expect. That
comment came from an Ohio farm boy who had dealt with his share of government. (For example, he was audited by the IRS 18
out of 19 years in a row. He never had
any problem with them but their annual multi-day visit to his office was
something I grew up with.)
I think we will find our government officials will intercede
for us. I think we will find plenty of
opportunity to see them being reasonable.
Northam himself may back down. The
sun is out and lockdowns are evaporating.
Virginia has a long tradition; God is merciful; and our culture won’t
die quickly. I call for optimism. But, we also need to know what we are pushing
back against and why.
by Robert Thoburn, Headmaster and Founder of Oak Hill
Christian School
B.A. Grove City College, J.D. Pepperdine University School
of Law
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