Oklahoma teacher says fellow teachers have racial biases, bigoted ideas

"The truth is there are good teachers in Oklahoma on all points of the political spectrum, and all of them are interested in teaching the 'basics,' Aaron Baker writes.

Unfortunately, however, teachers step into the classroom with “baggage” that easily complicates authentic learning in any subject. Teachers enter education with racial biases, microaggressive habits, inequitable practices, and bigoted ideas about student identity and expression. This “baggage” has also been described as an “invisible knapsack” that needs to be “unpacked.” Unpacking the invisible knapsack involves training. Getting “back to basics” requires training.