Thank God for Oklahoma’s Ryan Walters

OPINION:

On Sept. 5, Oklahoma’s state superintendent of public instruction, Ryan Walters, announced a new partnership between the Sooner State’s public school system and PragerU. Here’s how Mr. Walters described it on his official website:

“I am thrilled to announce this partnership with PragerU. This expansion of our available resources will help ensure high-quality materials rich in American history and values will be available to our teachers … [and] Oklahoma’s students.”

Before we go any further, you would be well within your rights to ask, what exactly does the PragerU curriculum include? What “history” and “values” does it promote? And why is Oklahoma’s highest education official so excited about it?

Here is a summary.

PragerU’s “Leo and Layla’s History Adventures” video series teaches kids in third through fifth grade how historical figures such as John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Francis Scott Key, Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass shaped our country for the better. Special focus is given to how these key leaders represented the best of the American ideal as set forth in our seminal documents, such as the Federalist Papers, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution.

The “Around the World” series is for children in sixth grade and up. It features stories emphasizing personal responsibility, accountability, bravery, sacrifice, and the blessings of freedom. Here, students learn more about why these values make America different from countries across the globe that have embraced fascist, socialist and communist systems of government.

The how-to vignettes are likewise designed for the middle and high school grades. They include several lessons, such as how to win and lose gracefully, how to deal with adversity, how to be a victor and not a victim, and how young men and women can embrace their masculinity and femininity.

The curriculum also champions concepts like the importance of forgiveness and taking ownership of your life.

“Otto’s Tales” is for younger children — those kindergarten through second grade. It includes moral instruction from such classic stories as “The Lion and the Mouse,” “The Little Engine That Could,” “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” and “The Tortoise and the Hare.”

Finally, if you prefer something more “pragmatic,” there’s the “Cash Course.” This series of lessons is designed for youth and young adults. It teaches them skills such as understanding taxes, knowing the difference between simple and compound interest, recognizing good versus bad credit, and how to make and balance a personal budget.

There are also lessons on American government and civics, sports legends, U.S. presidents, the builders of America, and key women of Valor. Any teacher, parent or administrator who wants to know more about the PragerU curriculum can do go to pragerU.com, where they can easily access all of the above and more, free of charge.

Yes, this is all free! It doesn’t cost the state of Oklahoma, its schools, its teachers, or its taxpayers one thin dime. PragerU is a nonprofit organization that provides this material to any teacher and any school for nothing.

Now, one would think that Mr. Walters would be praised and thanked by Oklahoma’s educational leaders for making these curriculum options available to the state’s public schools at no cost. After all, Mr. Walters was clear in his press release that this is merely an “expansion” of materials and not a requirement in any way.

In other words, if teachers, administrators and school boards want to teach the above ideas in their respective classrooms, the material is there for them to use. It’s free. They can use it if they wish. It’s their choice.

You’d think this would be a good thing, right?

Well, if that’s what you think, you’d be wrong. Rather than thanking Ryan Walters for expanding Oklahoma’s curriculum to include lessons on personal responsibility and the importance of focusing on virtue rather than victimhood, the highly educated people leading Oklahoma’s progressive march for “tolerance” and “inclusivity” are calling for Mr. Walters to be impeached, saying he’s “not fit for public office” and a “Nazi.”

Yep, at a time when our nation’s schools seem more interested in teaching 12-year-olds the virtue of having their breasts and penises removed than how to grow up to be men and women of character, these people are calling to impeach rather than thank the man trying to solve the problem. Makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?

Everyone in Oklahoma — and all of America, for that matter — should be thanking Ryan Walters for leading and doing what’s right. Without men like this, our country is lost.

• Everett Piper (dreverettpiper.com, @dreverettpiper), a columnist for The Washington Times, is a former university president and radio host.