An Interview

In order to learn more, I needed someone who I could speak to and ask questions

Unfortunately I couldn't get in contact with someone who work in the field, so I asked someone else, someone I knew who would help me to find a conclusive answer to my question. 

The Person I interviewed was my High-school history teacher. Now, I can hear some of you think, "Really?" He teaches about World History, American History, Economics, and American Governt. And having known him for six years, I can assuredly say that he is still more than qualified to discuss the topic at hand. 

The following is an excerpt by Patricia Williams in her article: Anti-Intellectualism is taking over America: “There has been an unfortunate uptick in academic book bannings and firings, made worse by a nationwide disparagement of teachers, teachers' unions and scholarship itself. Brooke Harris, a teacher at Michigan's Pontiac Academy for Excellence, was summarily fired after asking permission to let her students conduct a fundraiser for Trayvon Martin's family. Harris was an at-will employee, and so the superintendent needed little justification for sacking her. According to Harris, "I was told… that I'm being paid to teach, not to be an activist." 

1. As a teacher, would you consider this a symptom of anti-intellectualism/anti-rationalism?

Ms. Harris was fired for doing something the superintendent disapproved of and activism can stimulate intellectual development but not necessarily so I think her motivations are suspect, she could have built intellectual capacity in another way or created an activist campaign that would not have got her fired but in does create a "chilling effect" for teachers and their intellectual and pedagogical pursuits.

2. Do you think schools are a solution, or help cause an increasing growth of anti-intellectualism due to modern curriculum (standardized test and personal growth instead of critical thinking and pursuit of intellect)? 

School are definitely the solution but it might be at the college level given the psychological capacities of brain development, kids in their 20's are WAY more cognitively developed so that is where you would see the greatest growth given the time constraints and other demands on public school teachers, who should still give students some exposure to these skills.

3. What do you say to the notion that America’s infatuation (in this modern era), with sports, has been A factor for the decline of the pursuit of science and intellect?

Sports has NOTHING to do with it, people have always been obsessed with sport even the most intellectually developed. The real rise of anti-intellectualism is the news media which is owned and controlled by VERY wealthy people who don't want critical thinkers who would examine why they're so wealthy and why everyone else has to work so hard to maintain a standard of living that is in decline. If you look at the occupy movement and the press coverage and portrayal I can rest my case. Hope this helps, let me know if there's more I can do.