 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
||
 |
|
|
|
||
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
||
The Bill Ayers Problem |
 |
||||||||||||
The "Bill Ayers Problem" has proven to be a volatile issue for politicians and, most certainly, a troubling and complicated topic for educators. While Barack Obama reconciles his relationship with Ayers and their participation on the Woods Fund Board of Directors, Museum patrons have been welcoming Ayers since his first appearance at Wardlaw Hall as the Witten Lecturer and researcher. Seeing his reception in Drayton Hall for that lecture, we decided to invite him to return periodically, altering the relationship between speaker and audience and permitting an ongoing dialogue with Museum patrons rather than the typical one-time, never-to-be-seen-again appearance. |
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
 |
Ayers was received "with open arms" during those early years as he talked about becoming a teacher (as he still does). But his past has become more of an issue since 2001, and now all educators seem to be asked to reconcile and reconsider their thoughts towards public discourse and private actions, growing censorship, and evolving values and beliefs. Clearly, we feel Ayers' continuing appearances at the Museum of Education provided an opportunity to explore these ideas and to further extend thoughtful, reasoned discourse. Craig Kridel, curator |
||||||||||||
Visit the Museum web exhibition of patrons’ reflective statements explaining their “personal reconciliations” with “Bill Ayers educator” and “Ayers the accused domestic and/or alleged unrepentant terrorist.” |
 |
||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
see a video excerpt |
|||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Museum of Education - Wardlaw Hall - University of South Carolina - Columbia, SC 29208 - 803.777.5741
museumofeducation@sc.edu