Campaign 4 and the Threat to Education
So fun facts about me: I’m a public school teacher in Orlando, Florida. I teach English. I live just a couple miles from the University of Central Florida. My local social circle is almost entirely graduates of Florida public schools, either k12 or higher ed, usually both. I’m also a transgender woman, and a lesbian. If you don’t already know why these things are all notable and relevant, I invite you to go investigate Florida education policy in the 2020s.
In campaign 4, episode 2, Brennan Lee Mulligan came for my fucking throat.
The Pentaverel is such an apt allegory for education’s current fight with fascism.
Forcing out independent leadership in favor of a mouthpiece for the state? Look at what has happened at so many schools this year, but if you need a specific example, look at New College. And it goes beyond leadership too. If I (or any teacher) affirm a trans kid without state approval, I am at risk of having my teaching certificate taken away.
Threatening the very core of educational practice in a way that effectively destroys it, simply because it’s inconvenient to the regime? I could be referring to the threat to ban the casting of magic in the Pentaverel. I could also be referring to the real-world banning of books that has led to the evisceration of school libraries and the annihilation of most classroom libraries. When they reviewed the books I had in my classroom, all the diversity was stripped away, and even classic such as The Scarlet Letter had to be removed pending appeal.
This is exactly what I wanted, and what I believed Brennan could bring to the table: a cutting, relevant allegory of our current moment. One that accentuates and elevates the artistry on display, because it taps into real, current emotion. I find myself waiting with bated breath for episode 3.