Monday, December 14, 2020

INDOCTRINATING OUR TEACHERS



There’s a movement in public schools across the country from Maine to California which purports to improve race relations. To this retired teacher, however, it’s more likely to make them worse.


A week ago the
Washington Free Beacon reported: “The San Diego Unified School District required teachers to attend a ‘white privilege’ training session in which they had to say they were racist and ‘confront' their privilege.” And it’s not just in California that teachers are being instructed like this. Similar things are happening right here in Maine. “Diversity Trainers” from several places across the country are becoming millionaires as they collect enormous fees for telling teachers they’re racists and “You [teachers] are upholding racist ideas, structures, and policies.”


The Free Beacon article didn’t say whether any teachers objected. Nowhere could I find reports that any San Diego teachers spoke up in opposition to this “training.” I certainly would have spoken up. When I was subjected to previous politically-correct “in-service training” regimens and the presenter asked: “Are there any comments or questions?” I always had some — and I was always the only one. Public school teachers are not what anyone would call courageous. Never was a I forced to say I was racist though, because the “training” hadn’t regressed to that point ten years ago. It has now.



A typical response to today’s inservice indoctrination would be this one from North Carolina teacher Laurie Calvert who said: “I was a racist teacher and I didn’t even know it.” I did multiple searches looking for “teachers object to anti-racist training,” and all I got were hits from teachers who endorsed the brainwashing and self-flagellated the way Laurie Calvert did in 2017.



Ever since the George Floyd video went viral, however, this brand of “diversity training” has become a big money-maker for “Diversity Trainers.” According to a November report in Realclearinvestigations:


“The nation's K-12 schools have been incrementally adopting multiculturalism and ethnic studies for decades, but such courses have been the exception rather than the rule. This summer’s Black Lives Matter protests have sparked new level of commitment, a newfound urgency, and a new trend: anti-racist pedagogy.”



Here in Maine, SAD 51 Superintendent Jeff Porter attended a diversity session run by Boston-based Community Change, Inc. which is another money-making “diversity training” institution where Maine resident Shay Stewart-Bouley works as executive director. Superintendent Porter had attended one of her workshops, was troubled by the rhetoric at first, but then thought it was wonderful and wanted all his teachers to take it He budgeted $30,000 to pay Steward-Bouley’s organization, until there was a community backlash last June.




The fallout began when the Cumberland/North Yarmouth district’s “Equity Committee” sent out a statement to the community last June. It read, in part:


“As a majority white school district, we stand in solidarity with Black Movement leaders… In a culture that continually reinforces white supremacy, justice can only be achieved when we confront and repair the anti-Blackness woven through every aspect of society—in our homes, schools, workplaces, communities, places of worship, and government… We cannot move forward until we reconcile the intentional barriers white people have built to harm black people… Black people experience violence every single day because of our white supremacist society….We will work to assess our curriculum, educate our community within and outside of our school campus, dismantle the anti-Blackness all of us have internalized by living in a society built on white supremacy, and provide tools to interrupt anti-Black racism.”



On her Facebook page called: “Black Girl In Maine,” Steward-Bouley declares: “Racism is not just about personal feelings; it is woven into the fabric of this nation,” and “White women benefit from the status quo… Change would require burning down that system and building a new one — one where [white women] and their children might lose the shared superiority and protection they get by being attached to powerful White men.” Steward Bouley claims her movement is world wide and “Wherever there are Black people, there is a fight.”



She capitalizes White and Black and that’s clearly how she sees the human race: Whites are racists and Blacks are victims. That’s quite different from Martin Luther King’s dream of not judging people by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. It’s also pretty clear why some SAD 51 taxpayers objected to paying Steward-Bouley tens of thousands to “train” their teachers. They don’t want students trained to believe themselves racist if they were born white.



According to a November 23rd Portland Press Herald article, the SAD 51 School Board has decided to drop Steward-Bouley’s organization, Community Change, Inc. and will instead hire the University of Southern Maine for its “equity work.” To that, Steward-Bouley said: “I am entitled to my own opinions that I can share on my personal social media.”


True enough, Ms. Steward-Bouley, but you shouldn’t be “training” teachers.


95 comments:

cowboy ted said...

Basic Marxism, the "oppressed and the oppressors." Fact is, these public and tax-payer funded colleges are not representing we who fund them, but rather a minority point of view. Further, the United States is one of the few countries in the world where one can achieve more through hard work. The minority is working to impose a falsehood, that socialism, giving other people's money, or worse, debasing the currency through handouts is going to help anyone. As Margaret Thatcher once said, socialism is great until you run out of other people's money. The only and most significant form of "oppression" is through dictatorships, monarchies, communism, and socialism where those who work are paying over 50% in taxation to fund those who do not. The simple truth is that while we are a compassionate people, we do not support individuals living off of others. The oppressors are actually those who advocate for "reparations," higher taxes, especially property taxes, and non-equitable treatment based on one's ethnicity or skin color. The best system of all is the Free Market, or capitalism with it's winners and losers. But just as in sports, when you lose you learn how to win. Not everyone deserves a trophy or a hand out for nothing. And in the matter of education, the "standards base grading of 1/2/3/4 is a sham of mediocrity forced down the throats of parents. Again, socialistic ideas that have failed efficiency and productivity. In conclusion, the local boards of education should be in charge of their own "standards," curriculum and complete autonomy from unions and state infringement.

Brian said...

It looks like facing the facts of white privilege has triggered you into an hysterical reaction. If you had remained calm and investigated the facts you would find the NY Post story where this misinformation started includes inaccurate and misleading statements about a successful professional development session offered to teachers on a voluntary basis. The content from the racial healing handbook are not secret, the book on which they are based is available on Amazon. The author is a respected academic. The training was not mandatory. Again, Teachers participated voluntarily.

https://www.kusi.com/sdusds-richard-barrera-reacts-to-ny-post-story-revealing-white-privilege-training/

So calm down and learn a lesson about knowing the truth before you blabber.

Tom McLaughlin said...

"So calm down and learn a lesson about knowing the truth before you blabber," says Brian.

"Trainings" like this for teachers are happening coast-to-coast and are funded by taxpayers. It's brainwashing. Robin DiAngelo, the "respected academic," is another race hustler like the allegedly Reverend Al Sharpton. Like him, she's has become a millionaire peddling leftist bigotry around the country for which she gets $25,000 per one-hour session. You want to talk about inaccurate and misleading statements? Read her book, "White Fragility."

The San Diego school district is getting backlash and they're offering weak explanations for sponsoring the training. They say the session was voluntary, but I have my doubts. What if teachers refused to take it? Were there repercussions?

Brian said...

Oh, stop pretending that it is because of the taxes that you are in a tither. You just don't like the training. If they were training teachers about firearms so they can help protect schools you wouldn't be complaining, you'd be applauding. Apparently "indoctrination" is just fine for conservatives so long as it’s the right kind of indoctrination.

Such blatant hypocrisy. Betsy DeVos’ can spend $5 billion of our tax dollars on private, religious and parochial schools, but oh my gosh, the dems are using taxpayer money to "indoctrinate" our children!

How obvious that you "have your doubts" about the training being voluntary. Just like Trump, who "had his doubts" about Obama's birth, and his crowd size, and a million other inconvenient truths.

You were a teacher? Give me any example of a teacher, anywhere, getting repercussions for taking taking voluntary training.

You are just so fragile and defensive when it comes to white privilege and sexuality. There are common theories about such behavior.

CaptDMO said...

""Trainings" like this for teachers are happening coast-to-coast..."
As well as Colleges for students (NOT voluntary)
Institutions, Corporations, Non-profit orgs, "service" industries, ad nauseam.
Criticism of such Marxist "critical thinking" is forbidden by fear of hecklers veto, on "Intellectual academic" podia, ans select algorithm outlier compliance agents with "social" media, of course.

Brian said...

I wonder if the Capt. can give a specific example of college students getting unfairly and involuntarily "indoctrinated".

But nowadays, evidence is no longer a requirement for militantly believing in something, ala Trump supporters insistence on unfounded election fraud claims. Weird, almost if they have become indoctrinated by Trump and his propaganda outlets.

And how hilarious that they claim to feel that their thinking is forbidden because of "heckling". What tender little snowflakes.

Kafir said...

It doesn’t stop at the indoctrination of teachers with this garbage. There is an organization known as “BOM” promoting black-owned businesses in Maine. Just imagine the outcry if a “WOM” website were set up. See: https://www.blackownedmaine.com

Another multicultural trend are the history textbooks in government-run schools (formerly known as public schools) that devote a page or two to Christianity and Judaism with numerous pages devoted to whitewashing Islam. Muslim Brotherhood front groups such as CAIR have worked hard and been successful in persuading publishers to present a false and dangerously misleading view of Islam for well over a decade. In addition, most parents don’t realize that Common Core was developed and funded by Qatar with the express intent of dumbing down our students.

One silver lining from the CCP virus is that home schooling and enrollment in private schools are up. At least less of a proportion of our kids will be indoctrinated by progressives which overall make up 87% of all teachers’ political ideology according to the Pacific Research Institute.



Unknown said...

Thank God, my interested father and my dedicated mother insured that for me and my 3 brothers we all went to parochial schools all of which were in walking or bicycling distance from home.For my own six children, parochial education was a no brainer.Out of six, one M.D.,one JD, two Phd's, an Army warrior, Afghan war veteran, and an entrepreneur.
We learned from an early age, that it was achievement that matters, and that talking was no subsitute for accomplishment.

EMLJR

Brian said...

Yes, kafir, we know that you hate islam, apparently to such an extent that you'll suck up any conspiracy theory that comes your way if it fits your agenda. The Qatar/Common Core malarkey has about the same amount of evidence as do flat earthers and voter fraudists. See:
https://www.mediamatters.org/washington-times/washington-times-column-claims-common-core-islamic-infiltration-america

So listening to you blabber on about other supposed facts and figures about this topic is like listening to some random dude yabber on about bigfoot.

To Unknown, who said: "We learned from an early age, that it was achievement that matters, and that talking was no substitute for accomplishment."

I couldn't agree more! If only Trump, the ultimate All Hat-No Cattle guy, was held to that standard:

He said he would repeal the Affordable Care Act, and replace it with something “beautiful.”

He promised that anyone who wants a test for COVID will get one.

He promised to eliminate the federal deficit.

He promised to bring down the price of prescription drugs.

He promised to revive the struggling coal industry.

He said he’d drain the swamp. Instead, he’s brought into his administration more billionaires, CEOs, and Wall Street moguls than in any administration in history.

He said Mexico would pay for his border wall.

He promised to bring an end to Kim Jong Un’s nuclear program.

He said he would distance himself from his businesses while in office.

He promised to end the opioid crisis.

He said he’d release his tax returns.

He promised to protect American steel jobs.

He pledged to put America first. Instead, he’s deferred to dictators and authoritarians at America’s expense, and ostracized our allies—who now laugh at us behind our back.

That was not a list of achievements, that was a list of empty talk and massive failure.

Anonymous said...

As you know Tom, they say that 'a picture is worth a thousand words', and the pictures that you post, that are meant to demean and diminish, speak volumes. They speak volumes, not about those you want to demean and diminish, but about you. Thank you for telling us who and what you are.

Tom said...

That 'Anonymous' post was mine.

Tom McLaughlin said...

Are you the Tom I remember from a midwest province in Canada?

Kafir said...

Brian,

Lately, I post and try not to return because I know you suck the air out of Tom’s columns. Using Media Matters as a source to counter my point about Common Core is a joke. They’re left-wing scum and “All Sides Media” agrees. https://www.allsides.com/news-source/media-matters-bias

You are correct about one thing. I do hate Islam and the totalitarian components of Sharia as much as I hate Marxism/communism/socialism and today’s Democrat Party.

Brian said...
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Tom McLaughlin said...

Brian, I warned you about ad hominems and your last post was full of them. Keep it up and I'll ban you from this forum.

Tom said...

I am a Tom from Maine, originally from New Hampshire.

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Tom McLaughlin said...

I warned you Brian. You're gone. Go find another site for your adhominems or make your own.

If you ever post here again, I'll take it down.

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Tom McLaughlin said...

It's quite evident that Brian is fanatically OCD. I should have banned him a long time ago.

Sorry for letting him tarnish this space for so long.

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Brian said...

Thanks for playing some more!

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Steve said...

I missed Brian’s posts, so I don’t know what the fuss was about. In his response in the 3/19/020 post and twice in the 3/23/20 post, Kafir told Brian to “go F himself” without any reprimand or warning. Were Brian’s comments worse than those? No matter. This is your house, and you’ll police it your way. This can be said of Brian, he makes conservatives and Christians face the myriad foundational principals they’ve had to abandon just to reelect a RINO to the WH. That’s gotta’ hurt. A failure of humankind is our tendency to want to punish others for our own mistakes.

What’s occurring now, is the most undemocratic, unconstitutional exercise I’ve lived through. The hand recounts in NV, AZ, GA, PA, MI, WI all confirm the accuracy of the original vote totals. In all five states, the governors, election officials and legislatures – whether D or R – certified the vote totals and publically declared their elections legitimate, fair and free of wide-spread fraud. Of course, that didn’t stop the threats on their lives. Biden won! With his, now third, legal team seeing their 60th lawsuit in six states thrown out – but for one – with varying levels of rebuke, admonishment and reprimand from the judges, Trump is resorting to attempts at straight authoritarian rule. He’s trying different tactics in different states to convince people to literally overturn a fair election and hand it over to the candidate who fairly came in second in the popular and electoral vote totals. These are the actions of a despot, an autocrat, not the actions of one who took an oath to the Constitution. Now, the Texas AG, Paxton filed an amicus brief to SCOTUS to get those electoral votes reversed and given to Trump. An interesting aside to him is he’s facing bribery and abuse of office charges that may require a preemptive pardon. The frightening part of this is 17 Republican AGs and 126 Republican Reps (better than 50%) of them all support this motion. The majority of the Republican party now supports preventing the duly elected President from taking office and giving it to the one who lost. Republicans are no longer flirting with autocracy. They are actively courting it. This is how democracies die, and it should be frightening and heartbreaking to all of us despite the joy you get watching liberals fret.

Steve said...

(Continued)
Republicans can add another baseless absurdity to the litany they’ve committed to over the years. In addition to Obama being born in Kenyan, his staging of the Sandy Hook massacre as a pretext to gun confiscation, to the pedophile ring run by the Clintons, to Obama’s declaration he and Michelle attend flag-burning ceremonies, to Jade Helm being Obama’s practice run before he institutes martial law, and dozens of others I’m thankfully forgetting, Republicans can now add the stolen 2020 election and roles voting machines and software played in it to the list of anything, ANYTHING they’ll believe so long as it paints Democrats in a unfavorable light. You all know what I’m talking about. Smartmatic and Dominion are responsible for a whole host of election fraud schemes. To ratchet up the crazy, apparently Hugo Chavez foisted this rigged voting system onto unsuspecting western democracies, and, I don’t know, the story gets too weird and stupid to follow. Of course, not a soul on Earth has produced any evidence to support any of it. In an interesting twist, Smartmatic and Dominion filed cease and desist orders against Fox, Newsmax, OANN, demanding “full and complete retraction of all false and defamatory statements” and Fox complied. Specifically mentioned, are Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiroma and Jeanine Pirro. Apparently, they’ve been exceptionally egregious in their blatantly manufactured reporting. Fox forced Dobbs to air, which he had to introduce, an interview with a representative from the nonprofit, Open Source Election Technology Institute where he dismantled all of Dobb’s claims. The same clip will be aired on Bartiroma’s and Pirro’s shows.

The Republican party is legitimately becoming a frightening institution in this country. Republicans need to decide if they’re Regan Republicans or Trump Republicans, because they can’t be both.

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Tom McLaughlin said...

This blog was begun strictly as a digital place to post my newspaper columns and Google provides the platform for free. I don't even accept advertising you may notice.

That was fifteen years or so ago. Locals know I don't respond to letters to the editor, unless it's to cite a source I used in a column. Never did I intend to debate anyone here. I don't have the time or the inclination. I believe in letting everyone have their say as long as it's civil and not personal and posters stick to the argument.

Brian has made himself a PITA, so I'll be changing the format soon to prevent him from posting. From what I've been able to determine so far, that will involve making this blog private. Members only will be allowed to post. Anyone will be able to read it, but not post without my permission. I intend to be very open with membership. I won't bar anyone except him, and will not have any criteria for membership other than basic civility.

My mother died last week. Tomorrow is the wake and Tuesday is the funeral, so I won't be able to act on this until the end of the week at the earliest. As soon as I'm ready to pull the trigger, I'll give everyone advance notice

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CaptDMO said...

Amusing interpretation Steve.

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CaptDMO said...

Gosh Mr M, looks like you're going to have to block out the offending
source ID to capture ALL the "Brian" ad hominum, straw man, reductio ad absurdum,"overwhelm the system", sock puppet accounts.

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Tom McLaughlin said...

Soon I'll post some instructions about how to post here. Brian's fanaticism has forced this change. When I figure out how to control commenters, I'll let you know. It appears that you can email me and I'll either approve them or not.

If you're civil and stick to the argument without personal attacks, I'll allow your posts -- except you Brian. You've worn out your welcome here.