If you are skeptical about the claim from conservatives, including President Donald Trump, that many schools these days, rather than educate our children, indoctrinate them with left-wing dogmas, this story will provide you with some proof.
Fox News reports that a public school teacher from Philadelphia has recently admitted that he is concerned about “conservative parents,” this upcoming school year, listening in on virtual classes.
Just wait until you hear his reasoning
Matthew Kay, an English teacher at the Science Leadership Acadamy, a public school in Philadelphia, expressed his concern on social media.
“So, this fall, virtual class discussion will have many potential spectators — parents, siblings, etc. — in the same room,” Kay began. “We’ll never be quite sure who is overhearing the discourse. What does this do for our equity/inclusion work?”
Kay continued, asking, “How much have students depended on the (somewhat) secure barriers of our physical classrooms to encourage vulnerability? How many of us have installed some version of ‘what happens here stays here’ to help this?'”
“My wheelhouse”
It is in his next post that Kay admitted to what is really bothering him.
“While conversations about race are in my wheelhouse, and remain a concern in this no-walls environment — I am most intrigued by the damage that ‘helicopter/snowplow’ parents can do in the host conversations about gender/sexuality,” he said.
A “helicopter” parent is one who “hovers” over their children as they do their schoolwork, while a “snowplow” parent is one who will actually step in and do their work for them, “plowing” difficulties from the student’s life.
“And while ‘conservative’ parents are my chief concern — I know that the damage can come from the left too,” he continued. “If we are engaged in the messy work of destabilizing a kid’s racism or homophobia or transphobia — how much do we want their classmates’ parents piling on?”
In other words, Kay is worried that parents might take issue with his so-called teaching about “gender/sexuality,” or, more accurately, his attempt to implant liberal dogma into our children’s’ brains.
A coronavirus pro?
Kay is in no way alone here. Many American educators are engaged in similar practices. I’ve witnessed it myself, having been through all levels of our education system.
Perhaps what Kay’s post does, though, is suggest an argument for the continuation of virtual learning this fall, (I say this half-heartedly because I do believe that in-person learning should resume). But, virtual learning does make it possible for Kay’s concern to come true. And, if parents do observe some of these virtual classes and if they see this liberal indoctrination taking place, then maybe they and we can put an end to it for good, and get back to properly educating our children.
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