Article Summary –
Teachers across the U.S., particularly in Michigan, face attacks from Republican politicians, leading to a hostile environment that dissuades new educators from entering the profession. State and local lawmakers have imposed restrictions on teaching content, with high-profile figures like Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. JD Vance publicly criticizing educators, while districts have banned books and canceled lessons due to backlash against topics like gender identity. The atmosphere of disrespect and political interference has led teachers to feel under siege, with concerns that these actions aim to undermine public education and limit students’ understanding of diverse perspectives.
Teachers nationwide and their allies have faced attacks from Republicans, impacting Michigan educators significantly.
These attacks aren’t limited to the national arena; state and local politicians have been targeting teachers, imposing laws and rules that limit their teaching abilities. The hostile climate has grown so severe that some educators have expressed concerns to the Michigan Independent about its effect on potential teaching recruits.
“Morale is very low, and it stems from a school board that is honestly clueless,” stated Toni Coral, Hamtramck Federation of Teachers president. “We’ve seen a massive turnover of teachers.”
Recently, a clip emerged in August of Sen. JD Vance, a vice presidential candidate, criticizing American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten for being childless.
“Randi Weingarten, who heads the most powerful teachers’ union, doesn’t have a single child. If she wants to brainwash and destroy children’s minds, she should have her own and leave ours alone,” Vance remarked, according to The Guardian.
Republican governors have also blamed educators. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, known for the “Don’t Say Gay” policies, criticized teachers in 2022, claiming they aren’t genuinely educating.
“Our school system should focus on educating, not indoctrinating kids,” DeSantis stated after launching his unsuccessful presidential bid.
DeSantis’ “Don’t Say Gay” law bans discussions on sexual orientation in K-12 classrooms. A Florida court largely overturned the law, yet copycat laws emerged in other states.
Locally, districts in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have banned books. Recently, Milwaukee-area parents complained about a pre-K book they felt was “grooming” children, leading to its removal despite the principal’s objections.
In 2022, protesters disrupted a Dearborn Public Schools meeting over LGBTQ+ themed books deemed inappropriate by protesters.
This April, “inappropriate and threatening” communications led DeWitt Public Schools, near Lansing, to cancel a mini-lesson on gender identity. Superintendent Shanna Spickard noted it became a major disruption, making staff and students feel unsafe.
This anti-educator sentiment is affecting daily interactions, according to Coral.
“There’s a daily disrespect from students, parents, or generally,” she noted. “There’s negative energy towards teachers, and people can only endure so much.”
Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, shared similar sentiments from her district.
“We face new threats to public education daily. Our curriculum is threatened, questioning what has never been questioned. It’s a strategy to limit what young people learn, a tactic to ‘dumb down’ America,” she said.
Wilson-Lumpkins wants politicians to stop using education to create division. Project 2025 indicates that if Donald Trump wins, Republicans will defund education and eliminate dissent, calling for dissolving the federal Department of Education.
“Education shouldn’t be politicized,” she added. “Children need a thorough education as they’re the next generation. Who would hinder them by ignoring history?”
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