Parents: Don't Look Away

 

Worth watching, especially for parents pic.twitter.com/k6gb2CMVqU

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 18, 2024

A Teacher's Perspective

Inage: The New York Post

 By Gretchen Garrity

I was recently in touch with public school educator, Mr. Kelly Wallace. Mr. Wallace has been teaching for 30 years, and is employed by the Springfield Public Schools. In the following question-and-answer format, he gives his perspective on teaching and the state of education.

Mr. Wallace deserves our thanks for being willing to speak about some of the issues confronting our schools. These issues are also in your local school.

• What drew you to teaching?

I have always enjoyed school and loved my teachers.  My third grade teacher Ms. Nancy Wiser had a huge impact on me.  She was an outstanding person and always cared about me.  This is one of the most important things I believe a lot of teachers forget.  It’s not about the lessons we teach in most cases.  It’s about caring and taking interest in your students' lives that makes the biggest impact.

• How has teaching changed since you first began teaching? Good and bad!

My first three years of teaching would have to be the most difficult just trying to learn how to deal with students. Those first years could be summed up in one word..survival.  I knew my subject inside out and upside down but dealing with students and all the issues they arrive with was definitely the hardest.  After that learning curve took place teaching was a very enjoyable time.  Focusing on the kids first and your curriculum second has always been my thing all thanks to my marvelous teacher Ms. Wiser.

Seeing previous students and having them thank you and appreciate all you have done for them is the greatest feeling in the world.  The connection and what you think are the little things that happen in the course of a school year can have the largest impact on students.

Unfortunately after Covid the discipline issues became so overwhelming to the point I couldn’t even sleep at night and started having terrible anxiety.  I couldn’t think about anything else.  I had all of the previous 25 plus years of teaching to lean on, but mentally it was an absolute struggle.  I couldn’t even imagine being a new struggling teacher at this point.  I was having a hard time keeping it together.  I couldn’t imagine being new to the profession.  Substitute teaching at this time was unimaginable! 

Being mentally worn out on a daily basis will age you in a hurry.  It’s very different than being physically worn out.  It’s almost as if you can’t function when you get home.  You no longer have the ability to turn it off.

• Can you give some contrasts?

The administrators I’ve had the last few years are doing everything they can to keep disruptive students in school.  Unfortunately it’s all left on the shoulders of teachers and other students.

When I first started teaching we always had the support of our administration.  Today it’s like the teachers are under investigation if you send a disruptive student to the office.

• Have kids changed? If so, how?

I won’t be the only one to tell you that we’ve always had problems at school.  The kids have not changed.  What has changed is how we are dealing or better yet not dealing with discipline issues. 

Want proof?  Just check out a school district’s scope and sequence.  I have a laminated copy of my first year 1994/1995 vs today…mind blowing!  What used to get you in trouble 25 years ago now doesn’t even get you on the principal’s radar. Example… a few years ago we were having a terrible problem with students vaping.  Instead of dealing with the problem head on as we should have the district changes the scope and sequence.

• Can you talk a little bit about curriculum? Why are student scores continuing to fall in many cases, despite the large amounts of seminars, continuing education, consultants, and diverse methods that many schools utilize?

Curriculum and the amount of time we spend on it is better than it’s ever been. In fact it can become nauseating we spend so much time on it.  The main reason we are seeing lower scores is the amount of time we are spending on discipline issues versus teaching.  What this causes is a lower expectation for everyone.  We are continually lowering the bar instead of raising the bar.  Example: giving everyone a full quarter to turn in missing assignments.  Students learn that procrastination is fine and turn in subpar work the last few days before the quarter is over when most have forgotten the concept that was presented the week of the assignment.  This is not ok in the real world of work so why is it ok in education? 

• What programs and organizations have you found helpful? Harmful?

This is a hard question.  Surprisingly I’m going to say the NEA can be both harmful and helpful. It’s a double-edged sword.  Helpful in the fact that they care about education and support teachers with insurance and support with school discipline and contract issues that arise, and they do arise.  If you don’t have that support you are on your own which is a terrible place to be. 

On the other hand the NEA supports certain political actions and agendas that do not correspond with my beliefs.  This in turn has made me step away and stop renewing my NEA membership for about the last 10 years.  Imagine being without support in school related issues for the last few years.  Scary is an understatement.  There’s no one out there that has your back. Teachers are human, we do make mistakes and there are an unbelievable amount of false accusations.

• How pervasive is DEI/CRT/SEL and other agenda-driven programs?

Unfortunately these agendas have definitely been presented to us in professional development meetings in the past.  I have personally rejected this nonsense and will never present this to any student in my classroom let alone bring it up.  Definitely not what I was hired to do and if it ever was I would’ve quit a long time ago.

• What do you think about the push to include younger children within the public school system? For instance, there is legislation that wants to mandate a 5-year-old must attend school.

I can’t think of anything wrong with starting the education process early as long as the parent has the final decision. I wouldn’t want any lawmaker mandating anything to me about my child’s early education needs.  What could they possibly know about your child’s education concerns and timing?

• Schools seem to be morphing into a kind of community center, where the cradle to grave agenda is being implemented: free meals, mental health evaluations and treatment, preschool, tele-health, performing arts centers, etc. Have schools expanded their mission at the expense of their original purpose?

Yes…but why?

There’s a larger number of students every year that their basic needs are not being met at home.  Is this something that we want?  Absolutely not, but our number one concern is for the health and well-being of all of our students.  If basic needs are not met at home then it’s really hard to accomplish anything else beyond that.  This is also an answer to your previous question:  Why are student scores continuing to fall in many cases, despite the large amounts of seminars, continuing education, consultants, and diverse methods that many schools utilize?

• Teacher turnover rates are high. What is a teacher's view of the issue?

Not good!  Teaching has become a nearly impossible task and still have a life outside of the classroom. 

You have no energy for your own life outside of work.

This is nothing new or unexpected but you’re broke all the time and have to take on other jobs which almost every teacher does.  This also takes away more time from home.

You don’t feel any recognition.

Many times teaching in a school system does not align with your beliefs.

You feel depressed, angry, not like yourself for all the reasons mentioned above.

• Are you familiar with Burrell?

Yes.  We use them more and more every year.  The overwhelming number of students who need their services is staggering.  I have students who have lost parents or siblings to suicide who struggle unimaginably every day.

• What advice would you give to someone who was going into teaching?

Several years ago we had a teacher who said both of his girls wanted to be teachers.  He told them he would completely pay for their education if they didn’t choose teaching but if they wanted to be teachers they were on their own.  I thought this was pretty harsh at the time but now I’m almost completely in agreement with him.  Teaching has gotten much harder since 94/95.  I’ve spent 30 years in the same school and can honestly say I would never choose this profession if I had to do it all over again.  The good thing I can take with me is I know I have made a difference in several students that I’ve taught over the years but the good hasn’t outweighed the bad I’ve witnessed in the past few.  This is my 30^th and last year of teaching.  The only thing I will miss is my day-to-day interaction with the students.  Once again I will mention my favorite teacher, Ms. Wiser.  I couldn’t tell you one thing she taught me other than she was kind and truly cared about me and sometimes that’s all these kids need.

• What are teachers thinking about school choice? Homeschooling? Micro-schools?

I really don’t know what other teachers are thinking but I do know that I would never put my child in the school that I teach.  I wouldn’t have said that 20 years ago.  In fact some of my family home schooled their kids at the time and I thought it was the craziest thing ever at the time.  Kids learn so much in a public school.  Yes good and bad.  As I said before the bad has definitely started to outweigh the good.  I would never subject my kid to what goes on in the public school that has little or no consequences. I wouldn’t think twice to either put my kids in a private Christian school or home school setting.  Only because both my wife and I our teachers.  Unfortunately a lot of parents don’t have that choice.

• If you could do anything to help schools improve, what would it be?

Stop watering down your scope and sequence to help adjust the numbers to meet the criteria you need to be state accredited.  You are only making the problem worse.

• How could parents help?

Please raise and discipline your own kids.  Stop thinking that the school system was created to do it for you.  Take full responsibility.  Look for solutions and not just a teacher to blame.

If you really love someone, you have to give them the level of discipline they need.  Discipline is the highest form of love.

I believe Ms. Wiser’s philosophy of teaching can be applied to parenting as well….. My parents have a huge impact on me.  They are outstanding and always care about me.  This is one of the most important things I believe a lot of parents forget.  It’s not about the lessons we teach in most cases.  It’s about caring and taking interests in your children’s lives that makes the biggest impact.

 

Looking for Answers?

Do you ever wonder why it takes up to $100,000 to run for an unpaid school board position for the Springfield Public Schools? Do you wonder why violence in schools is on the rise? Why levels of anxiety among students is so high?

 Why are academic scores flat or falling? Why is teacher retention a big problem for school districts? Why do school districts keep asking for more bond money for more capital projects when they don't maintain the buildings they have? 

Do you ever wonder why out-of-town people founded a "nonpartisan" United Springfield PAC in order to get their preferred candidates elected?

Millions of taxpayer dollars are at stake. And more than that, a pernicious agenda that pushes gender ideology, DEI, SEL and CT is working hard to maintain the control grid that usurps parental rights and local school control.

You know something is wrong, but you can't quite put your finger on it. Here is your opportunity to get answers and solutions. 

Our children and their teachers deserve to be able to learn and teach in a safe environment. 

Register here.

And look for a Q&A with a public school teacher here later today.

Commission Meeting Set for Feb. 14 💓

 The Christian County Commission will be meeting on Feb. 14, at 10:30 a.m. On the agenda is discussion regarding the selection process for trustees of the library board. Apparently the process from last year needs to be reaffirmed. Please support the commission with your attendance.

The Grassroots is Awake

 

How to Identify Wokecraft

James Lindsay explains how Marxists take over organizations and transform them, cutting you the citizen out of any say in how your local libraries or schools are run.

Here's a link to the book he recommends. Charles Pincourt, who authored the book with Lindsay, says this about his book Counter Wokecraft:

"The second part of the book analyzes the collection of principles, strategies, and tactics used by the Woke to entrench their perspective—in other words, wokecraft. The success of the Woke relies primarily on three things: First is the weaponization of positive-sounding, commonly understood words that have double meanings, or Woke Crossover Words. These words (e.g., critical, diversity, inclusion) are brandished like Improvised Explosive Devices. They are slipped into documents and decisions, justified by their commonly held meanings, but are later used to justify Woke interventions based on their radical Woke meaning. Second, there is a general insistence on informality, which is then exploited to manipulate decision-making by preventing, for example, secret ballot voting. Third, there are a number of woke bullying tactics that are used to prevent people from resisting Woke advances. These range from coercion through consensus to cancel-culture attacks. Together, these tactics are used to exaggerate support for, and quell dissent against, Woke advances."

 According to Pincourt, the latter part of the book teaches readers how to counter the revolution. "The first column seeks to sow doubt in participants about the Woke perspective, particularly its prescriptions. The second involves amplifying and enabling dissenting opinions, while at the same time instituting the formalization of decision-making processes that allow all participants to voice their opinions."

 Wouldn't it be nice if school boards and library boards actually gave citizens more than three minutes to expound (five minutes would be helpful), and then actually responded to them? Instead, they use wokecraft to shut down a free exchange of ideas, and steal citizens' recourse to public dialog with public servants.

The video is only 20 minutes long. Well worth viewing.

The Missouri Freedom Initiative reports on the WEF...and Missouri

 The Missouri Freedom Initiative tackles the World Economic Forum tonight, and its ties to Missouri. The WEF is bent on mining (in a globally connected way) rare earth minerals used in so-called green energy. Think the cobalt mines in Africa. Well, there are rare earth minerals in Missouri. And importantly, Missouri has a lot of water, which is needed in the extraction process of rare earth minerals.

Tonight's show, according to MFI's Patrick Holland, "...will be streaming live tonight at 7:30PM Central on Rumble, Twitter (X), Odysee and You Tube. It promises to be an interesting show as Isaac is returning to give us updates on his research in connecting the dots between pieces of Missouri legislation and the  WEF agenda."

Here is a short documentary about 2024's WEF meeting in Davos. The takeaway: You are the carbon they want to get rid of.

 

I went undercover to the World Economic Forum.

There is simply no substitute for being there in person.

Watch my new documentary where I give you a peak behind the curtain of the WEF and their agenda.#WEF2024 pic.twitter.com/mux1afPv4P

— Larry Alex Taunton (@LarryTaunton) January 23, 2024

 

To catch up on what the WEF and its Missouri compatriots are up to in the Show Me State, here is a previous MFI show from a couple weeks ago that details how some of our current and former legislators are involved. Tonight's show will shed more light.

 

Shout Out!

 A shout-out to TPUSA-Faith of Christian County! 

Featured in the national organization's monthly newsletter, the feature said in part, "Let us applaud TPUSA Faith of Christian County Faith HUB for their exceptional commitment to civic engagement and excellence. This remarkable faith hub, located in Springfield, MO, organizes numerous transformative Biblical Citizenship Classes both within the city and throughout the county. Their unwavering dedication to actively engage and serve the community stands as an inspiring testament to the power of faith-driven initiatives. Through their efforts, TPUSA Faith of Christian County Faith HUB is making a meaningful impact, fostering unity, and empowering individuals to contribute positively to society."

From TPUSA-Faith

Contact the Christian County chapter at their Facebook page for information on upcoming Biblical Citizenship and Constitution Alive! classes, which are conducted in partnership with David Barton's Wallbuilders. The classes are perfect for families, as well as individuals.

See What the Missouri Library Association is Up To

From Missouri Library Association

 David Rice has written an excellent Substack post about the Missouri Library Association (MLA) and its lobbying efforts in Jefferson City earlier this week.

The method to their madness is similar to organizations like the Missouri School Boards Association (MSBA), in which their advocacy positions are often antithetical to freedom, parental rights, etc.

Rice says, "Missouri Librarians descended on Jefferson City on Tuesday, Feb. 6th, 24, to have morning Unity meetings and then go lobby (harass) public officials. Their purpose is laid bare in their agendas and their priorities.

They were against Free Speech, the 2nd Amendment, Protecting Children, lowering taxes, changing their Fiscal Year and elections, and Limiting their Power. The one bill they supported would make it illegal for libraries to remove books from their collection. As I point out below, they don’t even expect this bill to pass."

Read the whole thing. Rice includes a list of bills currently in the legislature that citizens will want to read. Keep in mind that the MLA is a chapter of the American Library Association (ALA)...that hard Left organization that is beginning a slow retreat from its Marxist President Emily Drabinski.

Citizen participation is vital. The next Christian County Library Board of Trustee meeting is scheduled for February 27.

Because the RINOs won't let IP reform be heard

Someone was speaking with a forked tongue

 

Watch on TikTok

The original TikTok is below.

Watch on TikTok

County Commissioners Reaffirm Appointment Process for Library Board of Trustees

 By Gretchen Garrity

At their weekly meeting on Feb. 6, 2024, the Christian County Commissioners reaffirmed the process used last year to vet and appoint Christian County Library Board of Trustees positions.

There are approximately nine local county boards that are comprised of volunteers who serve the public in various ways, including on the library board. These are unpaid positions. Most of them are self-perpetuating in the sense that when a board position comes open each organization selects and vets their candidate and refers them to the county commission for appointment.

However, because the county library has been embroiled in controversy for more than a year, the county commissioners took charge of the process and eventually appointed two new board members in 2023.

 

(You may have to go to Youtube to view the video)

 

 Citizens began petitioning the library board in December 2022 to restrict age-inappropriate, pornographic, and pervasively vulgar materials in the children and teen sections of the library.

So far, the library staff and board have resisted almost all efforts to have books moved out of the reach of minors. Monthly board of trustee meetings have seen increasing numbers of citizens commenting upon the issue and requesting relief.

Now that another appointed position is coming open (Clever area) in June, the library staff and other activists are most likely concerned that a new appointee would constitute a majority on the board and be able to make substantial changes to the library's collection policies.

The library's executive director, Renee Brumett, requested to delay the meeting to discuss the appointment process due to the MLA's Library Advocacy Day occurring on the same date. According to Presiding Commissioner Lynn Morris, the delay request came in late Sunday or early Monday before Tuesday morning's meeting.

The Commission, after discussion, decided to go forward. A motion was put forth from Eastern Commissioner Bradley Jackson, and seconded by Presiding Commissioner Lynn to continue the appointment process in perpetuity until such time as another motion was made to change the process. It passed, with Western Commissioner Hosea Bilyeu voting no.

The commissioners heard from citizens who were not happy with the process or the fact that the commissioners voted to continue the procedure from last year without the library staff being present. For the record, there are sixty employees in the Christian County Library system. Surely, not all of them were at the Library Advocacy Day or at work.

Let's be clear, the dissent is coming from people who want to continue with the library as it has been and continues to be--a place where children are being exposed to age-inappropriate books of a sexual nature, as well as indoctrination in Marxist ideology through DEI and CT.

They know that when the commissioners appoint another trustee, that the board may decide to make changes.

It's that simple.

Library Trustees to be Appointed or Elected?

Listen to Rep. Tony Lovasco describe his bill (HB2498) to make library board of trustees an elected position, and not an appointed position (prompted to the 20:00 minute mark). Our county commissioners have done a great job of vetting the trustees in 2023, but allowing citizens to vote for who ultimately governs our local library is a good thing.

Although the discussion about the library bill is only two minutes long, Rep. Lovasco makes some great points. Tomorrow is Library Advocacy Day in Jefferson City, in which librarians and trustees will be visiting with legislators. Say a little prayer for the representatives as they discuss HB2498 (bill text here). :-)

Incidentally, tomorrow morning's Christian County Commission meeting (9 a.m. at the courthouse in Ozark) will include discussion of the West County Township Position for the library trustees.

Grassroots is Happening

 

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft Comes to Town

Packed room for Brave Books event

By Gretchen Garrity

Taking advantage of the Brave Books event in Springfield on Feb. 2, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who is running for Missouri governor, appeared to speak briefly in support of women's sports. Candidate for Secretary of State, Valentina Gomez, 24, a former NCAA Division I swimmer, also appeared.

The event featured swimmer Riley Gaines and surfer Bethany Hamilton, both of whom have authored children's books for the Brave Books line. Gaines authored "Happy No Snakes Day," while Hamilton authored "Surfing Past Fear."

Riley Gaines and Bethany Hamilton in Springfield

 

The event was standing room only with lines eventually reaching outside the Springfield Library Center's doors. Hundreds of people showed up to see Gaines and Hamilton read their Brave Book stories.

Although LGBTQ+ activists vowed to "take up space" according to a Springfield News-Leader article, their small numbers were overwhelmed. One quiet protester muttered that she was in conservative hell before absconding.

Secretary Ashcroft seemed to forget the names of Hamilton and Gaines when he spoke (see video below). Also, he mentioned the National Library Association, and not the American Library Association. Oddly, when a search was conducted for the National Library Association, search engines like Google and Brave took seekers straight to the American Library Association. An additional search for the president of the NLA took seekers to Emily Drabinski, president of the ALA.

Sec. Ashcroft is well aware of the ALA. He knows the ALA advocates for transgender ideology, as well as other far-left positions. In fact, in the past he has written a letter rebuking the ALA and withholding funds from them for previously trying to prevent a Brave Books event. Previous articles about our libraries are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

 

Perhaps it was an inadvertent error to refer to the ALA as the NLA, an organization that does not seem to exist. But it's odd that a search engine automatically directs searchers to the ALA. Something seems amiss.

Brave search for National Library Association

It is a testament to Gaines and Hamilton that their example of standing for women and women's sports have inspired so many.