Public Educators/Employees with Conservative Views.

miami85 ↓

Mon, Apr 19 2021, 12:36 pm

Anyone else who works in public education getting increasingly frustrated with the "wokeness" and complete lack of common sense and the "everything goes" attitude or "you're a racist?"

I feel increasingly useless that "data" means anything and if "inability to demonstrate ability" doesn't seem to mean anything either. Who really qualifies for special education anymore? What IS education anymore if kids can't show their work? History is being rewritten? And yet we want kids to "Excel in science and technology" but "2+2=5"?

amother

Pearl

Mon, Apr 19 2021, 12:47 pm

Yes my dad's a ps teacher in largely minority elementary and has to be careful in recommending special ed to students' parents bc they might think he's discriminating...

so kids who could really use services might not get it! That's ridiculous!!

↑ miami85 ↓

Mon, Apr 19 2021, 1:21 pm

Crookshanks wrote:

I'm grateful I work in a frum company and I don't experience any of this first hand. Miami85, do you work in a public school?

Yes, I work for a public school system, I'm not a teacher but work closely with teachers in trying to determine what is "normal" and I can't figure it out any more. It's like what I see is up they say is down and my sense of "equilibrium is totally messed up"

I'm not trying to be political in this forum, but I'm finding it hard to find any separation these days. I did not want this moved to the politics forum, but I wanted it specifically on how to deal with work and the education realm that is highly connected to politics.

↑ Crookshanks ↓

Mon, Apr 19 2021, 1:32 pm

miami85 wrote:

"Olam hafuch ani roeh"

↑ miami85 ↓

Mon, Apr 19 2021, 1:46 pm

Yes and I'm just trying to keep my head above water while we wait anxiously for moshiach, but I'm feeling very suffocated and like "what do you want from me if you fail to acknowledge reality" and the only way *I* know that what *I* is reality is because I know Torah. If they dont' know Torah then how can then know EMES? If you don't have emes, then of course up is down and right is left and what you think is moral is really immoral.

finprof

Mon, Apr 19 2021, 2:08 pm

I feel like I'm missing something here. I teach at a primarily minority population College and I have to beg my students to use their accommodations! Don't students who get classified as special ed get extra services they need to succeed?

amother

Firebrick ↓

Mon, Apr 19 2021, 2:13 pm

miami85 wrote:

Maybe I'm missing something. Are you saying that public school teachers need to know Torah in order to have the same morals and grasp of reality as you?

I taught in public school for many years. There were numerous things that annoyed me about the system, but the fact that most of my fellow teachers and students weren't observant Jews was not one of them. It's public school; you should expect that.

amother

Plum

Mon, Apr 19 2021, 2:20 pm

I work in a public school. Most parents who are worried about their kids seek out evaluations because they want their kids to get needed accommodations.
None of my coworkers discuss politics. Except for school building ones, lol.
The wokeness and anti racist pedagogy stuff is coming straight from the top, the school superintendent (probably because of pressure from the local and state government officials). Most of the time, when we have this PD it's the principal reading straight from a script she was provided with and using the required PowerPoint. I really don't think things are quite as dire as conservative news sites/commentators would have you believe.

↑ Crookshanks ↓

Mon, Apr 19 2021, 2:22 pm

amother [ Firebrick ] wrote:

She is saying that if you don't have Torah you don't have objective morals. All morals are subjective. Today murder is bad, tomorrow it's good.

itsmeima

Mon, Apr 19 2021, 3:20 pm

Crookshanks wrote:

She is saying that if you don't have Torah you don't have objective morals. All morals are subjective. Today murder is bad, tomorrow it's good.

No, you don’t need Torah to be a good person. I’v come across so many amazing non Jews people.

OP, your workplace doesn't have a NO politics rule? You should suggest it!

amother

Burgundy

Mon, Apr 19 2021, 3:37 pm

I work in public school. I don't talk politics EVER with my coworkers. I assume many of them are very left leaning but cannot say for sure. Our union is extremely liberal and during the election handed out Biden propaganda to staff. That bothered me quite a bit- like what does this have to do with anything we do at our jobs. I don't need this shoved in my face thank you very much.

The district itself is very "woke" and is the first in the state to provide Equity Training to staff (ooh lala). The district is about 85% minority. I don't see a lot of bias at all, especially towards the small percentage of white students. If anything, they are mocked and forced to socialize within their own little group because they value things the vast majority don't.

I also find it disturbing that there is so much emphasis put on things like LGBTQ+ even starting in middle school (6th grade!). Posters plastering the walls inviting kids to join this club and that for LGBTQ. I find that quite disturbing. High school is one thing, but middle school is awfully young to be putting a focus on this.

And about the special ed aspect of this conversation: I see many, many students need those accommodations and qualify. Many slip through the cracks. Most parents want their kids to get an IEP with all the services available.

↑ Crookshanks ↓

Mon, Apr 19 2021, 4:50 pm

itsmeima wrote:

No, you don’t need Torah to be a good person. I’v come across so many amazing non Jews people.

OP, your workplace doesn't have a NO politics rule? You should suggest it!

Did I say that? Reread my post.

amother

↑ Firebrick ↓

Tue, Apr 20 2021, 7:29 am

Crookshanks wrote:

She is saying that if you don't have Torah you don't have objective morals. All morals are subjective. Today murder is bad, tomorrow it's good.

Well, if you want to work around people who have Torah, don't work in a public school. Getting annoyed that public school teachers aren't observant Jews is like getting annoyed that a kosher supermarket doesn't carry bacon. At a certain point the onus is on the individual to learn about these settings and decide if they're appropriate for you.

↑ Crookshanks ↓

Tue, Apr 20 2021, 7:37 am

amother [ Firebrick ] wrote:

You are not understanding the point I was making. The OP said "It's like what I see is up they say is down and my sense of "equilibrium is totally messed up"
and
" but I'm feeling very suffocated and like "what do you want from me if you fail to acknowledge reality" and the only way *I* know that what *I* is reality is because I know Torah. If they dont' know Torah then how can then know EMES? If you don't have emes, then of course up is down and right is left and what you think is moral is really immoral."
Now you were confused about why someone would expect ps teachers to be frum. I am explaining what I believe OP's point is.
Since they don't have Torah, (or the Christian Bible or similar religious text) they have no absolute truth or objective morals. That enables them to create and destroy morals on a daily basis. You can't argue with someone who switches their subjective truth day to day.
You can continue to misunderstand me, but I see no way to explain this concept any clearer.

amother

↑ Firebrick

Tue, Apr 20 2021, 7:42 am

Crookshanks wrote:

You are not understanding my point. if it's important for OP to be around people who share her sense of morals and value Torah, why is she expecting to get that from a public school which she's said - by definition - does not have Torah-observant individuals?

↑ Crookshanks

Tue, Apr 20 2021, 7:53 am

amother [ Firebrick ] wrote:

Seems to me she's complaining about the decline in morals which used to be there. Idk, ask her.