KEN: What I’m about to play for you is from Beaverton, Oregon. It is the school’s professional development event back in February of this year. It was posted to YouTube by parents, and this is why citizen journalists and parents and you and I and our fellow citizens are now the controllers of information. And if YouTube censors you, find another platform. At her out there. You could go to my Gab page, Gab.com/KenMatthews. There’s all kinds of links and connections, if you want a place where you can go and share with other common sense people that don’t want to be banned. So who knows how long this was on YouTube. This is a parents group in April. The original was private, and then it started getting attention the last 24 hours on Twitter and elsewhere.
WATKINS: If you’re not evolving into an anti-racist educator, you’re making yourself obsolete in the (unintelligible) profession. Our district is always getting browner and browner with (unintelligible), and so, you know, obviously you can’t change your melanin, right? But you can change your mind so that you can actually function in a district that is full of BIPOC children. So if you’re being resisted, I understand that, but I’m gonna have to eventually come to the light.
Because if you’re going to keep with those old views expressed by the host of this program colonialism, it’s gonna lead to being fired because you’re gonna be doing damage to our children, trauma. And so as we fire the teachers who sexually abuse our children, we will be firing the teachers who do racist things to our children and traumatize them. And while our district might not be completely on there, OEA is working on it, okay? NEA is working on it.
KEN: Oh, that is scary. You know, teachers are interesting. And there’s so many good ones. Some of them are brilliant. But some of them are dumb as rocks. Yet they end up in their. I guess they pay their dues. You know what really bothered me about that? Everything. But what really bothered me was, you know, as we fire the teachers who sexually abuse children, we’ll be firing the teachers that do racist thing too. Well, you don’t fire enough teachers that sexually abuse the children. In fact, oftentimes it’s covered up. So spare me with that line. The American people are much smarter.
See where we’re going on with this garbage? This is communism in a can. You just pop it open whenever you want. Unbelievable. And while our district might not completely be there — that woman should be fired. And I just want to be clear. I’m not sure that she’s a woman or what she identifies as, but she should be fired. Let’s go back a moment to 2014. This is a teacher blowing the whistle on white privilege curriculum.
RUSH: Doug in Fort Collins, Colorado. Great to have you, sir, with us. Hello.
CALLER: I teach in the local school system. I’m a little bit nervous about losing my job over this call to you, but we received, all the teachers K through 12 got an e-mail about classes where we can expand our techniques, learn how to handle violence in the classroom, become better teachers. And one of the classes that is optional, not required, optional, it’s brand-new: Race, Class, and Culture in School. It’s for teens who are interested in addressing equity issues, changing classroom practices based on effective cultural responsive strategies. Training will focus on understanding culture, diversity, recognizing the role of power and privilege in individual and institutional interactions and developing a philosophy of social justice and equality.
RUSH: Oh, my God.
CALLER: — unquote.
RUSH: Oh, my God. I know where this is going. I know right where this is going. You’re gonna be teaching white privilege, right? You’re gonna be warning everybody. You’re gonna have to be critical and condescending toward white privilege. You’re gonna have to point out the horrors that white privilege has caused in this country. Is that where this is headed?
CALLER: It sure looks that way. They do want a team that has a diverse background. They want an administrator, pupil services staff, at least three teachers and then one individual, possibly a parent, to come together, and this is a five-day program. It’s not a simple two-hour class or three-hour class. It’s five full workdays. And if you complete it, you’re awarded a stipend which you are to use for purchasing — and it’s italics here — “approved culturally responsible classroom instructional materials.”
RUSH: Wait a minute, now. You’re being taught here to teach what age-group?
CALLER: This is for everyone here. This goes out K through 12 teachers.
CALLER: So you can be teaching, you know, kindergarten, first grade kids about privilege and power.
RUSH: Right.
CALLER: And the fact that they’re gonna let you buy approved classroom instructional materials for afterwards. Just about a year and a half ago we got a new superintendent from California.
RUSH: Uh-oh.
CALLER: Yeah. So I’m fairly concerned about this.
RUSH: What happens if you just don’t participate?
CALLER: This one’s not required, yet. This one is one for people who are interested in changing the classroom.
RUSH: Oh. Oooh, okay. It’s for the enlightened, who realize —
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: — that it might be time for cultural evolution here. If you want to really change your classrooms and instruct your students in white privilege and all this other stuff, this seminar is for you.
CALLER: Yes. And again, it’s not required, yet. But I find it very concerning when it’s hard enough for teachers to focus on reading and writing and math and science to have to add this —
CALLER: I would hazard to say you are correct. If there are many of us, we’re probably all being quiet and nodding our heads.
RUSH: Yeah. May not even know each other. Very, very, very courageous thing that you’re doing, calling attention — this white privilege stuff, I’ve seen how this gets taught. I’ve seen the result of it this in kids. You would not believe the guilt that is taught, transmitted to white students. And they end up believing it and living it, and they basically walk around, their life is one big apology, in their mind. It’s hideous.
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