K-12 EDUCATORS, “WOKE” DEI ACTORS, AND CRT CONSULTANTS AREN’T “THERAPISTS”: THEY ARE IDEOLOGICAL ACTORS

These “Pseudo-Psychotherapists” Are Messing With Our Kids’ Minds

David Barnhizer

We need to think hard and realistically about the capabilities, agendas, orientation and skills of the people who claim the power and the right to teach our children. Critical Race Theory is a rigid and unforgiving ideology that sees no legitimacy in any view other than its own. That orientation is either strategically sinister or rigidly intolerable. Any challenge or disagreement is condemned as a form of bigoted rigidity. Even daring to question the dominant assertions and interpretations on which they are based is immediately condemned as racist, “phobic” or misogynistic. After all the Woke might ask—why else would anyone ever question the vast, divisive, open-ended and conveniently self serving proclamations of academic and self-serving activist collectives making sweeping and grossly over-generalized pronouncements on the historical and current evils of America’s political and social systems?

Parents Could Be “Spying” on Children’s Zoom Classes Discover Some Teachers are “destabilizing a kid’s racism or homophobia or transphobia!”

Unlike the manner in which we thought our children’s education was being conducted up until the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic, the emergence of on-line Zoom instruction meant that the teacher’s focus and agenda could be observed by parents and others in real time and context. This meant the teachers’ actual agendas could be monitored, evaluated and exposed.

An example of what has been going on is offered by a Philadelphia teacher of English in the height of remote at-home Zoom teaching. He stated: "conservative parents" were his chief concern when he was engaging “in the messy work of destabilizing a kid’s racism or homophobia or transphobia.” To him a “conservative” parent is apparently anyone who disagrees with his intentions and teaching strategy. The fact that his subject matter was English rather than sophisticated psychotherapy is not the main point. He could just as well have been teaching Physics, Mathematics, Driver’s Training, or Physical Education.

Whether we are talking about Elementary/High School or university education, I am firmly convinced that what is being described is outside the curricular boundaries of a K-12 course—at any level. The best you can say is that, unless we are talking about a specific “opt in” situation where the student enrolls in a specialized course with a highly trained instructor, or an educational system has employed a specially trained advanced level professional counselor to engage large numbers of students in a challenging process, then what the Philadelphia public school English teacher describes below as he talks about undertaking the “destabilization” and “transformation” of his students.

This is not something that should be going on. It should not be happening because we are simply not good enough, skilled enough, or non-judgmental enough to do what we pretend is within our instructional capabilities. The activity is questionable for a K-12 system, a university system, an economic activity, or governmental “awakening”.

My position is that if you are going to proclaim you have the expertise to do something incredibly complex and nuanced, you had better “damn well” be able to provide the details of your capability. The truth is that very few people have the ability to fairly do what is claimed by DEI and CRT activists. This inability exists even if the interactive process involves only a very limited number of participants, unfolds over a significant period of time in a psychologically healthy environment that is not a prejudged context, and those controlling the interactive processes have the special skills needed for such sensitive undertakings. Of central importance is that what is being discussed and analyzed has not been prejudged by the facilitating teacher or consultant whose politics, power, and even financial returns are derived from being a strong member of an activist movement such as DEI, CRT and Wokeism. The report appears below.

“A Philadelphia public school teacher is curious about how educators will cope with “conservative parents” listening in on virtual classes, according to a thread captured on Twitter. According to a report by the Daily Wire, Matthew Kay, who teaches English at the Science Leadership Academy said on the social media platform that he is concerned about the “damage” that “helicopter parents” might cause if they overhear lessons on topics such as gender and sexuality.

“So, this fall, virtual class discussion will have many potential spectators — parents, siblings, etc. — in the same room. We’ll never be quite sure who is overhearing the discourse. What does this do for our equity/inclusion work?” … While Kay acknowledged that "damage can come from the left too," he noted that "conservative parents" are his chief concern. [He adds] “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," … 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?”. “Philadelphia public school teacher worries about 'conservative' parents listening in on virtual classes.” Lucas Manfredi, 8/10/20.

There is no valid method by which a K-12 teacher can legitimately accomplish what “Wokeness” and Critical Race Theory advocates claim they are doing. The reality is that such a system must and should fail. The problem is that the interactions in an inappropriate context can do a great deal mod harm on the way to failure. There is no way that K-12 teachers possess the kinds of learning, skill, or experience required to successfully be doing, as one teacher defined his goals, “the messy work of destabilizing a kid’s racism or homophobia or transphobia.” The arrogance and ignorance reflected in such a statement is off the charts. Betsy McCaughey, former New York Lieutenant Governor, explains below.

“SEL [Social and Emotional Learning] sounds beneficial, but that’s a disguise. In truth, it indoctrinates kids with extremist ideas many parents don’t condone. On Nov. 22, the Hartford Courant reported that West Hartford, Connecticut, elementary school parents are in an uproar. They’re complaining that teachers are putting words such as “nonbinary” on the chalkboard and telling kids, including kindergarteners, they can live life as a gender different from what they were assigned at birth. Parents were told by school authorities that they can’t opt their children out.”

McCaughey adds:

“As for elementary schools, gender dysphoric kids make up less than 1 percent of the school population. Protect them, of course, from bullying and discrimination. They need to feel safe. But don’t brainwash the rest with one-sided, repeated lessons about gender issues. West Hartford is reported to hammer away grade after grade, starting with a kindergarten-level book about a teddy bear who knows in his heart he is a girl teddy, not a boy teddy. Then, a book about Aiden, who knows the sex he was assigned at birth is “wrong.” Then, a book about choosing pronouns. And another about a girl named Jazz who changes her gender identity. Are kids reading that many books about the U.S. Constitution? One Arkansas father objected that his fifth grader’s teacher showed a video of a transgender activist’s speech. Then, the teacher, wearing a “Protect Trans Lives” T shirt, invited the class to a pride celebration: “I’ll be at Pride from 1-6! I hope to see you there!” “Social and Emotional Indoctrination in Schools”, Betsy McCaughey, 11/24/21.

The Absurdity of “A Psychoeducational Lesson”

With Teachers Using Scripted Texts for the Sessions?

Take a moment to think about the complex of skills, techniques, training, relationships, context, forms of interaction between the “Teacher Therapist” and multiple students. Consider also differing teacher and student motivations, levels and types of experience, trust, and superior and inferior power relationships where the teachers as authority figures have significant leverage over young students. Then think about the limited length of interactions, and the numerous other considerations about what would be required to achieve what is claimed by Woke teachers who are intent on “transforming” students to clones who accept the “omniscient” instructors’ beliefs. The absurdity and moral questionability of such a process are a contemptible abuse of power on the part of the teachers and schools.

"Maryland's most populous county, Montgomery County, launched a "psychoeducational lesson" teaching children in schools that there is a "dual pandemic" involving COVID-19 and "systemic racism." Materials recommended that teachers buy the Ibram X. Kendi book "Antiracist Baby" as "the perfect gift" for "ages baby to age 3.” … “This material details how extremist race politics and CRT are being used to target children for politi-cal ends," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement on the documents. "These CRT-laden teachings have no place in any American classroom."

In an Aug. 26, 2020, email to Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) principals, Associate Superintendent Janet S. Wilson announced that "all schools will be required to implement a student psychoeducational lesson during one of the school's mandatory Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) block [sic] before September 18, 2020. This lesson will provide students crisis facts about the dual pandemic (COVID-19 and systemic racism) that is occurring around the country and here in Montgomery County.” An instructional video for teachers begins with instructions on how to set up Zoom classes to make "students saving and sharing the chat for later" less likely, the instructor directs teachers to use a "scripted response.” “Maryland's most populous county told students there is a 'double pandemic' of COVID and racism: Materials pushed Ibram X. Kendi's book 'Antiracist Baby' as 'the perfect gift' for toddlers, infants”, Tyler O'Neil, 11/4/21.

Even if it were appropriate to propagandize or use a teacher’s systemic power to take advantage of young children in their most formative years—and it is not—consider the range of skills required to create such a system of learning. Teachers dealing with significant numbers of students with different backgrounds, experiences, parenting and family situations, as well as other factors that play a role in determining who we become—are seeking to compel young students to confront and eliminate their so-called biases that are determined to be inappropriate by the “gurus” of the educational system.

The complex factors to be dealt with include subconscious value systems, ethnic, gender, and racial mindsets. Along with these factors are other extremely nuanced and subtle emotional, experiential, and intellectual elements. But they are psychological dynamics personal to each individual that are generated by the diverse social conditions and experiences of the persons within which they develop. This represents a situation in which “one size does not fit all” and it is bizarre to conclude that anyone is capable of offering what passes as “Woke” education to any significant group of diverse people not to mention the possibility of doing so with the groups of K-12 students with substantial numbers of the kind found in the classes of our educational system.

Critical Race Theory and Woke advocates do not possess the kinds of skills and training that would be required, even if their aims were honest education rather than indoctrination in the “teachers” own values. Nor should they even be attempting what they admit they are seeking to do. Think about the fact that honest psychoanalysis on an individual or small group level takes very lengthy periods to have positive effects, and often still can’t achieve the desired curative goals. This demands hard and honest thought about the motives and legitimacy of K-12 teachers, and university faculty and administrators who proclaim the vital importance of what they are doing. They invariably lack the knowledge, experience, training, or intellectual and emotional abilities needed to be a therapist at all, but are still attempting for their own political purposes to do things to young students the pedagogic “puppet masters” lack the ability to perform.

The issues the “Woke” and “Critical” teachers claim they are dealing with involve extremely sensitive, personal, and private material. This includes important considerations involving racial and ethnic concerns, gender issues, social status, and interactions based on the color of a student’s skin. From an intellectual point of view, the Woke and Critical Race Theory advocates are traveling on a path from absurdity to lunacy. Just from a contextual perspective, such a capability cannot exist in the context of shifting and larger scale classroom settings.

In such contexts, teachers are tasked with identifying a range of nuanced and variable overt and covert biases across a class demographic of young students holding unformed or differential views and values. But regardless of the insurmountable physical and psychological contexts in play, in some mystical way these “Super” Psychotherapists in K-12 classrooms manage to “heal” their diverse students of their fundamental and often sub-conscious afflictions. That concept is absurd.

What is being described requires a serious process of professional psychological, counseling, and psychotherapeutic capability and lengthy training. The “Woke” teachers who claim to be “destabilizing” and “transforming” their students are dealing with intense and complex emotional factors that vary by individuals. This process simply cannot be done in a K-12 classroom with substantial numbers of students in a group in a range numbering probably 12-26 young students at vastly different levels of knowledge, beliefs and experiences.

Such a grouping of vulnerable young students have widely varying abilities to understand or cope with the dynamics involved, including the pressures of baring their inner values and beliefs to others, or professing to hold ones compatible with what students think are supported by the majority of classmates or preferred by the teacher. Such a process is not one of healing, but of inculcating students with the teachers’ beliefs and values. It also produces division and resentment.

A pro-Antifa teacher in California bragged

about turning his students into far-left “revolutionaries”

“I have 180 days to turn them into revolutionaries…scare the f--k out of them”. The teacher also said he tracks his students’ political leanings throughout the course of the year and that “every year, they get further and further left.” “I’ve met so many people in my life who, when they met me, thought I was off the wall, and now they’re all Marxists,” he said. Like why can’t we, you know, take up arms against the state?” Jessica Chasmar, 8/31/21.

Another fanatical California teacher hangs

“'F--- the Police,' 'F--- Amerikkka' posters in classroom”

“A parent at Alexander Hamilton High School slamming the "disgusting brainwashing of students with taxpayer dollars" shared photos with Parents Defending Education, a national nonprofit, that were taken inside his child's classroom. The first photo shows a Palestinian flag, a transgender flag, a Black Lives Matter flag and a Pride flag prominently displayed on the blackboard. Another photo shows two posters that read, "F--- Amerikkka. This is Native land" and F--- the Police.” “California teacher hangs 'F--- the Police,' 'F--- Amerikkka' posters in classroom”, Jessica Chasmar, 9/16/21.

The above teachers are not well-balanced individuals open to discussion on sensitive points of view. They are ideologues certain of their personal beliefs systems and agendas who feel entitled to project their personal political and moral beliefs onto their young students. Ask whether you would want them “teaching” your children and, if you were a student in their classes, would you self-censor your thoughts and speech to avoid conflict and harmful grading and recommendation consequences? But those two political activists masquerading as teachers are only a “drop in the bucket”. Some other examples are offered below.

A Washington High School cancels a 9/11 commemoration. The red, white and blue theme could: “unintentionally cause offense to some.”

“Students at a Washington state high school wanted to mark the 20th year since the Sept. 11 attacks by wearing red, white and blue at a patriotic-themed game but were refused because the event could "unintentionally cause offense to some who see it differently," according to a report. … A student told the show that he was informed that the "red, white and blue was going to be seen as racially insensitive and may affect people in a way that we will not understand and for that reason that we were to change our theme.” The station posted a screengrab of an email from one of the school’s associate principals to a parent that said she understands the "sacrifice and values our flag represents, but I think they [school leadership] just did not want to unintentionally cause offense to some who see it differently.” “Washington state HS calls off 9/11 football tribute because some could be offended, report says: Students at a Washington state high school wanted to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks by wearing red, white and blue at a Patriot’s Day-themed game, a report says”, Edmund DeMarche, 9/13/21.

Oregon teacher convinced of her own “Righteousness” removes American flag, says it “stands for violence and menace and intolerance”

“A Portland-area teacher who opposes her district’s vote to ban Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ Pride symbols in schools told local media that she removed the American flag from her classroom because it represents “violence and menace and intolerance.” Gail Grobey, an English teacher at Newberg High School and former president of the Newberg Education Association, said her union is mobilizing against a newly approved resolution by Newberg Public Schools that bans overtly "political" imagery on campus, including the Black Lives Matter and Pride symbols. … ” [She stated] “I know my kids, and I know what's best for them and what to do to help them feel comfortable. I took the American flag down in my classroom because that's the most political symbol there is. When I see [board member] Trevor DeHart sitting there at those board meetings with that giant American flag behind him, it's terrifying.” “Oregon teacher removes American flag from classroom, says it 'stands for violence and menace and intolerance’: Gail Grobey argues Old Glory is 'most political symbol there is’”, Jessica Chasmar, 9/15/21.

Syracuse professor calls 9/11 “an attack on the heteropatriarchal capitalistic systems that America relies upon to wrangle other countries into passivity”

“Syracuse University assistant professor Jenn M. Jackson … tweeted an unpopular take about 9/11 over the weekend by asking why so many “white pundits” still talk about the terror attack 20 years later. … Jackson followed up by tweeting that the 9/11 terror attacks were an assault on America's “heteropatriarchal capitalistic systems.”… It was an attack on the heteropatriarchal capitalistic systems that America relies upon to wrangle other countries into passivity. It was an attack on the systems many white Americans fight to protect.” “Syracuse assistant professor 'disturbed' by how many 'white pundits' still talk about 9/11: Academic calls 9/11 'an attack on the heteropatriarchal capitalistic systems that America relies upon to wrangle other countries into passivity’”, Cortney O'Brien, Danielle Wallace, 9/13/21.

"This is the great epidemic of our time that must be cured.

This is the cancer we need to get rid of.” Javier Milei

“Argentina's Milei rails against wokeism, transgenderism in explosive speech at Davos: 'This is the great epidemic of our time that must be cured,' President Javier Milei charged in controversial speech”, Azhar Fateh, 1/25/25. https://www.foxnews.com/world/argentinas-milei-rails-against-wokeism-transgenderism-explosive-speech-davos.

“Argentinian President Javier Milei rallied against "the mental virus of woke ideology" during a fiery speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday. Milei credited the fundamental values of Western civilization, like respect for life and liberty, free speech and freedom of religion, for enabling the Industrial Revolution that lifted "90% of the global population out of poverty." He then slammed wokeism as the disease that will destroy everything dear to the West.

"This is the great epidemic of our time that must be cured. This is the cancer we need to get rid of. This ideology has colonized the world's most important institutions – from the political parties and governments of leading Western nations to global governance organizations, even NGOs, universities and media outlets," said Milei, adding, "Western civilization – and even the human species – will not be able to return to the path of progress demanded by our pioneering spirit. It is essential to break these ideological chains if we want to usher in a new golden age."