Teachers union encourages members to politicize holidays

As families across the country assemble to celebrate the holidays, the nation’s largest teacher union, of which the Mississippi Association of Educators is a member, is encouraging its members to politicize the gatherings.

MAE is the state affiliate of the National Education Association, and dues from the local union support activities of the national union. Including NAE Ed Justice, which wants to see families “ring in justice this holiday season.”

How can they do that? Skip the talk about your kids, job, or the deer you killed this morning. Instead, open your meal with “conscious questions.” Such as:

• How do your beliefs about your culture and/or your faith influence what you value?
• How do these values influence your perspectives on racial and social justice?
• If you could fix one social problem this year what would it be?
• What is one commitment that you’re making this year to advance justice?

And, naturally, the kids should be involved as well. Recommended questions at the kids table:

• Did you learn anything new this year about a group of people different from you?
• Did you read a book or story that made you rethink your ideas about someone or a group of people?

We should also bring in new symbols to our holiday gatherings. Beyond lights, candles, and other common decorations, here are how the wokest among us symbolize the holidays:

• An empty plate – to symbolize all who are experiencing hunger and loss.
• A glass of water – to symbolize the need to protect access to clean water in all communities.
• A bell – to symbolize a way to pierce the silence in the face of all forms of oppression including racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, misogyny, and homophobia.

NAE is no stranger to delving into virtually every left-wing political issue, far beyond the teaching of social justice in public education. At their recent convention, NAE affirmed a new business item that reads:

“The NEA will include an assertion of our defense of a person’s right to control their own body, especially for women, youth, and sexually marginalized people. The NEA vigorously opposes all attacks on the right to choose and stands on the fundamental right to abortion under Roe v. Wade.”

This is a sharp change from prior years when they attempted to walk more of a middle ground on abotion, saying they support “reproduction freedom,” not abortion, while bragging about not spending money in regards to pro-abortion legal services.

As we have seen with the left, abortion has moved from “safe, legal, and rare,” to legal until the moment of birth and funded by taxpayers. And if you disagree with that you are evil, anti-woman, and essentially support violence against women. 

But the bigger question is, is it necessary for the NEA, or its affiliates, to take a position on abortion? NEA is certainly a left-wing organization, that has never been in doubt. But, what does abortion have to do with education or teachers? 

One might presume a rejected item that calls for a renewed emphasis on quality education would be more in line with the NEA. That read:

“The National Education Association will re-dedicate itself to the pursuit of increased student learning in every public school in America by putting a renewed emphasis on quality education. NEA will make student learning the priority of the Association. NEA will not waiver in its commitment to student learning by adopting the following lens through which we will assess every NEA program and initiative: How does the proposed action promote the development of students as lifelong reflective learners?”

But, alas, the union rejected those ideas.