Author: Marianne Miller
Sending our children to school is sadly not at all like when we were young. Originating in the universities and hyped by media, an ideology has insidiously permeated many of our schools and classrooms. So what can a parent do to protect their children from this overreach?
- Have a clear understanding of CRT and Queer Theory:
- Racism is a normal part of everyday American life
- Social systems must be torn down and rebuilt
- Racial advantage propels the self-interests, power, and privileges of the dominant group.
- Race and gender have been constructed socially, much to the detriment of marginalized people groups. The dominant culture has been allowed to spread their culture unchecked. White Culture includes traits like hard work, nuclear family, and respect for authority.
- CRT gives voice to the unique perspectives and lived experiences of people of color. The dominant race/gender/sexuality cannot have a lived experience.
- Social activism is an integral part of CRT and Queer Theory
- Listen to podcasts like The Great Awokening Podcast (Josh Dawes) and A Time to Stand (Kelly S).Also unifywestfield.com website.
- The group identity is more important than the individual. (Marxism)
- Maximize Parental Influence:
- Prioritize your relationship with each of your individual children. Create rituals, laugh, hug, affirm your unconditional love for them, encourage them when life is hard. Focus on who they are and not what they do. Nurture extended family relationships.
- Nurture hobbies, unique interests, community service, family chores, reading, story -telling, creative writing/journaling.
- Help kids understand internal locus of control. How they think about the difficult things in their life matters. When things don’t go as planned, help them find where they have influence in the situation rather than assigning blame outside their control.
- They are responsible for their own actions. They can never control others. If they try to control others for their own benefit—it is called manipulation. People cannot assign motives to them.
- Be ready to discuss buzz words like: Privilege, Safe Spaces, Inclusion, Diversity, Gender Identity, Transgender, LGBTQ, Non-Binary, social justice. But also cover Truth, group-think, and family values etc.
- Help them have a firm understanding of their ever-evolving identity. Schools will try to limit their identity to skin color, gender, and sexuality. Help your kids see the beautiful complexity and nuance of each individual. Talk about the importance of friendships well before sexuality concerns.
- Help them understand closed logic loops– A person states an opinion as if it is a fact. The opinion is challenged. The person challenging is labeled a bigot (etc) since they do not accept the group’s moral imperative as a fact. Refrain from engaging these individuals.
- Children are not responsible for the well-being of others. The Golden Rule has been recently altered to become the Platinum Rule: “Treat others how they want to be treated.” Consider the reality of that pressure. Keep the Golden Rule.
- Diversity of ideas enhances a community, allowing people to learn and grow from each other. Limiting perspectives to a singular ideology in not diversity. Teach kids this.
- Influencing kids to become activists or stoking their moral outrage is premature given their inability to be responsible for their own well-being. Help kids first be responsible.
- Understand and address the possible unintended consequences:
- Action: A teacher hangs a sign reading “Every Student Welcome Here”
Consequence: Students wonder where they might not be welcome. A classroom without a sign may now seem unwelcoming. The default assumption that ALL teachers welcome ALL students is gone.
- Action: Teachers begin talking about safe spaces.
Consequence: Students begin thinking about Unsafe spaces. They consider when they might need a safe space. General anxiety increases.
- Action: Teachers focus on feelings. To help kids be “ready to learn” each day, the teacher focuses students’ attention on how they are feeling.
Consequence: Rather than students organically considering their emotions, the group dynamic easily leads to manufactured feelings similar to a pre-med student who feels like they have every disease they study. Anxiety increases as students are encouraged to empathize with students who are struggling.
- Action: Many teachers no longer address students as boys and girls. Teachers can face social chastisement for “assuming someone’s gender.” Some teachers ask students for their preferred pronouns.
Consequence: The social norm held for the entirety of history and across every culture in the world is being suddenly questioned and altered. This is destabilizing. The beautiful continuum of what it means to be a boy or a girl has been shaken. Students become confused. Transgenderism has increased over 2000% percent.
- Action: The LGBTQ community is discussed regularly both by adults and other students. Books for all grades are specifically selected to increase students’ awareness of LGBTQ people and families.
Consequence: Christians are targeted, tested, and labeled as homophobic, transphobic or bigot if they fail to pledge full allegiance to supporting this marginalized community. Young students consider these concepts at an age where full understanding is developmentally impossible. Antagonism develops among classmates who want to just focus on school and those looking to practice social activism while at school. By high school, most students consider themselves bisexual.
