A parent wrote in expressing concern about the tone of a lesson in Sandy Young’s AP US History class at Churchill High School. The student did not feel comfortable during the lesson which included an apparent negative juxtaposition between President Trump/MAGA and Governor Moore. (The lead image above is from the lesson presentation.) You can download the entire presentation from here.
I looked at the lead image, and initially thought, “Well, this is only progressive microagression against white males. Everyone knows that a lot of women, blacks, Latinos, poor, and Gen Z jumped from Democrat to Republican in 2024, never to return, so this isn’t a big deal.”
After a few hours I finally realized how serious this situation is. I am not threatened by this distortion, because my social setting is a laptop screen. I can find plenty of people online who don’t buy into the progressive orthodoxy, so I am not isolated. However, a teenager, denied school choice and confined to a judgmental high school classroom, can feel very isolated should s/he think differently from an opinionated teacher or from most of the other students. Ms. Young is using her position of authority to make a statement without providing any added educational value. Hopefully she is doing so under duress, and informing her class accordingly.
Were I fortunate enough to meet this student, I would mention a few things.
First, think critically. These lesson slides say a lot of disparaging things about Europeans, whites, men, and Catholics. We cannot deny the difficult history all those groupings have. However, we also cannot deny their positives. John Paul II’s papacy was at the forefront on behalf of the world’s poor, routinely denouncing the World Bank as a vehicle of oppression. George Washington risked everything to free us from a mercantile Britain that behaves quite like our teachers’ union. By the War of 1812, the majority of whites in London were hungry, cold, homeless, addicted, prostitutes, imprisoned, or hanged. Similarly, Native Americans, decimated by European disease and migration, had their own struggles with aggression; the movie Black Robe paints a balanced view of the interaction between (and among) Europeans and Native Americans. People who think critically conclude that there are very few absolutes, and there is very little opportunity to disparage or extol any demographic.
Second, be confident. Confidence comes from knowing the truth, and truth comes from critical thinking. When you know the truth, you are calmly able to address objections to your point of view and bravely able to concede errors. People who are invested in self-deception cannot address objections. They lose confidence, and their only recourse is to insult, accuse, yell, deny, and injure.
Third, understand your setting. We live in one of the most progressive areas in the United States. I’ve been in plenty of living rooms and at many parties (well, not so many parties) in which the theme has been “everyone except us is a racist, homophobe, sexist, and Nazi.” In addition, you are attending a school district whose teachers are represented by a union with collective bargaining rights. That means the teachers don’t work for you, for your parents, or for us the taxpayers. We have no input into the curriculum (Mahmoud v. Taylor notwithstanding), no input into the teachers’ pay/benefits/pension, no school choice, and no chance at all of dismissing those teachers who underperform or who are outright bigots. Do what you can to leave, such as early graduation. If you can, get a job to help pay for private school tuition. If you can’t leave, listen to what the progressives are saying, and internalize a counter-argument for a subsequent interaction.
Fourth, be optimistic. Your future is looking really, really bright. Nationwide, the progressives and their oppression are on the decline. The failed war against cannabis that put so many people in prison is coming to an end. The progressive academe that has been living for generations off student loans and research grants, while providing little in return, is finally being starved by both Trump and the new technological landscape. The move toward school choice and school vouchers is slow but unstoppable, and that will release us from the reach of the teachers’ unions and manipulative teachers. There is more to come; keep your eyes open and feel the optimism flow around you.
Fifth, start working on the future you want to build for yourself and the generation after you. The big oppressors in society are the cost of housing, red-lined public schools, government debt, inflation, criminal justice, and now immigration. How did these problems come about? Do your own research, find the root cause, and work toward redemption.
All the above is long term. In the short term you can prove your views by your actions. If an overworked mother needs help putting groceries in the car, that’s your job. If an elderly neighbor needs help with the snow, that’s your job. If Ms. Young needs help setting up the classroom, that’s your job as well (and probably the hardest). By your actions and behavior, you’ll be opening up the door for the other students who know deep down that something is quite wrong with the progressives, and they only need someone to show them something better. That’s your most important job.
