<![CDATA[Education]]>

You Might Be the 'Extremist Party' If…

May 17, 2022 by Kira Davis Leave a Comment

Co-host of “The View” Sunny Hostin told audiences this week that the Republican Party is an extremist party and Democrats are moving to the center.

Sunny Hostin on the View: “Democrats and Republicans are farther apart ideologically today then at any time…the Republican Party being an extremist party, and the Democratic Party…actually moving to the center.” pic.twitter.com/2Gut31AkV0
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) May 17, 2022

Does one need any other signal of the complete and total disconnect between the bubble-dwelling, coastal elite, media class and the rest of America? What world is Hostin living in?

Hint: not the real one.

The Democrat Party recently tried to advance a bill to codify abortion all the way up until the moment of birth.

The. Moment. Of. Birth.

When you stand on the side of an ideology that believes it is morally acceptable to brutally dismember a full-grown human baby (because that’s how you have to do it that late in a pregnancy – dismemberment) mere moments before she would be delivered safely through the birth canal, I’d say you’re pretty damn extreme. It’s such an extreme position that most Americans find it abhorrent.

Polling shows us that support for abortion drops dramatically after the 15-week mark.

“A woman’s right to have an abortion is established by the Constitution”
Men: 34% Women:35%
Federal courts should decide legality of abortion:
Men: 13%. Women: 8%
15-week ban:
Men: 63% Women: 65%
https://t.co/IS48yPV7J5
— Tim Carney (@TPCarney) May 9, 2022

That’s because the logical mind can understand the science of birth. We have the technology to peek into the womb nearly to the moment of conception (it would be a bit awkward if we could see that part). We as humans innately recognize our own. That is why if you show a picture of a 12-week-old fetus to a 5-year-old child, that child will say he sees a baby. He sees arms, hands, eyes…a little alien-looking, but hard to justify as anything other than a person.

The “extreme” position is to look at that unborn child, look at their identifying human characteristics, and then advocate for their head being snipped off and flushed down a drain.

And let’s not forget about the other altar Democrats insist on sacrificing our youth to…gender theory. It doesn’t get more extreme than encouraging young men and women to surgically remove healthy, functioning sexual organs in pursuit of the impossible task of actually becoming the opposite sex. It doesn’t get much more extreme than working to literally erase women from the conversation, referring to mothers as “birthing persons” and women as “people who menstruate.” Yet, that is the ground in which the Democrat Party has planted their rainbow colored flags. Democrats are working to censor the very mention of women from society, choosing to take the side of men who wish they were women instead of the real women who are saying, “Hold up. This doesn’t make sense and it’s hurting us.”

A woman is a female human being.

Or…

A woman can only be defined by a credentialed biologist.

Which of those statements seems most extreme to you?

While Republicans called for personal accountability in health decisions during the pandemic, Democrats advocated for the power of the state to forcibly shut down the businesses of free citizens, lock children out of school, and force every American to inject a brand new vaccine into their bodies in order to access their fundamental rights of association, mobility, and life and liberty. It’s pretty extreme for a government to use armed law enforcement to demand free citizens close the doors of their own businesses and stay of beaches and out of skate parks, “because we said so.”

Every citizen should have the right to make their own risk assessments and guard their health accordingly.

Or…

The government should be able nullify the constitution to force people into their homes, and force them to inject a foreign substance into their bodies.

Which of these statements seems most extreme to you?

The Democrat party used to be considered the party of the working class. Now it has become the party of Big Business (choosing big box stores and outfits like Amazon over America’s small businesses during the pandemic), Big Pharma, and Big Censorship. They have created a ‘disinformation board’ with the dystopian mission of investigating and censoring American conversation. They have taken on flat-earther positions on DNA, gender, and the human form. The President himself said that teachers are the ones parenting our children.

Parents angry about questionable public school curriculum and boys in girls bathrooms are domestic terrorists.

Or…

Girls are girls and boys are boys and once people become lawful adults they make whatever surgical cosmetic changes to their bodies they see fit.

Which of these statements seems most extreme to you?

When your party has decided that ‘normal’ is advocating for infanticide and the mutilation of little children under the guise of advocacy for gay rights, everyone else is sure to look pretty frikking extreme to you.

Sunny Hostin, the extremist is you. Please find several hundred mirrors and look directly into them for an extended period of time.

Colorado Mom Eviscerates School for Trying to Secretly Groom Her Daughter

May 12, 2022 by Jeff Charles Leave a Comment

At some point, the progressive left will have to admit they have been lying to the public about problematic teachings on sexuality and gender identity in K-12 schools. Every week, there are new stories about school districts pushing this ideology on campus. But since far-leftist members of the chattering class insist on keeping up this charade, folks like myself will continue to expose it.

In the latest episode of “Progressives Are Full of Bovine Excrement,” a Colorado mom made headlines when she called out her 12-year-old daughter’s school for trying to push transgender identity on her child without her knowledge. Erin Lee says her child was “invited to an art club at school, only later to find it was a Gender and Sexualities Alliance about queer and transgender identity.”

“When we picked her up from that program after school, we could see on her face that something was incredibly wrong,” she told New American magazine, Fox News Digital reported.

“It wasn’t art club, it was GSA, or Gender and Sexuality [Alliance] is what they’re calling it now,” she added.

The report continued:

The Poudre School District in Fort Collins, Colorado where Lee’s daughter attended school told Fox News in a statement that GSAs were “established as safe spaces for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, allies, and any individual to come together with the goals of ensuring inclusivity, safety, and support. Discussions in GSAs may be confidential given that they can sometimes be sensitive in nature (i.e. a student may be “out” with specific friends but not with the community at large.)”

During the interview, Lee said her daughter’s homeroom teacher “invited her to stay after school for art club.” Lee gave her permission, but explained that “when she arrived in the classroom that day, she very quickly learned that it was actually GSA club.” They had invited an outside speaker to address the children in attendance.

Other than the fact that Lee’s daughter was lured to the GSA meeting under false pretenses, nothing else appears to be out of whack here. Surely, confidential information should not be shared with the rest of the school or community without permission, right?

Sure, but it gets much worse. Lee alleges the speaker told the students that they should not trust their parents and even go so far as to deceive them.

“She explained to my daughter that if she is not 100% comfortable in her female body, then she’s transgender,” Lee said. “She then told the kids that parents aren’t safe, and that it’s OK to lie to them about where they are in order to attend this meeting.”

The presenter explained that she holds other sessions online and in person, some of which include adults. “So she’s got 12-year-olds in these meetings secretly with adults,” Lee said.

A Colorado mom explains how her middle school child was invited to join a secret GSA club where the teacher spoke about gender and sexuality while urging students to hide information from their parents. pic.twitter.com/1zMegyyBeg
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 8, 2022

The presenter also brought the “Genderbread Person” activity, a popular tool school districts use to introduce kids to the concept of sexuality and gender identity. The activist “explicitly asked the kids who they are sexually attracted to,” according to Lee, who also explained that “there was 11 and 13-year-olds in the room when this happened.”

The presenter then reiterated that parents are not safe and “proceeded to hand out her personal contact information to the kids, encouraging them to connect with her without their parents’ knowledge by cell phone, by email, and by team chat platforms like WhatsApp and Discord, where parents can’t see the communication.”

“She also sends them invites to her secret meetings through these channels,” Lee added.

What is even more insane is how the school responded. According to emails obtained by Parents Defending Education, a parents’ advocacy group, the teacher was instructed to remind Lee’s daughter that “the room is a safe space and that she should not share the names of her friends in attendance” and that conversations she had with her mother would be considered “evidence.”

Speaking of evidence, this situation is yet another piece of proof demonstrating what is going on in far too many classrooms across the nation. Educators and members of school staff are brazenly inculcating kids with progressive ideology on gender and sexuality and are doing whatever they can to keep parents from finding out. They are trying to cut parents out of the process as much as possible – and the reason why is obvious. These folks do not believe children belong to their parents – and they also know they would get more of a backlash if they knew what was happening with their children.

Lee has now placed her daughter in a private school. But what happens to all the other children whose parents remain unaware?

Christian University Directs Students to Islamic Center, Allegedly Offers the Quran to Praying Students

May 9, 2022 by Alex Parker Leave a Comment

At California Lutheran University, they’re keeping an open mind.

The school’s Samuelson Chapel features a prayer chamber called the Mediation Room.

And according to a photo obtained by Campus Reform, the area offers many material assists to help students reach their own idea of God.

Among the items: a Buddha statue, the Hindu book The Upanishads, and Islam’s The Study Quran.

Is California Lutheran University promoting different religions?
Photos obtained by Campus Reform show a university prayer room offers a variety of religion symbols.https://t.co/o3jSh1jdwO
— Campus Reform (@campusreform) April 21, 2022

Reportedly, a chart promotes “The Golden Rule.”

The poster depicts Earth, surrounded by various religions shooting out as rays:

Hinduism
Buddhism
Confucianism
Taosim
Sikhism
Baha’i Faith
Islam
Judaism
Jainism
Zoroastrianism
Native Spirituality
Unitarianism
Christianity

Each listed belief system includes its version of the Rule. For instance, Islam asserts, “Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself.”

The qualifications of a few are arguable:

Sikhism I am a stranger to no one; and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to all.
Native Spirituality We are as much alive as we keep the earth alive.
Unitarianism We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existences of which we are a part.

Online, Cal Lutheran’s Campus Ministry provides a page linking to “Local Houses of Worship.”

In part:

An Lac Mission-Ventura Buddhist Study Center
Bahai Faith
Hindu Temple Society
Temple Etz Chaim
Islamic Center of Conejo Valley

'Per Loves Perself': University Schools Students on 'Why Pronouns Matter' for 'Folx'

May 8, 2022 by Alex Parker Leave a Comment

California State University, Northridge wants its attendees to understand the importance of pronouns.

Therefore, via its University Student Union’s Pride Center, the school has dedicated a webpage to “Why Pronouns Matter for Everyone.”

“Jump-start the learning curve,” it says, “by educating yourself.”

CSUN tells cisgender students not to make their peers do work that’s on them:

Don’t make your Transgender and Nonbinary peers do all the work in pronoun education. You can jump-start the overall learning curve by educating yourself and boosting our reach with others around you.

Awareness is key:

Without realizing it, we use pronouns all the time. We use these pronouns in speech and writing to take the place of people’s name and many other proper nouns. One example lies in self-references: Every time you use ‘my’ or ‘mine’ you’re using a pronoun!

Fingers = off triggers:

Often, when speaking of someone in the third person, these pronouns have a gender implied (think he/she). These associations with gender are where our language can become triggering or divisive for folx whose gender expression doesn’t match their gender identity. Using someone’s correct pronouns is one of the simplest ways to show your respect for their identity.

As for gender identity and gender expression being at odds — if I accurately understand — that refers to, for instance, a biological male who wears a dress yet doesn’t identify as a woman.

Perhaps that person considers themself neither/nor — “noun-self” pronouns such as “bunself” or “kittenself” may apply.

The school warns of “how divisive pronoun assumptions can be for many individuals.”

Let’s break down how this can be so instantly harmful.
You can’t know what someone’s pronouns are by looking at them. Often, we make assumptions about the gender and pronouns of another person based on their appearance or name. These assumptions aren’t always correct.
The act of assuming (even if correct) sends a potentially harmful message that people must look a certain way to demonstrate the gender that they are or are not.
When someone is referred to with the wrong pronoun, it can make the individual feel disrespected, invalidated, dismissed, alienated, or hurt. This can determine within the first few minutes if they will feel respected at CSUN or not.
Sharing our pronouns and correctly using other people’s pronouns sets a tone of inclusion. It can truly make all the difference, especially for new community members who may feel particularly vulnerable in a new environment.
Many people may be learning about pronouns for the first time, so this will be a learning opportunity for the CSUN community. You will be setting an example for your peers.

A list of pronouns is provided, with the note that “there are no ‘male/female,’ ‘man/woman’ or ‘feminine/masculine’ pronouns. All pronouns can be used for any gender.”

Students are offered “Ey,” “He,” “Per,” “She,” “TheyThem,” “Ve,” “Xe” and “Ze” for consideration.

Example sentences:

Ey loves emself.
He loves himself.
Per loves perself.
She loves herself.
They trust themself.
Ve loves verself.
Xe loves xemself.
Ze trusts hirself.
Ze trusts zirself.

Some folx don’t allow you to use pronouns for them:

Taylor trusts Taylor’s self.

And to be clear, you shouldn’t feel fear:

Don’t panic over pronunciation! While above are some common ways to pronounce these pronouns, there are many variations, so it is best to ask how the individual pronounces them.

Perhaps the most curious part of the instruction is that, since pronouns are normally used away from those to whom they refer, the people will never know what you said.

Nonetheless, the CSUN’s FAQs section addresses the question “What if I make a mistake?”

It happens. We all make mistakes! We recommend using R.A.M. (Relax, Apologize, Move on). The trans community often shoulder the burden of alleviating embarrassment and hurt feelings of cisgender individuals. Don’t excessively apologize or make it about yourself or how hard it is for you to learn new pronouns. Simply apologize, do better, and use the correct pronoun the next time.

If everyone has their own pronoun combinations, communication-wise, we’re on course to become the most complex society in human history — please see my example of our recommended new normal here.

But so goes progress.

So if you’re attending CSUN, set aside some time — there’s a world of work to do.

-ALEX

See more content from me:

Excellence in Equity: California Eyes Obliterating ‘Bias’ by Getting Rid of Grades

Georgia Puts the Kibosh on Universities’ Anti-Liberty ‘Free Speech Zones’

Harvard Apologizes for Slavery, Offers $100 Million to Make It Better

Find all my RedState work here.

Thank you for reading! Please sound off in the Comments section below.

Excellence in Equity: California Eyes Obliterating 'Bias' by Getting Rid of Grades

May 8, 2022 by Alex Parker Leave a Comment

In California, they’re trying to rid America of its obliterative bias.

One way: Stop giving grades in college.

As seen in a March 16th memo posted online, the president of the state’s public university system asked the Academic and Student Affairs Committee to consider a big change.

In some cases, the old ways have been alright — particularly grading on a curve — but ultimate equity trumps all:

The University of California is exploring innovations in instructional delivery, assessment, and grading to improve learning outcomes, promote academic integrity, and advance educational equity. Traditional grading practices, such as averaging grades across assignments or grading on a curve, have merit in some cases but there may be more effective options for advancing achievement and educational equity. UC campuses are engaged in a variety of initiatives to reexamine assessment and grading practices, some of which are illustrated in this written item.

The president references “learning outcomes,” but if I understand correctly, at issue is reward rather than retention — grades, after all, reflect the latter.

Prior presentations to the Board of Regents have described ongoing UC efforts to assess, innovate, and adapt instructional methods to support learning outcomes. The University is following the same approach in evaluating assessment and grading methods to improve learning outcomes, promote academic integrity, and advance educational equity.

Regarding an educational revamp, California’s been on the move.

In March, the public secondary ed system permanently abandoned standardized testing in admissions evaluation. An official line asserted such tests didn’t predict how students would perform on regular assignments and tests once in college.

From CSU acting Chancellor Steve Relyea:

“[W]e are eliminating our reliance on the high-stress, high-stakes test that has shown negligible benefit and providing our applicants with greater opportunities to demonstrate their drive, talents and potential for college success.”

At the time, I posed thusly:

If someone has “drive, talents and potential for college success,” they’d presumably do well on (standardized) tests.

But it seems that may soon be a non-issue. Furthermore, if the system will no longer require anyone to make good grades, then it was absolutely right in nixing standardized scores.

And to be sure, the West Coast isn’t alone in its exploration:

Professor Razes the Evil of Writing Rules, Whacks White Supremacy by Gonging Grades

University Professor Goes the Route of ‘Ungrading’ — in Math

Excellence Awaits: Professors Make Their Case for Ending Grades

Primary education’s taking part as well:

Virginia School District Targets Inequity by Shooting at Grades and Deadlines

Oregon’s Education Dept. Takes a Stand Against Standards — Racism, to the Layperson

In Order to Attack ‘Systemic Racism,’ a School Eliminates Failure and Time Constraints

Back to California, the president’s letter offered “key tips” for superior schooling. A few:

Think of assessment as opportunities for students to learn with equity and inclusion as the foundation to create effective learning spaces for all students.
Provide opportunities for and encourage collaborative work.
Allow (or require) students to consult many sources to answer questions, as we do in the real world.

And for those instructors keen on less work:

Consider the grading labor for each assessment.

Courtesy of the missive’s conclusion:

Traditional assessment and grading practices may perpetuate bias and inequities and the University of California is engaged in a number of efforts to advance initiatives that promote grading with equity, including those that improve and reward mastery of subject matter in a course. … [U]C’s efforts and partnerships with other intersegmental and peer institutions will advance research and identify promising practices that can continue to improve student outcomes and educational equity.

Maybe it’ll end up mimicking MIT:

In 2020–21, [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] implemented a new “Flexible Pass/No Record” grading policy1 for entering first-year undergraduates. This policy allowed first-year students the option to designate up to 48 units to be graded on a pass/no record basis. Under this policy, students needed to complete the subject and receive a grade. The student then had the option to keep the grade or request that it be converted to a pass/no record. Letter grades of A, B, or C were pass and D or F were no record. … Initial feedback was the new policy had been well-received by students, with 78 percent feeling “very positive” about this new grading policy.

MIT, incidentally, also eliminated standardized testing. But then:

MIT Reinstates the SAT After Its ‘Archrival’ Admits More Asians https://t.co/SLhIjcBGDU
— RedState (@RedState) April 6, 2022

The world is changing. In the past, an iconic nightmare was the scenario of showing up for school to take a test for which one hadn’t studied.

A new generation will have night sweats over arriving to school to find there are no safe spaces.

If they’re California Dreamin’, at least they may be safe from getting a bad grade.