American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten needs to learn, to borrow from internet parlance, to take the L.
On Sunday, the controversial union leader decided she would share an Axios story about the increased percentage of Americans who have decided to homeschool their children rather than send them to public schools.
The story listed a series of reasons such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the belief that online schooling was a failure, concerns about bullying, and those who think public schools do not provide adequate services to students with learning disabilities.
Left out of the story were concerns about teachers posting on TikTok about their apparent plans to indoctrinate students with their gender and sexual ideology. And of, course, it did not mention her decision to celebrate an op-ed telling parents they had no right to help share the curriculums in their kids’ schools.
Still, Weingarten decided to share the Axios story with the caption, “What’s behind the increase in homeschooling.”
What's behind the increase in homeschooling https://t.co/tDLXXBKGQl
— Randi Weingarten ???????? (@rweingarten) November 12, 2023
It did not take long for users on X, formerly Twitter, to point out other reasons for the increase in homeschooling, such as teachers unions using their connections to Democrats to fight to keep schools closed for much longer than was in any way warranted by the pandemic or concerns about gender ideology in schools.
After having her initial post backfire, Weingarten did not simply give up. Instead, she doubled down and decided to mock those who commented on her first message and offered a new explanation for more people homeschooling: guns.
“Ah, I see that the reply-guys are out in force attacking this tweet,” Weingarten wrote.
She added, “Look at the data: if we dealt w/ gun violence, had robust anti-bullying programs [and] provided more services for special needs students, many of these parents wouldn’t feel compelled to homeschool.”
Ah, I see that the reply-guys are out in force attacking this tweet.
— Randi Weingarten ???????? (@rweingarten) November 13, 2023
Look at the data: if we dealt w/ gun violence, had robust anti-bullying programs & provided more services for special needs students, many of these parents wouldn't feel compelled to homeschool.
Once again, this post backfired.
Check out some of the reactions below:
Probably shouldn’t have taken a break from providing programs and services for 2 years. https://t.co/KLFcyKwFpt
— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) November 14, 2023
This woman is frankly malevolent. The failures of public schools are the result of their corrupt and politicized unions more than any other single factor. https://t.co/nZBFxMT0Fd
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) November 14, 2023
Yeah that’s exactly why parents are homeschooling… not because of the porn and drag shows in schools, lessons on white supremacy, making white kids feel guilty for their skin color, risking your daughter getting raped by a boy in the bathroom, and lessons on pronouns ? https://t.co/yqzX2RA36k
— Chaya Raichik (@ChayaRaichik10) November 13, 2023
lol "reply guys"
— Joe Cunningham ? (@JoePCunningham) November 14, 2023
you shut down replies almost as hard as you shut down schools https://t.co/oWiJQrZbGB
Literally, none of that is why people homeschool.
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) November 14, 2023
How are you this ridiculous? https://t.co/B97jFZENhi
Perhaps the only legitimate point in her post was concerns that schools are not providing adequate services for special needs students.
Concerns about bullying and shootings could perhaps be a small reason behind the increase in homeschooling.
But to ignore the school closures and debate about parental rights to claim it’s all about guns and bullies is totally ridiculous. It shows just how tone-deaf she is. And if you had any hope she might reflect on the criticism of the past few years and change course to actually help America’s students, just lock those away.
