The Other McCain

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Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project

Posted on | November 5, 2013 | 97 Comments

A Pennsylvania father objected when his daughter’s middle-school history teacher assigned a project about a New York Times article blaming Republicans for the government shutdown. His complaint apparently made him the target of an orchestrated response by faculty at Camp Hill Middle School, and an English teacher named Cydnee Cohen left a voicemail message for one of the parent’s Facebook friends:

“We’re having some problems with a parent in our school district and on his page you are one of his friends…but I would like to know, some of it seems like he is a neo-nazi…call me…”

Bonus absurdity: The allegedly “neo-Nazi” parent, Josh Barry, is Jewish. Cohen is president of the local teachers union. Barry told the Daily Caller, “Her method is to go after the concerned parent and discredit and slander them.” He called it “big-time union thuggery on display.”

What’s happening here? Well, for one thing, we have further confirmation of what every intelligent American already knew: Public schools are staffed by Democrats, who not only vote Democrat and contribute money to Democrats through their unions, but consider it their professional duty to teach children to be Democrats, too.

But what about Cohen’s tactics? What’s up with that?

What Cohen was doing is consistent with a method of consensus building known as the “Delphi technique.” Originally developed as a way of organized discussion among experts, this method has been adapted and taught to school administrators. It is used to quell criticism of school policy by isolating and marginalizing critics, while creating the appearance of consensus in support of the policy.

Here’s what happens: You, the concerned parent, raise a question about some element of the curriculum or pedagogy. You contact the teacher who will then tell you there’s nothing to worry about, and that you’re the only parent who has complained. (Isolation.)

Suppose you’re not satisfied with the teacher’s answer, so you arrange a meeting with the principal. By the time you get that meeting, the teacher has already briefed the principal, so that he has a prepared defense of whatever it is you’re complaining about. The principal’s goal for the meeting is to placate you by convincing you that you are over-reacting because, after all, you’re the only parent who has complained.

It’s at this point that you start feeling like you’re in the Monty Python sketch, trying to get a refund for your dead parrot and being told by the pet shop owner that the Norwegian Blue is “pining for the fjords.”

You will encounter variations of this tactic no matter how far up the chain of command you take your complaint — the superintendent’s office, the PTA, the school board, etc. — and no matter what it is that you are complaining about. If you persist in your criticism, you will be labeled a troublemaker, an extremist, a kook, because the bureaucratic imperative is to marginalize critics, so that the bureaucracy can operate without scrutiny or opposition. (About 10 years ago, a slightly eccentric lady named B.K. Eakman published a book about this, How to Counter Group Manipulation Tactics: The Techniques of Unethical Consensus-Building Unmasked, which you might wish to examine.)

What every concerned parent eventually learns is this: The American public education system is profoundly undemocratic. The system is organized for the benefit of those who run the system. It’s not about teaching kids, it’s about providing lifetime employment, generous benefits and extraordinary political influence for education majors.

Keep this in mind: Whatever it is you’re complaining about — whatever specific grievance you have with the system — is merely a symptom of the disease. The problems of public education are not episodic, but systemic in nature. Public schools are not about teaching facts and skills, but rather are about teaching attitudes and beliefs, and the most important lesson they teach your kids is that you, the parent, are an ignorant idiot who should be ignored. No matter how many degrees you have, no matter how competent and skilled you are in your own profession, if your opinion about what constitutes an appropriate education differs from what the education system wants to provide, you will find you are regarded as inferior to the credentialed “experts” whose job is to undermine your authority as a parent.

You are only a “good” parent if you agree with the experts.  You can have no autonomous influence over your child’s education, because your child exists only for the benefit of the system.

“In the hands of a skillful indoctrinator, the average student not only thinks what the indoctrinator wants him to think . . . but is altogether positive that he has arrived at his position by independent intellectual exertion. This man is outraged by the suggestion that he is the flesh-and-blood tribute to the success of his indoctrinators.”
— William F. Buckley Jr., Up From Liberalism (1959)

Why aren’t you homeschooling your children yet?

 

 


Category: Culture, Education

Comments

97 Responses to “Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project”

  1. PensativeGuy
    November 5th, 2013 @ 4:19 pm

    RT @rsmccain: “If you persist in your criticism, you will be labeled a troublemaker, an extremist, a kook …” http://t.co/jwIEyksBAS

  2. GulfDogs
    November 5th, 2013 @ 5:02 pm

    ?Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project?#2A #CCOT #TCOT?http://t.co/KPUgY1mbmH

  3. NJMike319
    November 5th, 2013 @ 5:10 pm

    RT @GulfDogs: ?Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project?#2A #CCOT #TCOT?http://t.co/KPUgY1mbmH

  4. LadyLNorth
    November 5th, 2013 @ 5:26 pm

    Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project http://t.co/rSRTehRlth

  5. KlaatuGort
    November 5th, 2013 @ 5:28 pm

    Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project http://t.co/5YYUBi83LI

  6. Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project : The Other McCain | Dead Citizen's Rights Society
    November 5th, 2013 @ 5:29 pm

    […] Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project […]

  7. Art Deco
    November 5th, 2013 @ 5:55 pm

    The excuse offered was that it was a non-fiction reading exercise. The teacher is listed as a specialist in American history and the youngsters in question are 13 years old.

    Oh, and the principal is ‘offended’ by the complaint filed. The fish rots from the head down.

  8. Art Deco
    November 5th, 2013 @ 5:58 pm

    What’s most disagreeable about this is that it did not occur in some Bay Area loony bin, but in a suburban high school in a Rust Belt metropolis of modest dimensions (Harrisburg, Pa.).

  9. Joe Dokes
    November 5th, 2013 @ 6:02 pm

    Allow me to assure you that in many districts in this nation, there are at least as many conservative (or con-leaning) teachers and administrators as there are communistic drones, if not more. These are the ones who do NOT agree with curriculum because they see it for what it plainly is, and will find ways in class to even the curricular playing field. I believe there’s more of them all the time recently because of the blows that have been dealt to unions, as well as changes to various state’s laws that have essentially put an end (finally!) to public school teacher tenure that for too long kept INCOMPETENTS, REPROBATES and OUTRIGHT SCUM in safe access to children.

    Does this in itself mitigate the utter failure of the public school model? Not really. Will it redeem public schools? Very likely not…with the Republic as a whole collapsing around us, I don’t hold my breath for it. But I can assure you that while there are yet many lib statist indoctrinators and outright communists that remain, they are now running scared because they’re no longer immune from firing, so they now must watch themselves very, very closely. And more and more parents ARE watching.

    Don’t ask me how I know but…just trust me. Take heart, for whatever little it is worth, that not all kids are being brainwashed by communists.

  10. rsmccain
    November 5th, 2013 @ 6:21 pm

    RT @itsEric: RT @MarkTapson: Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project http://t.co/AOZ12CZyh5

  11. Adjoran
    November 5th, 2013 @ 6:49 pm

    Homeschooling is great for those who have the available full-time stay-at-home parent, but many don’t have the luxury. Besides, they are paying good money via taxes for these schools and should have the same rights as every other taxpayer.

    This is why I think the federal government should get OUT of the school business altogether. Any “equalizing” of funding deemed necessary and proper can be accomplished with vouchers. Nearly 40 years of the federal Department of Education has accomplished nothing but making matters worse. The only reason SAT scores haven’t declined more is that the test has been dumbed down several times over the years.

    When the quality of work output has no relation at all to pay scale and price, the quality is absolutely 100% guaranteed to decline.

  12. PatVPeters
    November 5th, 2013 @ 7:10 pm

    Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project http://t.co/MmNuTwaLyj via @zite

  13. thatMrGguy
    November 5th, 2013 @ 7:52 pm

    Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project http://t.co/se1qo5s9uq

  14. cabbie219
    November 5th, 2013 @ 8:24 pm

    God told us to home school our son. I am certainly glad of that because even once he was later put into a… http://t.co/Eed7fBVmBQ

  15. Finrod Felagund
    November 5th, 2013 @ 8:26 pm

    The New York Times publishes non-fiction? That’s news to me.

  16. Finrod Felagund
    November 5th, 2013 @ 8:27 pm

    Most state capitals, even if they’re small towns, tend to be leftist moonbat havens.

  17. William_Teach
    November 5th, 2013 @ 8:35 pm

    Of, course, if it is one parent complaining about something related to Christmas, a Halloween costume, something Christian related, etc, schools listen up quickly and Do Something.

  18. William Sharff
    November 5th, 2013 @ 8:54 pm

    what needs to be done is to elect an admin. that would abolish the dept. of education. it is useless. each state should be able to govern their own schools. then each district could be handled by whomever lives there. at least there would be a balance.

  19. Public Education is just one of the biggest problems America faces | The Daley Gator
    November 5th, 2013 @ 9:16 pm

    […] Indoctrination is their game, not education, and if you, as a parent dare challenge them, well the gloves come off you Neo-Nazi […]

  20. dontfundit
    November 5th, 2013 @ 9:32 pm

    Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project http://t.co/C33475Grwk

  21. M. Thompson
    November 5th, 2013 @ 9:43 pm

    See also: Madison, WI, which is made worse by the University.

  22. robcrawford2
    November 5th, 2013 @ 10:07 pm

    So the people trying the “Delphi technique” — perhaps they should be introduced to the Socratic method?

  23. robcrawford2
    November 5th, 2013 @ 10:08 pm

    “Oh, and the principal is ‘offended’ by the complaint filed.”

    Elsewhere, there’s a principal who’s terrified of a parent who is retired from the army and has a concealed carry permit.

    Principals need to be removed, I think.

  24. robcrawford2
    November 5th, 2013 @ 10:08 pm

    Rust Belt? You mean the Place The Unions Left Desolate?

    You’re really surprised at the leftism in that environment?

  25. robcrawford2
    November 5th, 2013 @ 10:09 pm

    And the efforts of those “good teachers” amounts to a fart in a hurricane. Perhaps they should do more exposing their criminal and corrupt co-workers and less “secret resistance”?

  26. robcrawford2
    November 5th, 2013 @ 10:10 pm

    You want to see quick action, claim to be an offended Muslim.

  27. sokeijarhead
    November 5th, 2013 @ 10:38 pm

    Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project : The Other McCain http://t.co/agKEsUG8vX

  28. Eris1701
    November 5th, 2013 @ 10:47 pm

    Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project http://t.co/IbTsTL4N42

  29. paul from bmore
    November 5th, 2013 @ 11:00 pm

    I was in a teacher/admin/parent conference yesterday. I kept politics at bay but got a lot of traction by mentioning the shortcomings of the new curriculum. I think it is called “common core”. The teachers hate it but for different reasons than I. The head bureaucrat said it was to prepare the kids with critical thinking skills so they could go to college. This made me laugh.

  30. SDN
    November 5th, 2013 @ 11:36 pm

    More like the “Sons of Liberty” method: Hot tar, feathers, Leftist.

  31. IloiloKano
    November 5th, 2013 @ 11:39 pm

    Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project http://t.co/TYQopmbuhK via @rsmccain

  32. wibbles
    November 6th, 2013 @ 1:33 am

    Full time SAHMs make up close to 1/3 of all married women, hardly a luxury with those numbers. And the bulk of the remaining working wives work part-time. Let’s just drop the canard that SAHparents are some kind of big fancy perk/luxury.

  33. Ignatz
    November 6th, 2013 @ 2:54 am

    Sounds like the tack to take is to FIRST get together with other concerned parents, without telling the Brownshirts; then approach them separately and see if they try this garbage. Then you can go in a group and jawbone them. Like Samson.

  34. News and opinions on Wednesday | Walla Walla TEA Party Patriots
    November 6th, 2013 @ 3:04 am

    […] Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project […]

  35. Joe Dokes
    November 6th, 2013 @ 6:27 am

    They DO report scum. But from your optimistic attitude I guess you’d rather they altogether quit trying to help individual kids wherever they can and just leave them to the mercy of the establishment. Is that what you’d prefer?

  36. JohnSimminsEPRI
    November 6th, 2013 @ 6:42 am

    Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project http://t.co/xpt04c6pJW

  37. Lost In Maryland
    November 6th, 2013 @ 8:56 am

    Of course, this technique lends itself to disingenuous abuse. How many times have you heard of a change in policy when ONE parent complained? Of course, the policy is one that the powers that be have been praying a parent would complain about.

  38. Lost In Maryland
    November 6th, 2013 @ 8:59 am

    WHAT?!!! You can’t be talking about Cydnee! The special snowflake in their lives! How unfeeling you are!

  39. sardiverdave
    November 6th, 2013 @ 9:35 am

    We homeschool for precisely this reason.

    And to make parent-teacher conferences more fun.

  40. SylCell
    November 6th, 2013 @ 11:32 am

    Teacher calls Jewish parent “Neo Nazi” http://t.co/GjslXr6VNa

  41. Stagester
    November 6th, 2013 @ 12:44 pm

    With all the evidence out there about how corrupt teachers and their unions are, any parent that is putting their kids in public school are committing child abuse, imo.

  42. LN_Smithee
    November 6th, 2013 @ 4:12 pm

    Sometime later this week, I will be posting a new entry on my blog for the first time in months. I made one tweet to a woman who it turns out is a middle school teacher, and she quite proudly went ape #2 on me for ten minutes straight. It’s not as egregious as this jaw-dropping slanderous behavior, but I thought it shouldn’t go unnoticed.

  43. Ralp
    November 7th, 2013 @ 10:38 am

    I was recently at a family get together and a cousin who is a teacher complained “you should see what they make us do!”, and I wonder, how does that happen that a supposedly well educated grown person is made to do something against their better judgement and ethics, yet does it anyway. Of course, for most, they can do a lot for the wage, hours and early retirement.
    I don’t have sympathy for teachers that complain privately and perform different publically.

  44. SAHS
    November 7th, 2013 @ 2:23 pm

    I agree with wibbles. My wife and I are planning on her staying home to teach our children, so I have been looking into home-schooling stuff more. And I keep hearing “well, we just don’t have the time or money”. Let me tell you, we don’t either. Or so we thought. We took a serious look at our bills and, at first, thought we couldn’t cut anything out. But in reality, there was quite a bit. But if you feel that a magazine subscription or cable TV is more important than your child’s education, then just keep doing what your doing.
    And the phrase, “Well, she’s a stay at home mom so she has time to do stuff like that.” Is so incorrect and absurd. A SAH mom spends at least, if not more, time educating, feeding, comforting, etc that the average ‘working’ mom spends working.

  45. FMJRA 2.0: Master Of Puppets : The Other McCain
    November 9th, 2013 @ 4:28 pm

    […] Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project […]

  46. Joycenator
    November 9th, 2013 @ 6:31 pm

    Except my parents used homeschooling to be able to abuse me for 18 years, so it wasn’t much better.

  47. News of the Week (November 10th, 2013) | The Political Hat
    November 10th, 2013 @ 6:04 pm

    […] Teacher Calls Parent ‘Neo-Nazi’ for Criticizing Eighth-Grade Project A Pennsylvania father objected when his daughter’s middle-school history teacher assigned a project about a New York Times article blaming Republicans for the government shutdown. His complaint apparently made him the target of an orchestrated response by faculty at Camp Hill Middle School, and an English teacher named Cydnee Cohen left a voicemail message for one of the parent’s Facebook friends […]