#fascists #teachers #CriticalThinking

"AFT President Randi Weingarten’s new book looks at why fascists fear teachers

Former Secretary of State Michael Pompeo once referred to Randi Weingarten as 'The Most Dangerous Person in the World.'

And with good reason.

Weingarten, president of the 1.8-million-member American Federation of Teachers (AFT), was in town to attend the 'Reading Opens the World in the Lou' program at Jefferson Elementary School Nov. 13.

In her recently published book, *Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy*, Pompeo’s statement in the first few pages makes sense in light of the current political climate.

'I’ve been representing educators for a very long time, almost since 1998, and I am sick and tired of watching, not only my members, but teachers throughout the country being smeared instead of supported, and being taken apart by conservative media instead of being given the benefit of the doubt,' she said.

(. . .)

When Trump was elected for a second term in 2024, the far right’s long-held Project 2025 got a foothold.

'I realized what’s happening is the authoritarian fascism project is intentionally undermining teachers because they teach critical thinking and because we create schools that teach the habits of democracy,' she said.

'Critical thinking is how you assemble information, how you use information, how you apply information, and how you actually prepare for a life, a career, for college, so it is a very, very important skill,' she said.

'Part of what we have to do is to teach kids how to think, and how to assess information and to discern fact from fiction, and for them, how do they think about and communicate in a way that is persuasive; in a way that is heard in a way that makes sense,' she said. 'All of that is part of critical thinking.'

One of the first actions of an authoritarian regime is to ban books, as it is concerned that students, using critical thinking, might discover the truth on their own.

The fight can seem like an uphill battle, but Weingarten said teachers fight back every day."

https://labortribune.com/the-most-dangerous-person-in-the-world/

I love this and will probably share it with students soon.

#AI #CriticalThinking #Education

@zeyneparsel https://mastodon.social/@zeyneparsel/115594977279171390

The Python Software Foundation shows more spine than every single tech giant in just one single decision.

> Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core to the PSF’s values

https://pyfound.blogspot.com/2025/10/NSF-funding-statement.html

"Ceasefire doesn’t mean the end of our suffering. It is simply a step toward justice after endless days and nights filled with fear and violence against us in Gaza. It doesn’t bring back the schools, universities, hospitals, streets, or homes that Israel bombed. It cannot heal the trauma we carry from those long nights of pain and terror. The sounds of drones and explosions will forever echo in our minds. A ceasefire cannot erase that.

As ceasefire headlines fill the news, we are told to be hopeful. Is our hope fragile, or truly impossible? After Israel broke the last ceasefire in March, fear filled our hearts. We told each other to balance our enthusiasm, as we’re dealing with Israel, and the word “Israel” carried the weight of broken promises.

Yet we are chasing every chance to reclaim our peace. This ceasefire might offer us a moment to begin healing from the pain we have carried for so long."

https://theintercept.com/2025/10/09/gaza-israel-genocide-ceasefire-trump-netanyahu/

#Palestine #Gaza #Genocide #Israel #Ceasefire #HumanRights