It also mentioned that districts typically create additional positions, such as director of wellness, and often hire counselors, social workers, and psychologists to handle rising referrals for anxiety, behavior, and crisis framed as SEL needs.

You can read the full AI response here.

Rather than focus on academics, SEL focuses on the “whole child”. The “whole child” approach is not constrained to traditional classroom concerns and instead branches off into all aspects of a child’s well-being, including mental health, emotional health, and physical health. These extra engagements require more staff. The 2017 Michigan Department of Education (MDE) Early Childhood to Grade 12 Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies and Indicators publication states, “In combination with the Michigan Health Education Standards, SEL competencies help support a well-rounded education that teaches to the whole child. When caregivers and schools focus on the development of the whole child, utilizing SEL competencies to guide instruction and interactions with children and students, academic achievement improves, as well as the skills needed for college and career readiness.”

The MDE SEL Competencies refers to “guidelines for creating school climate,” “preparing students for the global future,” “equity,” “diverse communities,” and “culturally sensitive instruction.” Referring to Content Standards (CS) that the MDE adopted in 2010, it states, “SEL is implicit throughout CS (content standards).” Additionally, it states that “since 2008, MDE has offered various buildings, districts, and Intermediate School Districts professional development around school mental health strategies for teachers, including SEL.”

Jeff Myers from Save Oregon Schools compiled a database that generates graphs showing the Student Enrollment and Staffing trends for US school districts between 1992 and 2024. The increase in non-teaching staff at Grand Haven Area Public Schools (GHAPS) correlates with the implementation of SEL. Although there was an increase in the proportion of staff to students for the time period of 1992-2011, the ratio stayed relatively stable with a student population increase between 4-6% and a staff increase of about 18%. Then in 2011 there was a significant jump in non-teaching staff which has continued to trend upwards despite a significant decline in student population which began in 2015.

It appears to us that after 2011 is roughly the time period when GHAPS began obediently following the MDE guidelines to implement SEL. In 2020 for example, GHAPS provided families of Young Fives and Kindergarten students with SEL lessons from the Conscious Discipline curriculum that introduced children to “I love you” rituals, where they learned gestures and sang alternative lyrics to classic children’s songs such as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater. Older students were subjected to SEL generative them lessons during academy class. A generative theme is an emotional topic that has political undertones, which an activist teacher can use to engage a class. Conversely to what is claimed by the MDE SEL experts, these SEL lessons shift the focus away from academics, lowering test scores and preparing kids to be more receptive to collectivist ideology and big government.

The response from Perplexity.AI also highlighted the impact of data collection on staffing. “Once a district buys SEL screeners or climate surveys, someone must administer them, interpret data, and follow up with students.” Restore Ottawa previously wrote about how SEL uses the results of data collection to manipulate student emotions to induce certain societal behaviors, and shape the way children see the world through the use of reward and behavioral support systems such as Multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). GHAPS has been continuously implementing these types of programs which require additional staff. SEL data is also used for mental health related referrals, and to justify additional training for teachers. Data is collected in various ways including daily wellness checks, surveys of students, staff, and parents, and continuous testing. According to Perplexity.AI, “In practice, SEL implementation becomes a vehicle to justify and fund more mental-health and climate staff, rather than just a pedagogical tweak in existing classrooms.”

Data collection continues under the cover of “security.” During the March 2026 GHAPS Board of Education meeting, Director of Safety and Security Trent Carruthers informed the board of upcoming mandatory requirements for tracking behavior due to the Michigan Behavioral Threat Assessment Management law.

While schools should place an emphasis on identifying true threats to safety, GHAPS parents have complained the behavior tracking has gone too far. They say their children are receiving notes in their permanent files for normal childhood behaviors. For example, when elementary boys discussed whether they wanted to “kiss, kill, or marry” various girls in their class, rather than receive a simple verbal reprimand from a teacher that their game was inappropriate, parents received formal notification of behavior citations they were required to sign and return to the school.

Not only is the increased effort more time consuming for staff, parents are confused by the tracking of normal behaviors, and are reaching out on social media.

Over the same time period that SEL has been implemented and non-teaching staff has dramatically increased, the use of technology in the classroom was introduced. In 2014 GHAPS voters approved an $18.9 million technology bond which was used to purchase Chromebooks for all students.

The MDE SEL Competencies mentioned above further states, “Within the child’s natural environment and/or school setting, SEL can best be accomplished through a layered approach of skills lessons taught through the curriculum and infused into the environment including safety, respect, and caring.” The use of online curriculum greatly facilitates providing students with SEL infused lessons as content is created by a limited number of large corporations and pumped out to students via their screens.

Voters were led to believe that the introduction of technology would make learning more efficient and better, but things haven’t worked out that way. Due to continued poor academic proficiency, in 2023 GHAPS once again turned towards technology and hired virtual tutors. The increased efficiency of technology should have reduced the need for staff, but instead the number of non-teaching staff skyrocketed after students were given Chromebooks.

In theory, both the adaption of technology and implementation of SEL should have improved student performance, but the data tells a different story. In fact, the transformation to SEL in public education has resulted in steadily declining academic proficiency. SAT scores are just one data point that shows the downward trend.

As SEL has been implemented, many school lessons have moved online, the non-teaching staff to student ratio has dramatically increased, and academic performance has suffered. Behavior tracking and data collection have intensified. Mental stability of students has decreased as rates of anxiety and depression have increased. GHAPS administration has done a poor job of fulfilling its mandate to educate our children in the academic basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, and have unquestioningly followed the recommendations of higher-level credentialed experts at the Michigan Department of Education. Perhaps GHAPS should return to a focus on academics while eliminating SEL programs and letting parents handle the emotional and spiritual needs of their children.

Share Restore Ottawa

Several seminars were offered that appear to further progressive perspectives such as “Using Equitable Grading to Foster Mastery and Growth,” and “Lightning Round: Transforming Student Outcomes Through Equity-Driven Solutions.” The simple word Equity implies socialism, as it ensures everyone has equal outcomes, as opposed to equality which gives everyone equal opportunity.

One seminar presented by Lauren Kazee, “All TRAILS Lead to Student Success,” is from Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students (TRAILS); a nonprofit organization with the vision of equitable access to mental health services for all children and teens. The TRAILS program is aligned with Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), and uses mindfulness techniques and social emotional learning (SEL) to “manage strong emotions, make responsible decisions, and build healthy relationships.” These are pillars of the type of SEL known as transformative SEL created to prepare children to adopt a collectivist mindset. Another seminar, “Leading with Character: Transformative SEL Instruction & Character Education,” claims outright to teach TSEL.

GHAPS has been using the TRAILS program since at least 2024.

Two keynote speakers were from the Thrun Law firm. The GHAPS board of education recently replaced Neola board policies with policies recommended by Thrun. Thrun attorneys represent numerous school districts across the state including GHAPS, and leaders of the Michigan Department of Education LGBTQ Student Project referred to Thrun when providing information to teachers on how to handle LGBTQ students.

https://rumble.com/v1cajwl-lgbtq-and-sports.html?e9s=src_v1_upp_a

Conference attendees had the opportunity to meet with the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) to learn about open positions around the state, and get help building their resumes.

Like the MASB convention recently held on Mackinac Island, this convention was at the similarly ritzy Grand Traverse Resort. Given the school district’s financial challenges and failing test scores, I wonder why money was spent attending this conference and why the agenda did not include any seminars with titles such as:

• The most effective way to teach math

• Critical skills required to learn to read

• Why learning a foreign language is good for brain development

• How to quit wasting money on administrative costs and start spend it to benefit students

• Education: Making sure we focus on the main mission

• College versus Trades: Practical skills districts can begin teaching now

• Handwriting: A critical skill and lost art – why teachers should de-emphasize technology and reintroduce cursive

In general, principals collaborating to improve school district education does seem beneficial, but this convention did not appear to be focused on academics. Rather there appears to be a fixation with mental health issues and using legal means to continue furthering political agendas (such as Transformative SEL) while placating parents. It is telling that three keynote speeches were presented by attorneys rather than teachers. If GHAPS wants to save money and improve student educational outcomes, I suggest they do not attend this conference.

Subscribe now

Share

This was an interesting disagreement because in recent years the term educator has become increasingly popular. Likewise, the term learner is slowly replacing the term student. So why is this happening, and what is the difference between an educator and a teacher?

The slow shift from student/teacher to learner/educator originates with the Marxist philosopher Paulo Freire. His stupid book, The Politics of Education, lays out the terminology shift that is meant to level the hierarchy, or power difference, between students and teachers. A teacher is someone who has education credentials such as a college degree and/or a breadth of relevant experience, whereas an educator is a person who can teach people things, but does not necessarily have certifications, credentials, or extensive experience. Replacing teacher with the term educator is subtly demeaning as it removes the professional prestige from the term teacher, and enables nearly anyone to step into the role. For example, when talking about fishing, after having gone only once, a seven-year-old student could share his lived experience, become the educator, and would be considered an authority on fishing. Freire believed that educators and learners should collaborate together to construct knowledge, rather than the teacher transmitting information unilaterally to an unknowledgeable student. In his Marxist framework, this is meant to bring about a more equitable power dynamic in the classroom.

In a socialist system, which equity in education is geared towards, everyone is equal. It is unacceptable to have someone in a superior position over someone else, and this includes the relationship between children and adults. That is the underlying goal of the evolution of this terminology, but is not the only way the hierarchy between students and teachers is being removed.

In Grand Haven, when searching for a new superintendent, candidates were specifically asked how they would incorporate student voice should they be selected for the position. The concept of student voice fits well with the educator/learner paradigm. According to CASEL’s Strategies for Elevating Student Voice:

“Elevating student voice isn’t just about hearing from young people. It is about sharing power and ownership and being transparent about the process as well as the results.”

Today GHAPS has Superintendent Advisory Councils comprised of students which were formed “in November at Grand Haven High School, Central High School, and Lakeshore Middle School to gather more in-depth student input.” Additionally, the GHAPS board of education has discussed the idea of adding a student to the board.

Adultism is the idea that children are systematically discriminated against and oppressed by adults. It is similar to racism, in that one group of people discriminates against another group. Rather than recognizing the natural parent-child relationship, the belief in adultism demands children to be viewed as equals to adults and any effort that disempowers a child is oppressive. This undermining of natural family hierarchy is part of a program sponsored by Grand Haven Area Public Schools (GHAPS) and offered to homeschooling families and another way the power dynamic between children and adults is being leveled.

Words matter. Children need guidance and direction to help them become capable, independent adults. Most teachers worked hard putting in both time and effort to get to where they are in their careers today, and it’s interesting that the local union still refers to them as teachers. The Professional Negotiation Agreement between GHAPS and the Grand Haven Education Association doesn’t mention the word ‘educator’ even once.

As a child, my dad certainly did not think I was his equal. Did yours? Do you think 2^nd graders should collaboratively construct knowledge with their educators? Don’t use Freire’s demeaning Marxist educator/learner terminology. As a community invested in public education, we hire teachers to teach students, and we expect teachers to be in a position of undisputed authority over students.

Subscribe now

Share

It is no surprise that an event with this title is pushing racial/social justice really hard.

What is a surprise is that GVSU is still openly sponsoring an event of this nature given the Trump Administration’s promise to “fire the radical left accreditors that have allowed our colleges to become dominated by Marxist maniacs and lunatics.” and “accept applications for new accreditors who impose real standards on colleges. [] These standards will include:

• Defending the American tradition and western civilization

• Protecting free speech

• Eliminating wasteful administrative positions that drive up costs incredibly

• Removing all Marxist diversity, equity, and inclusion bureaucrats

• Offering options for accelerated and low-cost degrees.”

President Trump has also stated, “I will direct the Department of Justice to pursue federal civil rights cases against schools that continue to engage in racial discrimination. And schools that persist in explicit unlawful discrimination under the guise of equity, will not only have their endowment taxed, but through budget reconciliation, I will advance a measure to have them fined up to the entire amount of their endowment.”

This year the Black Boys and Men Symposium will feature three speakers, and at least two have their own nonprofits. Between them the speakers have led voter registration campaigns in South Africa, run consulting businesses, and regularly engage with other high-power stakeholders.

Here are some photos from past symposiums.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team, led by Elon Musk, is making shocking discoveries as it investigates government fraud, waste, and abuse and they have barely begun to look into the Department of Education.

To me, events like this are prime candidates to eliminate. Elimination will not only save tax payers money, but will be one less way to radicalize our youth.

Share

The general public typically assumes that academic achievement is the goal of public schools, and would never consider that a covert goal could be the adoption of a Marxist world view. Julie Quist, former teacher and board chair of the Minnesota non-profit, Child Protection League (CPL), gave a presentation on MTSS. Quist stated, (29:10) “Evidenced based is another thing you see all the time. It’s very misleading. You probably think as I did, that the system has been put in place through a lot of evidence, and there are all kinds of studies to show that this works. [] What evidence-based means, is that they are continually assessing the students to see how they are progressing toward the cultural competencies. That’s the evidence.”

Quist defined cultural competency as follows: (20:48) “Cultural competency measures the degree to which the student has adopted the doctrines and practices of cultural Marxism. Students with low scores are subjected to interventions to raise their scores. Standing is largely measured by surveys taken as part of SEL [Social Emotional Learning] sessions.” Again, she explained that one major purpose of interventions is to move students towards an equity worldview, and not just individual students, but entire classrooms, schools, and the greater community.

According to Quist, (43:50) “Data collection is at the core of MTSS.” Institutions implementing MTSS use data to move the community along and change its worldview. Individual students and groups within the student body are simultaneously targeted for transformation. For example, if the data shows that a group such as the LGBTQ community does not feel like they belong, they may need an event such as pride day so they feel seen and included. The GHAPS Party Cart is another behavior transformation tool. The party cart visits classrooms at random and rewards students as a group for meeting basic behavioral expectations.

Data collected from students is used to identify students and groups of students who need support, plan interventions, and to evaluate the student body as a whole. In the past, extra attention was given to students in need of emotional support who had to deal with challenging issues such as difficult home lives, while the vast majority of students were left to focus on academics. Today, academics takes a back seat to emotional support. As part of the MTSS program Quist stated, (10:45) “Every student is assessed. Every student is considered traumatized at some level. So, every student has a psychological assessment done on them.”

While data collection is at the core of MTSS, world view transformation is accomplished through the implementation of Social and Emotional Learning. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is the keystone. In their own words, the latest variant of SEL pushed by CASEL, Transformative Social and Emotional Learning (TSEL), is,

“a form of SEL intended to promote equity and excellence among children, young people, and adults. We focus on issues of race/ethnicity as a first step toward addressing the broader range of extant inequities. Transformative SEL is anchored in the notion of justice-oriented citizenship, and we discuss issues of culture, identity, agency, belonging, and engagement as relevant expressions of the CASEL 5 core competencies.”

Does that read like anything that is promoting academic achievement? Translating the coded CASEL language into the common vernacular: the focus is on collectivism through internal self-regulation and awareness. Therefore, rather than focusing on individualism, identity is based on groups. Children are considered competent once they partake in activities such as blindly affirming gender fluid individuals, making “correct” decisions in regards to equity and social justice causes, and engaging in climate change activism.

During the November 13, 2023, GHAPS Board of Education meeting, the board heard a presentation on MTSS and PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) within Grand Haven High School (GHHS). GHHS staff explained, “we had a retreat in August because we wanted to look at what we could do to grow some of the climate and culture amongst the staff which is going to grow amongst our students.” Staff further explained that the high school has three leadership teams that focus on curriculum, professional learning communities (PLC), and MTSS and PBIS. (30:10) “Our mission here at Grand Haven High School, is we are committed to promoting a safe and positive learning environment for all students and staff by including a positive behavior interventions and support (PBIS). Our mission is to create a school community and culture where every student, educator, and staff member feels respected, valued, and celebrated.” “Our vision, at Grand Haven High School we envision a future where students thrive through accountability and celebration. We support an inclusive and innovative environment where quality education encourages both academic excellence and social responsibility.” “All of the decisions we are making are data driven.”

There is so much to unpack in the above statement. Let’s start by what is meant by a “safe and positive learning environment.” Julie Quist of CPL addressed this topic during her MTSS lecture with a brief history lesson. In 1990, Kevin Jennings founded the organization Gay, Lesbian, Straight, Education Network (GLSEN). In 2009 he was appointed as the United States Department of Education “safe schools” czar by President Obama. GLSEN worked to normalize the gender ideology which we now see as commonplace within the school system. Perhaps you have seen the Gender Unicorn and/or Genderbread Person graphics which are presented to very young children? Originally, a “safe space” was a place that was safe for homosexuals. Today, a “safe space” is one in which the “oppressed” are blindly affirmed.

In a collective society, everyone’s identity is correlated to a group. In Marxist-based collectivism, actions and decisions must provide maximum benefits to the most oppressed groups, and individual members are held accountable for decisions that do not follow this mantra. It is each individual’s social responsibility to make responsible decisions which benefit the group. People are manipulated through emotional stories of personal experiences and in order for individuals to thrive in MTSS, they must make decisions that go along with the group. Questions are seen as opposing group decisions and individuals are held accountable for their wrong think.

Transformation happens slowly over time. While individual teachers are not necessarily pushing “socialism and communism”, over time these lessons and initiatives reform young people to be more accepting of a collective world view by focusing on feelings while deemphasizing logic.

Share

The GVSU gender equity center is focused on eradicating oppression and envisions a world where gender justice is a reality.

In addition to this upcoming event aimed at transforming teenagers into activists, the GVSU gender equity center will be hosting an EqualiTEA on March 18, 2025, where GVSU students have the opportunity to network with community partners committed to “advancing social justice.”

The GVSU gender equity center Niara program is a mentorship program that aims to dismantle structural barriers and close opportunity gaps, empowering women of color and gender expansive students. On Femme Film Friday, the GVSU gender equity center shows films “centered around themes of feminism, gender, intersectional experiences, socioeconomic status, and gender justice.” On Talk Back Tuesday, topics of gender justice and other forms of intersectional gender equity are in focus, with the goal of inspiring attendees to transform the world.

All doubt that these programs sponsored by the GVSU gender equity center seek to encourage participants to adopt a transformational utopic Marxist worldview is removed, as cultural Marxist educator Paulo Freire is quoted on the Talk Back Tuesdays monthly event description. “Human beings are not built in silence, but in word, in work, in action-reflection (2018). It is through the dialogue of the members and leaders of our various communities working together that we fight for liberation through discussion and dialogue.”

A cultural Marxist worldview slowly advances the path to communism by dividing people through emotional manipulation by first separating people into opposing identity groups, attributing the suffering of one group to an injustice imposed by the opposing group, and finally encouraging participants to become active in opposing the perceived oppressors. Socio-economic status was the traditional identity used for division, but American cultural Marxism commonly focuses on sexual orientation, race, gender, age, or ability. Division is furthered through propaganda presented on the internet, in shopping centers, on advertising, as part of local festivals, in school lessons, and in pretty much every space occupied by the populace. Young people are particularly susceptible to Marxian utopian ideas, so that is why gaining control of the educational establishment has been a major target of people pushing cultural conflict.

The GVSU gender equity center takes the pro-abortion political stance, directing students to Planned Parenthood, offering what they like to refer to as Reproductive Health.

The GVSU gender equity center is clearly a Marxist organization fueling division among the students and community at large. On the campaign trail in November 2024, President Trump vowed to “fire the radical left accreditors that have allowed our colleges to become dominated by Marxist maniacs and lunatics.” He went on to say, “We will then accept applications for new accreditors who impose real standards on colleges. [] These standards will include defending the American tradition and western civilization. Protecting free speech, eliminating wasteful administrative positions that drive up costs incredibly. Removing all Marxist diversity, equity, and inclusion bureaucrats. Offering options for accelerated and low-cost degrees. [] Furthermore, I will direct the Department of Justice to pursue federal civil rights cases against schools that continue to engage in racial discrimination. And schools that persist in explicit unlawful discrimination under the guise of equity, will not only have their endowment taxed, but through budget reconciliation, I will advance a measure to have them fined up to the entire amount of their endowment.”

Now that Trump is in office, his administration is beginning to follow through on his campaign promise. This linked letter was sent from Craig Trainor, Acting Assistant Secretary from the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. The letter defines discrimination and gives recipients 14 days to cease their discriminatory practices or warns further actions will be taken.

Given the unpopularity of these concepts among average Americans, in combination with threats of lost federal funding and fines, it is stunning that Grand Valley State University is not only continuing to sponsor numerous events that further a Marxist worldview, but is doing so while openly quoting the prolific and destructive Marxist educator Paulo Freire.

Share

Of course, none of their goals can be achieved without collecting a multitude of data on students, teachers, and the community:

In fact, GHAPS is an MTSS leader that has received awards for data utilization, implementation, and impact. Additionally, at one recent school board meeting Curriculum Director Mary Jane Evink bragged about GHAPS MTSS bronze level status for reading and behavior.

Julie Quist, board chair of the Minnesota non-profit, Child Protection League (CPL), which formed in 2013 to protect the welfare of children from exploitation, indoctrination, and violence, gave a presentation on MTSS. In the presentation, MTSS was described as “a Federal education system using an ‘equity’ lens where all students are psychologically assessed. Every student has a permanent psychological profile and all students are rated on their ‘cultural competencies’ (values, attitudes, beliefs).” MTSS ties together the essential components of gender ideology, collectivism, cultural Marxism, community schools, and Social and Emotional Learning.

Quist explained how MTSS is promoted with deceptive language to keep the general public and even teachers and administrators responsible for its implementation from understanding its hidden objectives. Here are a few key woke term definitions that are helpful to understanding MTSS.

• Whole Child Approach – Approach to education in which schools handle not only educational needs, but also medical, dental, and psychological needs. Parents can bring their children to school and the state will raise them.

• Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) – A behavior-shaping educational program that teaches children to make decisions in the perceived best interest of the community. Traditional academic achievement takes a backseat to myriad Equity goals.

• Community – A group of people who have adopted principles of Equity (i.e., Socialism) and are actively pushing them onto the rest of society. (Mob)

• Responsible Decision Making – A responsible decision is one that benefits the community.

• Mindfulness – Can mean using meditation for calming effects or being aware and hypersensitive to everything. For example, noticing micro-aggressions, violence and hate speech perpetrated onto others.

According to Quist, MTSS manipulates students by constantly focusing on feelings and deemphasizing logic. During the November 13, 2023, GHAPS Board of Education meeting, two Grand Haven High School (GHHS) staff members gave a presentation on MTSS and Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS). Approximately 20 minutes was dedicated to talking about feelings, parties, and things to make everyone happy. Little time, if any, was dedicated to academics. (35:30) “Our main focus and goal is to build our school’s culture.” Staff member Elizabeth Gervais provided examples of things GHHS is doing to transform the school culture. “We took on giving every single student on their locker, a welcome back sign. All 700 plus students got a sign with their name on it.” Students are affirmed with “Bucs.” She described “Fun Fridays” in the cafeteria where students play games like Buccaneer bucket bonanza, and pin the feather on the turkey. She mentioned the party cart and confessed (36:36) “We do the party cart for the staff as well, and we have been giving them some special treats.” (36:40) “We have been celebrating birthdays. [] Every single day, they give a little happy birthday coupon and a treat to every single student whose birthday is on that day. [] There are 1700 plus of us, so it’s a big undertaking. [] We also have a birthday board [] and every single month we are just posting all the birthdays for our whole entire school.”

While many of these activities can just be seen as fun or a way to recognize students, the big picture indicates that they are pieces of a much bigger agenda that is slowly conditioning students to accept collectivism. Sadly, many of those involved in its implementation have been misguided by leaders and lack a thorough understanding of the greater agenda to achieve collectivism. In fact, most involved are genuinely good people who want to help children succeed.

This article was meant to serve as a brief introduction to MTSS. There is a lot more to the story. We encourage you to read the linked MTSS articles that were produced by the Michigan Department of Education to inform yourself and not just straight up accept our criticisms. Upcoming articles will provide more details on how MTSS reshapes world views and transforms culture through data collection and emotional manipulation.

Share

Unfortunately, many in the public education establishment believe that the three Rs must take a back seat to the concept of equity. But what is equity? At first glance, most people assume it is just a synonym for equality. After all, equity and equality kind of sound the same don’t they?

According to University of California Berkeley’s Othering & Belonging Institute, equity and equality can be summed up as:

Equality means that the law and government treats everyone the same, irrespective of their status or identity. Equity means that, in some circumstances, people need to be treated differently in order to provide meaningful equality of opportunity. Neither “equality” nor “equity” guarantee equality of outcomes. Equity is primarily in service of equality of opportunity, not outcomes. But achieving equality of opportunity requires both equality (formally equal treatment) and equity (situationally different treatment), depending on the circumstances.

Basically, Berkeley’s definition of equity mirrors the idea of affirmative action as described by Investopedia: Affirmative action refers to a policy aimed at increasing workplace and educational opportunities for people who are underrepresented in various areas of our society. Berkeley’s definition of equity is clear that some kind of intervention may be necessary to adjust opportunities for citizens while making no claims on the outcomes.

Now that we have got a basic understanding of the difference between equality and equity, let us focus on the concept of educational equity. According to the National Equity Project, educational equity is:

When you take a closer look at educational equity, you’ll see that the meaning of equity takes on an expanded meaning. The first portion of the National Equity Project’s definition is a little nebulous, because it is a little unclear whether equality or equity is being invoked as they write “each child receives what they need to develop”. However, the equity game totally changes in that first bullet point as they expand their definition by writing “Ensuring equally high outcomes for all participants in our educational system”. And that right there is the whole problem with equity in education.

Ensuring equally high outcomes for all participants in anything is impossible in the real world. It is a pipe dream that totally ignores the individual differences in human beings. People are not robots that come off assembly lines. People have different abilities, interests, and aptitudes. Some kids do not care about school and will not try harder no matter what carrot is put in front of them, while other kids are self-motivated to focus on academics and will enthusiastically chase every extra credit point that a teacher offers. Likewise, in the work world some people are happy working a 40-hour-a-week job and some people have an innate need to push themselves 70 hours a week in their quest to conquer an industry. ‘Ensuring equally high outcomes’ is an evil concept because not every student will achieve a high outcome, thereby necessitating a lowering of academic standards in order to achieve an artificially acceptable ‘high outcome’ across ‘all participants’.

That brings us to the CASEL organization and their flagship equity program known as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is based in Chicago, Illinois, and has been around since 1994. In 2003, the state of Illinois passed its Children’s Mental Health Act, declaring the following:

Shortly thereafter in 2004, CASEL’s first iteration of SEL standards was blasted across the state of Illinois, providing a packaged solution for the clause regarding “Children’s social development and emotional development are essential underpinnings to school readiness and academic success”. Isn’t it interesting that SEL is linked at the hip with a mental health law? SEL has been embedded in Illinois public schools for over 20 years now, yet the academic results in the state -- where CASEL itself is located -- are dismal, with one recent report showing that in 67 schools, not a single student is at grade level in math.

Where does equity fit into SEL? Thanks to CASEL, we know that they consider SEL to be a lever for equity. Here is a link to their article Advancing Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) as a Lever for Equity and Excellence. Through their Equity Work Group, CASEL determined what they call five emerging insights:

• Insight 1: Explicitly position and communicate about SEL as a lever for equity

• Insight 2: Prioritize adult learning and critical reflection about their own social, emotional, and cultural competencies

• Insight 3: Elevate students’ cultural assets, voice, and agency

• Insight 4: Partner authentically with families and communities to develop culturally responsive approaches to SEL

• Insight 5: Establish SEL data strategies that help to share power, dismantle inequities and build more equitable learning environments

As you can see from their insights, CASEL’s use of SEL as a lever for equity does not have a thing to say about improving academic performance in the three Rs. After 20 years of SEL in Illinois, academic success has not improved. Could it be that CASEL, with its SEL, is not so much concerned with academic results? Based on their own literature, I believe that is the case. Instead of coming right out and selling SEL through hard statistics of academic improvements that can be made by utilizing SEL, all their articles evangelize about developing CASEL’s emotionally-based core competencies: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making. It is more about building a collective feel-good identity than raising independent problem solvers. In such an environment, ideals like individual merit and academic achievement are simply obstacles to achieving a collective identity. In the insightful words of Dr. James Lindsay, equity equalizes downwards.

Share

In the podcast, co-founder Michael Wheeler explained that his company, Grady’s Garden, sells pasta sauces and salsas that contain no artificial flavors, colors, or added sugar, in local grocery stores. He also runs an affiliated non-profit, Grady’s Classroom, formally known as The Self-Esteem Project, which has developed curriculum that is being used in second and third grade classrooms to encourage children to eat vegetables. The host of the Positivity in Practice podcast, Meghan Reece Heritage, described the endeavor as, “it’s a little bit of a movement. It’s certainly a business. It’s a non-profit, but it’s also expanding our horizons into how we can do good things, make money, be sustainable, and have healthy kids.”

In recent months, the election of Donald Trump and his announcement to appoint Robert F Kennedy, Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services has brought some much-needed attention to the dangers of added chemicals hidden in the food we consume. In a short video, RFK introduced the nation to the food dye Tartrazine (yellow #5). In the video RFK explained that yellow #5 is made from left-over sludge resulting from the process of turning coal into coke for blast furnaces. Yellow #5 causes tumors, asthma, developmental delays, neurological damage, ADD/ADHD, hormone disruption and other illnesses, and is restricted or banned in other countries. According to RFK, yellow #5 can be found in Doritos, Cheez-its, Cap’n Crunch, Gummi Bears, popcorn, mac and cheese, sport’s drinks, chicken broth, corn, and yogurt.

While I greatly favor reducing harmful chemicals in our food supply, and teaching children to eat healthy, to me the Grady’s initiative feels like another government/big-money backed initiative, likely with a hidden agenda, that ultimately provides much greater benefits to the financially invested stakeholders than to the children and families it purports to assist.

According to Wheeler, “the fulcrum of the curriculum is an animation show called Grady’s Garden, which is the name of the company. It chronicles the lives of six kids of color who decide to create an urban garden. We marry that animation content with educational modules on social emotional learning, general nutrition, and gardening.”

We now know that Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) uses the results of data collection to manipulate student emotions to induce certain societal behaviors, thereby shaping the way children see the world. Restore Ottawa has written extensively about SEL including a recent article explaining how SEL places great emphasis on the collective over the individual and creates a path to usher in a neo-Marxist/collectivist form of government.

According to the Grady Classrooms website, “Grady’s Classroom has partnered with Kent School Services Network:

In the excerpt above, note that the comment is made by someone whose title is community school coordinator. Community Schools are a tool for transforming American schools to be the focal point of a collectivist vision. Restore Ottawa has also written extensively about the Ottawa Community School Network (OCSN) which follows the Community School Playbook. The Kent School Services Network also follows this model.

Co-founder of Grady’s Garden and Grady’s Classroom, Michael Wheeler, has a law degree and was an assistant public defender for juvenile court before adventuring into brand management, before retiring during COVID. The other co-founder, Chad Miller, is a senior vice president of business development at Zeta Global, an “Artificial Intelligence Powered Marketing Cloud that leverages advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and trillions of consumer signals to make it easier for marketers to acquire, grow, and retain customers more efficiently.”

In less than three years;

• Grady’s Garden products are found in nearly 500 stores in Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan.

• Grady’s Classroom has eight educational modules so it can be taught throughout the year and has reached over 2000 children primarily in Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Detroit, but also some in Idaho.

• Grady’s Classroom has been picked up by a PBS affiliate and has received approval for 13 episodes

During the interview, appearing both surprised and thankful, Wheeler mentioned a recent donation. (7:40) “We have this foundation out of the Ozarks in Missouri that has generously donated a sizable amount of money to help us build gardens across America. That just came out of the blue.”

Additionally, Grady’s Garden has received a Phase II USDA Small Business Innovation Research grant that will help them “evolve to a data company.”

So, wrapped up in this sprawling initiative we have marketing, artificial intelligence, school children, Social and Emotional Learning, community schools, grants, big donors, and big data! In my opinion, something is not right here. When everyday Americans want to enter the food industry, they find it difficult to even sell their products at farmer's markets due to regulations such as producing products in a "certified kitchen." Why is this initiative getting such attention? Do we really need a national corporation to teach our children how to eat their vegetables? What is the true goal?

Share

Are you a parent or caregiver to one of the millions of American children struggling to learn how to read? In a recent article we explained how school districts across the nation have been using a flawed philosophy to teach children to read. There are many different curricula and methods based on this philosophy. Some of the most notable include Cueing, whole word approach, sight words, whole language approach, Lucy Calkins Method, Reader’s Workshop, Balanced Literacy, Guided Reading, Leveled Books, Fountas and Pinnell, and Reading Recovery. Essentially these philosophies teach children to guess at word pronunciation after looking at clues surrounding a word such as context, accompanying pictures, and the first letter.

What these curricula neglect is intensive phonics instruction. If your child is struggling to read and you cannot afford an expensive tutor, here are a few resources that should help. While some are free and others do have associated costs, please know that there are lots of available options. The vast majority of dedicated parents/caregivers can be successful teaching their children to read if they make it a priority. In fact, the research shows that almost all children, including those diagnosed with dyslexia, can learn to read. Better yet, once children get started, there are lots of activities they can do on their own or with minimal assistance.

Starfall is a free website that has a variety of interactive activities for children including several based-on phonics. There are short videos, songs, and computerized books with cute animations and clickable texts that sound out words. Kids can learn letters and sounds on the ABC page. The short vowel page links to interactive books that feature individual vowels. Plus, the site has other educational activities.

The Leap Frog company sells lots of educational toys including a series of three videos that do a great job of beginning early literacy skills. In The Letter Factory, children are introduced to letters and sounds. As the children journey throughout the factory, each letter is doing something that has to do with its sound. For example, the C is /c/ /c/ /c/ cold. The Talking Words Factory builds on the Letter Factory and introduces reading three letter words. In Code Word Caper, children learn to read more complex words and how adding silent e causes vowels to say their names.

Once kids learn the basics and are ready to practice, phonics-based books are a great place to start. Ottawa County just happens to be the home to a nationwide publisher of such books. School Zone, based in Grand Haven, publishes books like Jog, Frog, Jog and The Good Bad Cat, to help kids get started with reading on their own.

While the above three resources can certainly assist children with cracking the code of the English language, they are not complete.

Uncovering the Logic of English is a complete curriculum, but they also offer a stand-alone book that can assist parents. Denise Eide’s Uncovering the Logic of English book explains the sounds and spelling rules of the English language. Eide provides a thorough introduction to these rules in her Youtube video. (20:30) For example, long vowels usually say their names at the end of a syllable as in the words be, ba-gel, to-tal, and hu-man. (22:30) The letter c has two sounds (/k/ and /s/). The letter c softens to make the /s/ sound when followed by an e, i, or y as in the words cent, cinema, and cycle, but makes the hard sound /k/ when followed by an a, o, u, or consonant as in the words cat, cold, cut, and clap. (24:00) English words do not end in i, u, v, or j. This rule explains why the words have, give, mauve, and solve end in e.

For parents who want more, the Logic of English offers two separate complete curriculum options: Foundations and Essentials. Foundations is for the youngest readers and Essentials takes a faster pace through the Foundations content and continues to build literacy. But Logic of English is not the only option for parents who want to help improve the literacy of their children. All About Reading and Spell to Write and Read are two more options worth investigating.

It is tantamount for success that we as a society develop good readers. Restore Ottawa has received criticism as being against schools. That is an incorrect assessment. We want our schools to focus on the academic skills that help children to thrive. As mathematics proficiency and literacy rates are dismal, our schools have placed a great emphasis on emotional well-being, and ideas rooted in Marxism such as diversity, equity, and inclusion and Social Justice. These factors have resulted in a mass exodus of children leaving the public school system.

Understanding numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are the key to mathematics, yet kids are being confused by curriculum that overly complicates simple problems. When it comes to reading, children are being hampered by curricula that lack the sounds of language. For the roughly sixty percent of children who do not figure out how to read on their own, they are currently much better served in most American communities by receiving reading instruction or extra help from a parent/guardian/tutor. It is an important responsibility for families to be actively involved in their child’s education, as GHAPS recently noted in a newsletter:

Share

While students in Grand Haven tend to outperform the national average, recent data suggests that roughly 40 percent of Grand Haven Area Public Schools (GHAPS) students are one or more grade levels behind in reading proficiency.

A major factor in poor reading scores is that teachers across the country have been misled into believing that a method known as the “whole word” approach is the best way to teach children to read. For many years, teachers have been influenced by college professors, reading convention speakers, publishing companies, district leaders, and other stakeholders who touted the whole word approach. Rather than learning to decode words by sounding them out, the whole word approach teaches children to look at clues such as context surrounding words, accompanying pictures, and the first letter of a word, and then guess and assess whether or not their guess makes sense.

In the podcast, Sold A Story, journalist Emily Hanford provides a history of reading instruction in America. What she discovered goes a long way towards explaining the trends we are seeing in reading proficiency. Essentially, many decades ago a New Zealand researcher named Marie Clay studied the way children learned to read and her research led to the development of a flawed method to help struggling readers.

According to the podcast, what Clay had actually discovered was a common tool set that struggling readers use to help them cope. Reading research has since determined that teaching children these techniques as primary instruction is actually harmful as it results in confusion that can significantly hinder reading ability. While Clay passed away in 2007, there are a host of curriculum and philosophies based on her research actively used today by school districts across the nation. Some of the most notable include Cueing, whole word approach, sight words, whole language approach, Lucy Calkins Method, Reader’s Workshop, Balanced Literacy, Guided Reading, Leveled Books, and Reading Recovery. Additionally, the influential work by Ohio State professor emerita Gay Su Pinnell and her colleague Irene Fountas is based on the research of Marie Clay. The podcast description reads,

“Millions of kids can't read well. Scientists have known for decades how children learn to read, but many schools don’t know about the research. They buy teacher training and books that are rooted in a disproven idea. In Sold a Story, Emily Hanford investigates four authors and a publishing company that have made millions selling this idea. The podcast has won some of the biggest awards in journalism. Twenty-five states (and counting) have changed their reading laws because of it.”

According to the podcast, approximately 40 percent of children still figure out how to read despite these methods devised by Clay, while the remaining 60 percent need additional intensive phonics lessons. The students who struggle often end up perceiving themselves as stupid and many are labeled with learning disabilities. While rich and poor children equally struggle to read without phonics instruction, parents of wealthy children are more likely to intervene by either teaching their children to read themselves or by hiring a tutor. This is undoubtedly why test scores tend to be statistically better in wealthy communities.

During the November 18, 2024, GHAPS board of education meeting, Lake Hills Instructional Coach Lyndsey Bensel gave a short presentation on how the school is incorporating phonics into the instruction program.

“I want to highlight what we are doing around phonics. We know that foundational learning skills are so critical, and we’re trying to stay up on the research. So, we have been implementing systematic phonics instruction for our kindergarten through second grade learners. This is a picture we took here of some kindergarteners who are listening to a word; they are matching the sounds they hear with letters, and then they are building that word in real time for their teacher.

We’ve been working to add practices like this to our literacy instruction at the kindergarten through second grade level. We have also been including phonics in instruction for our older readers; upper third and fourth grade readers, and it works a little bit differently. They are learning more vowels and taking words apart, and we’re also providing systematic interventions for kids who we know need a little extra help.

We have been doing shared learning around phonics, and we have been having a lot of meaningful conversations about how we can make sure our instruction aligns from kindergarten up through fourth grade. We’re also hoping to host a learning lab around phonics so that teachers can learn additional ways to apply this isolated instruction to the authentic work that our readers and writers do every day.”

This is excellent news, but is it enough? Based on the way Bensel spoke, it was almost as if phonics is a new and revolutionary breakthrough in the science of reading. Well, perhaps the discovery is new to her, and it is hard to fault her for that. She was likely never exposed to phonics in her own education.

In March of 2021, Lucy Calkins admitted her curriculum was flawed and it was revised to include phonics, but it continues to instruct based on Clay’s research. The Lucy Calkins approach is a big part of the GHAPS curriculum. According to GHAPS Curriculum At A Glance 2024-2025, Reader’s Workshop, Balanced Literacy, and the Lucy Calkins approach ‒ all of which are based on the flawed whole word approach ‒ are currently being used to teach Grand Haven children to read.

Children across the nation consistently underperform in reading because they simply have not been properly taught to read. Education industry stakeholders have made millions of dollars from flawed curriculum pushed onto school districts, and nobody is held accountable for failing the children. This ultimately leads to extra education dollars being spent on catch up efforts. At one 2023 meeting in Grand Haven, the GHAPS BOE spent over $90,000 on tutors and interventions, making this not only an issue for struggling readers, but problematic for children who figured out how to read despite the lack of phonics instruction. Teachers have been misled, and I would encourage all teachers and especially those that teach elementary aged children to listen to the Sold A Story series of podcasts. Thank you GHAPS for incorporating phonics into the reading curriculum. I look forward to seeing reading proficiency levels increase.

Share

Therefore, on November 18, 2024, GHAPS invited the organization Positive You, LLC, which is focused on improving productivity, health, and social engagement in children, teens, and adults, to give parents and staff a presentation on how technology is affecting our youth.

Approximately 45 people attended the event, including several teachers, principals, and parents. The very informative presentation concentrated on four topics.

• Time – How much time do children spend on devices?

• Engagement—Who are they engaging with online?

• Explicit Content—At what age are they being exposed to 18+ content?

• Omission — What are they missing out on that they could be doing instead?

Based on data from the Surgeon General’s 2023 Social Media and Youth Mental Health Advisory, the alarming statistics show 8^th and 10^th grade children spend an average of three-and-a-half hours per day on social media and 1-in-7 spend over seven hours per day on social media. All of the time spent online is affecting sleep, with nearly 1-in-3 adolescents reporting using screen media until midnight or later on a typical weekday. Consequently, classroom behavior is suffering. According to Positive You, studies have shown technology addiction is having an adverse effect on the brain. Phones buzzing/dinging when messages are received trigger brain responses such as dopamine releases, which in turn strengthens addiction and transforms the brain. Additionally, exposure to mature content can have a traumatizing effect. Positive You was adamant that it is important to not expose children to age-inappropriate content.

It is ironic that GHAPS should invite an organization to provide a presentation that recommends students limit screen time and should be shielded from age-inappropriate content, yet they offer mature content in the school library, and require it for some lessons.

• 11^th Grade Required Reading: Boy on Boy Rape

• Graphic Sexual Images Shown to Grand Haven AP Language Students

• Call Me Max: Transgender themed book read to GHAPS children ages 5-9

• Michigan e-Library Enables K-8 Kids Access to Sexually Explicit Content without Parental Consent

Our only critique of the presentation is that the presenter did not discuss the downsides of screens in the classroom. Unfortunately, the concentration was on overall technology use and did not distinguish between school versus home use. The bottom line is that use of technology is integrated into modern society, but the excessive amount of time and age-inappropriate content is having a detrimental effect on our youth. While parents are responsible for limiting screen-time at home, they also need schools to do their part. This year, newly hired GHAPS Superintendent Kristen Perkowski was instrumental in establishing a class time cell phone policy, which is one step in the right direction, but there is definitely more work to do. There is no reason why school districts cannot reduce youth exposure to devices by increasing time spent learning with pen and paper.

Thank you GHAPS for implementing the cellphone policy and taking steps to address the downsides of technology in our lives.

Share

Whether it is called diversity, equity, and inclusion, critical race theory, social justice, or social emotional learning, this propaganda cumulatively leads disciples down related pathways.

Spotting such propaganda is a significant key to avoid falling into the ideological pit that breeds prejudice and intolerance in the name of peace and love, which has the ultimate effect of ruining close relationships and destabilizing society. While a difficult task, it is important for parents to be aware of lessons provided to both their children and teachers within their local school districts. Here are several examples of such propagandized lessons presented to students and teachers at Grand Haven Area Public Schools (GHAPS).

During the two-and-a-half months of the cultural perspective unit in AP Language and Composition, white students were taught that because they are white, they are filthy racist people. They were taught that they should hate themselves and be ashamed because they have white skin. They were taught that skin color, which is something they have absolutely no control over, is what defines them as people.

During a lesson on the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, critical theory was taught by showing videos on white saviors, white privilege, and injustice.

As a school-wide anti-bullying campaign, students were told to write a word on a chalkboard that others used to describe them which made them feel bad about themselves. The Chalkboard Project effectively encouraged students to develop a victim mentality.

In 2021-2022, Grand Haven Area Public Schools embedded social justice into social studies classes using a curriculum sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Learning for Justice curriculum offered lesson plans, recommended movies and books, and had free printable posters, including pro-BLM posters. GHAPS offered professional development training through workshops, webinars and podcasts. They had a 68-page newsletter featuring articles glorifying BLM, diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives and PhD scholars pushing these Marxian concepts onto our youth and society.

On January 27, 2022, the Michigan Department of Education offered teachers a webinar entitled Diversity in the Literature that We Teach. The featured speaker, Shonda Buchanan, wrote a book called Who is Afraid of the Black Indian? She spoke about the importance of children reading diverse books and then tied the concept known as Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors to dominant culture, and racism in America. Showing photo examples of racism in 1950’s America, she implied that white people are racist because they haven’t read books by People of Color (POC).

On August 25, 2020, Grand Haven Special Education teacher and leader of the student group Calling All Colors, Hailey Barton, led teachers through a professional development session entitled Racial Equity where they learned about their white privilege.

In showing devotion to the demands of Social Justice, Grand Haven Area Public School district leaders Brian Wheeler and Mary Jane Evink were directed by former superintendent Andy Ingall to serve as liaisons to the Anti-Racism Task Force at the Momentum Center. The Anti-Racism Task Force hosted controversial speaker Calvin Terrill, who created a community divide by instructing participants to take out a sheet of paper, draw a ladder, and rank people based on skin color.

Perhaps some of these lessons were inspired by the August 2020 school board’s adoption of a Pledge for Racial Equity, a play-on-words that advocates dangerous Critical Race Theory (CRT) ideas.

Later, when parents began asking questions, the GHAPS DEI committee created a playbook and trained employees on how to respond. The playbook attempts to obfuscate the truth of CRT by explaining that CRT is a college-level concept, while hiding the fact that CRT foundational principles are actually embedded into GHAPS lessons but not labeled as such.

February is Black History Month and has been used to provide even more opportunities to teach race ideology under the guise of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, much like the month of June has been used to perpetuate gender ideology and queer lifestyles. This propaganda creates a skewed image of America by rewriting history and claiming our country is filled with homophobes, racists, and victims. Over time, the ties that bind us together as Americans like Independence Day, Memorial Day, Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays have evolved into cookouts and days off from work, losing their original significance and resulting in a loss of our national cohesiveness. Instead of uniting children through our shared history, elements within GHAPS have been eager to hyper focus on racial differences. Through all of this, meritocracy is being eliminated and our social fabric has weakened under the influence of propaganda fed to our youth.

Upon first glance, this might sound like a good thing. After all, we all want students to receive the support they need, especially those who are struggling with anxiety and depression; but closer examination of the service is troubling.

First of all, like other monitoring tools installed on school-issued devices, it is a significant invasion of privacy. Perhaps just as troubling are Gaggle’s statements on bias, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Their overall position on DEI, although objectionable, is pretty standard in woke environments.

What is not standard is their position on bias and their AI-ECO (Evaluate, Constrain, Own) principles that “ensure the well-being of all students fairly and equitably”.

What this is essentially saying is that their algorithms will ensure that the number of students flagged as potentially having mental illness issues will be directly related to the identity characteristics of students in the overall population. For example, if 10% of the students are black, and there are 600 students, and 5% of the students are flagged as being potentially mentally ill, then 3 students flagged as being potentially mentally ill will be black. (600*.10*.05). Rather than identifying students with potential mental health related conditions based on factors related to mental health, the system will ensure that they are identified in proportion to their identity characteristics.

If the data collection capabilities, lack of privacy on school-issued devices, and identity characteristic based equitable identification of mental health conditions of Gaggle is not enough to be disturbing, you should also know that Gaggle recommends Student Support Resources. Among them are the Trevor Project, Blackline, LGBT National Coming Out, The Anti-Violence Project, and the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum.

The Trevor Project was featured on Restore Ottawa in an earlier article describing web resources recommended by OAISD Health Education Coordinator Stacey Sills through her live binders. The Trevor Project states that its mission is to end teen suicide, but rather than referring troubled teens to parents or legitimate counselors, it is a social media site where 13 to 24-year-olds confused about their gender can meet and chat. The younger members can get advice from adults eager to help. Not only does The Trevor Project offer child sexual predators an opportunity to find victims, the site offers a ‘quick escape’ keyboard key so kids can exit rapidly if parents enter the room.

LGBT National Coming Out is another website advertised as offering support to teens questioning their gender and sexuality. LGBT National Coming Out also features a quick escape link at the bottom of the screen, as well as youth chatrooms.

The Anti-Violence Project, a site advertised as providing support for victims of violence, appears to be more of a site to encourage activism. On the Communities Against Hate page, they discuss partnering with social justice organizations to document hate violence such as anti-LGBTQ, anti-Black, anti-Muslim, anti-Immigrant, and anti-Disability (sort of like an anti-Racism Task Force). In addition, they have an action page and a page to help people get involved.

The Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, offers COVID resources, racial justice resources, pushes HPV immunizations, and advocates for political initiatives such as the Health Equity and Accountability Act.

Perhaps the most disturbing resource is BlackLine, advertised as “non-judgmental peer support and counseling to those who are most impacted by systematic oppression.”

In addition to the student support resources offered by Gaggle, they also offer support via a blog, film list and other forms of social media such as podcasts and webcomics. There is a link to a glossary that provides definitions of common and ever-changing LGBT words such as packing which means, “Wearing a penile prosthesis or other object to emulate the appearance of having a penis,” and demisexual, meaning, “a person who does not feel sexual interest towards others unless a strong emotional connection is formed first,” and chaser, “​a cis person with a fetishistic attraction towards trans people.”

The blog contains articles such as Unveiling the Power of Acceptance: The Impact of Supportive Communities on LGBTQ+ Youth’s Mental Health. The film list contains links to youtube videos like the Award-winning Coming Out Short Film: Straight A, that begins with two teenage males in bed together. The media such as podcasts and webcomics, provide links to podcasts such as Dyking Out, and Queerology.

In a news article focused on Gaggle, ‘Don’t Get Gaggled’: Minneapolis School District Spends Big on Student Surveillance Tool, Raising Ire After Terminating Its Police Contract, it warns of the effects of pervasive government surveillance upon youth, and explains how software intended to keep children safe does not always have the desired outcome. The article focuses on the Minneapolis School District which purchased Gaggle licenses for use in the district.

Data collection and privacy concerns are a continuing issue.

This quote from the article shows how software loaded onto school issued devices can be used to invade privacy under the guise of keeping children safe.

As referenced above, Gaggle was created by the CEO and Founder Jeff Patterson.

The following can be found on Patterson’s LinkedIn page.

Under the guise of keeping children safe, intrusive AI data collection software is being loaded onto school issued devices. These devices  are required to complete assignments and students must bring them to school fully charged each day. In this case, the software company recommends very controversial support pages for students. If Gaggle determines a student needs support, shouldn’t the AI send a warning message to the parents?  GHAPS is trusting this company to keep local children safe. Do you believe Gaggle will keep your child safe as well?

The Grand Haven Area Public Schools (GHAPS) eighth grade recently performed a concert collage.

Although the children did a great job, some of the choir song selections were quite depressing and a complete contrast to the happy songs performed by the jazz band. The Treble Choir performed What Was I Made For by Billie Eilish which explores identity, belonging, and how so many women tie themselves into knots to please others yet never feel like enough. The Treble Choir also performed Colors of the Wind from Disney’s Pocahontas which explores themes of diversity, belonging, and colonization, creating feelings of guilt for the way America was founded. Meanwhile the Tenors and Basses performed happy songs like Here Comes the Sun.

Although not every piece was infused with progressive messaging, one piece entitled Be The Change by composer Jacob Narverud, encouraged listeners to become activists for change. The lyrics are as follows:

In the quiet of the night I wake to a tune in my ear.

I feel the rhythm of a drum begin to beat to a song that’s loud and clear:

of a place where happiness and love are all around,

of a land where selfishness and greed cannot be found.

And my heart raced as I wondered what to do;

if this mad world that we care about could strive toward something new.

Though a fit of darkness came and clouded up my mind,

still, I saw a world where hope and light was ours to find.

Now I’m crying out loud for peace, for justice, for hope, for love, for change.

Then the promise of the dawning day shines a light upon my face.

A new beginning for a world stained by hate; hope for all the human race.

And I find the strength within to rise just like the sun;

Like a soldier standing guard until the war is won.

Now I’m fighting out loud for peace, for justice, for hope, for love, for change.

So I’ll take charge, be brave, work hard, have faith, stand strong for what is good.

I’ll be the change.

Here is a video of a choir performing Be The Change.

In college level music appreciation classes, students commonly attend concerts as assignments. Like the songs performed by GHAPS students, many of the pieces and even entire concerts today contain ideological themes. For example, the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra gave a performance entitled Mosaic for Earth.

According to the website, “the libretto includes poetry and writing by leading environmental authors.” Here are just a few small samples of the lyrics.

(1:00:00)

We are a species that has evolved to find beauty in the natural world.

We love what we find beautiful and we do not destroy that which we love.

The bosses ride fine horses while we walk in the mud.

Their banner is the dollar sign while ours is striped with blood.

(1:12:00)

Once in his life a man ought to concentrate his mind upon the remembered earth.

He ought to give himself to a particular landscape to look at it from as many angles as he can,

To wonder about it, to dwell upon it. []

He ought to climb to the summit of a mountain being eaten by mining

To see what can’t be observed from below-the systematic destruction of an entire biological community

To watch a 300-million-year-old mountain destroyed over the course of one year,

And to view from a plane the number of mountains that have suffered the same fate,

Is to understand that the land is a badly wounded organism.

Over one year ago Restore Ottawa wrote about Critical theories invading music programs. Music teachers from across the country commonly attend conferences where they exchange ideas and the latest resources for music education. At the January 2023 Michigan Music Conference, teachers had the opportunity to attend lectures such as Empowering Your Students-Addressing SEL, On the Path to a More Equitable, Inclusive Music Classroom, My Culture Matters, and Diversity and Inclusion in Action. The pieces mentioned above are merely the results of ideological music conventions and progressive ideology spreading throughout society.

As for the concerts, each song on its own probably is not a big deal, but when they are all tied together and combined with ideological lessons in other classes, it definitely sends a message and eventually nudges student behavior.

Share

That video was shown to Grand Haven High School students as a Social and Emotional Learning lesson during Academy Class. Most people will watch that video and think that, while it may be a little cringy, it is not that bad. Some may point to the sexual innuendo pervasive throughout the video and say it is age-inappropriate, but even that is not that bad. The overall message, that we should make accommodations for others, is positive. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Don’t most people believe in the golden rule?

We can feel that there is a problem with the video, but it is difficult to identify what that problem is.

The problem is, the message is presented in a way that is meant to make the viewer focus on differences instead of just dealing with life’s trivial issues. Each of us is unique, so we can always find differences. The video emphasizes viewing situations from another person’s perspective which is obviously necessary at times, but focusing on differences and acting in the interest of others at all times without question is dangerous. It teaches us to ignore our instincts and obey.

This lesson is what is known as a generative theme. A generative theme is an emotional topic that has political undertones, which an activist teacher can use to engage a class. Activists understand it is against policy to introduce political and controversial topics for class discussion. So instead, they introduce topics in a subtle way, hoping someone will engage and it will develop into a full classroom discussion.

In James Lindsay’s book, The Marxification of Education chapter 6, Lindsay states,

“In truth, “generative themes” are concepts Marxists can use to evoke powerful emotional reactions from their students in order to groom them through a process of thought reform into a Marxist consciousness.”

Lindsay further states,

“What counts are those themes in their lives that evoke the kinds of discontented and aggrieved emotional responses useful to Marxist conscientization. In short, they’re meant to evoke feelings of injustice, unfairness, suffering and misery, or hope in utopian possibility.”

Then Lindsay explains how generative themes are used in modern classrooms.

“In the modern context, this process is conducted through a conduit of emotional manipulation known as “Social-Emotional Learning (SEL),” in which educators as some combination of teacher, unlicensed social worker, unqualified psychologist, and facilitator teach their students how to navigate the social realities and emotional responses they have to them after discovering and being carefully fed these generative themes. Those generative themes are discovered in an SEL setting by means of surveying (that is, data mining) students, introducing provocative material and gauging student reactions, and through dialogue on political or sensitive social and emotional subjects under the pretext of understanding the underlying social and emotional context in which the students might encounter impediments to learning, especially with regard to social and emotional subjects (including outright Leftist identity politics.)”

In Grand Haven, the video lesson was accompanied by this slide where students were requested to focus on aspects of their identity that make them different.

• Perhaps they have sixteen feet. Perhaps they have dark skin.

Then they were asked to connect their identity to their thoughts and behaviors.

• Perhaps they have privilege because they do not have a shell. Perhaps they have privilege because they live in a heated house.

Finally, they were told to recognize how those identity traits result in discrimination against them.

• Perhaps the gate was constructed too low for them to fit under. Perhaps they were last in line.

In the case of this Social Emotional Learning lesson, the generative theme is introduced at the 2:19 mark with the following,

“Maybe you're gay, or trans, have a disability or different religion. Or of course, the obvious one, you're a member of a different race.  I don't know what it's like to be you, and you don't know what it's like to be me.”   

Basically, this video has been produced with the goal that a student will ask a question that will lead to an emotional discussion of one or many of the topics just listed. In case students do not take this bait, the scene of the bugs mashing at the end tries to nudge things along. Aside from the generative theme, they learn that they should respect and listen to others that are different from themselves, because they could not possibly understand what it is like to be them, and at the same time, they are asked to empathize with those who are different, imagining what they are going through. In life, of course, situations arise in which this mindset is a necessary skill to resolve conflict or somehow address a particular problem. However, that message in this video is expanded from a situational case to one of constant attention, encouraging students to focus inordinate amounts of time on thinking about immutable differences, privilege, and creating an intense sense of belonging to a collective. This lesson is not simply teaching children to be empathetic. It is reforming their thought process.

Social Emotional Learning lessons are given at least once per month at Grand Haven High School. Parents can send an email to their child’s Academy teacher or Mrs. Wilson and opt their child out of these lessons.

I will leave you with some comments from the video showing that most people instinctively understand this video is problematic, but have difficulty articulating why.

Share

The Grand Haven Tribune published an editorial piece from the Las Vegas Review-Journal in December 2023 referring to SEL as The new education fad that leaves children depressed. The article referenced a study of over 1,000 Australian students.

“One set of students participated in a traditional health class. The other was in a SEL program called WISE Teens. In the standard class, one in 13 students appeared clinically depressed. In the WISE group, it was one in eight. A study of 8,000 British teenagers had similar findings.”

The Ottawa Community School Network (OCSN), funded by Community Mental Health of Ottawa County (CMHOC), lists Classroom Wise as a resource on their mental health page. According to the OCSN website, “Classroom WISE is a FREE 3-part training package that assists K-12 educators in supporting the mental health of students in the classroom. Developed by the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network in partnership with the National Center for School Mental Health, this package offers evidence-based strategies and skills to engage and support students with mental health concerns in the classroom.”

During the August 2024 Grand Haven Area Public School board meeting, a community member spoke about Social Emotion Learning.

I have been learning about the latest developments in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and I have to say I am skeptical about how it could possibly be effective. The current variant that the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (aka CASEL) is pushing is called Transformational SEL (TSEL). On CASEL’s website, you can find their definitive article on TSEL. It opens with the following three sentences:

“This article seeks to develop transformative social and emotional learning, a form of SEL intended to promote equity and excellence among children, young people, and adults. We focus on issues of race/ethnicity as a first step toward addressing the broader range of extant inequities. Transformative SEL is anchored in the notion of justice-oriented citizenship, and we discuss issues of culture, identity, agency, belonging, and engagement as relevant expressions of the CASEL 5 core competencies.”

So, right off the bat in this sixteen-thousand-word article, CASEL states that their current iteration of SEL focuses on race/ethnicity as a first step “toward addressing the broader range of extant inequities”. It’s anchored in justice-oriented citizenship. They also seek to “promote equity and excellence among children”. Note that they say ‘excellence’ instead of ‘academic excellence’.

Instead of proving to me how TSEL can improve the three Rs and prepare my kids to be productive in the workplace, CASEL seems to have come up with a program that strips individual achievement and responsibility from students in favor of collective well-being. The biggest red flag in this article is the following statement in regards to actions required to achieve their preferred type of citizenship which is called transformational citizenship: Such efforts might be inconsistent with or violate existing local, state, and national laws.

CASEL claims that their various flavors of SEL are evidence-based, but I have found virtually no information to back up that claim when I have perused their website. The article did reference three types of SEL; they are personally responsible, participatory, and transformational. As I continue to learn more about SEL in general, can you tell me which of those three types is being used within GHAPS?

CASEL has blatantly stated that TSEL “is anchored in the notion of justice-oriented citizenship.” Additionally, SEL does not appear to be helping our students with their academics or their mental health, yet it continues to be implemented in Ottawa County school districts and schools across the country. It is well past time that public education returns to a focus on reading, writing, and mathematics, leaving mental health care to the medical system.

Share

Today, it appears mental health is the modern day reincarnation of 1970’s ADHD. Through both the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education, money flows freely in the form of grants to school districts and community mental health departments. While these are not the only sources and recipients of mental health related grant funds, their role appears to be significant.

In September 2022, the $5.5 million Project AWARE Federal grant was awarded to the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District (OAISD) for helping schools connect their students to available mental health resources more quickly and efficiently. In 2023 the OAISD was awarded a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services $2.4 million grant to put a doctor’s office into one school. The Child & Adolescent Health Centers Grant (CAHC Grant) is for primary care, nursing, and behavioral health services for students. Students seeking services will have access to clinical services, referrals, health education, and immunization as well as access to confidential mental health counseling. The article, MI school touts new health clinic: ’Cuts out need for parents to take kids to doctor’, describes one such newly opened health clinic in the Grand Ledge High School.

In February 2023, the Federal government awarded the State of Michigan Department of Education a $913,475 grant under the US Safe Schools and Citizenship Education Program's US School Safely National Activities Program (Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program). It was used to launch the Michigan Earn, Learn, and Serve in Schools (Mi-ELSiS) Program. MI-ELSiS is a partnership between the Michigan Health Council, five unnamed universities and colleges, and four unnamed school districts. This program was for the placement of mental health professionals into schools across Michigan by providing $20,000 stipends for 165 graduate-level trainees to work in schools.

In addition to grant funding, Community Mental Health of Ottawa County (CMHOC) provided $142,000 of taxpayer Mental Health Millage money to the Ottawa Community School Network (OSCN). According to the former OCSN website,

“The Ottawa Community Schools Network (OCSN) was formed to integrate the various health and community supports for students and families in the Ottawa Area into one seamless system delivered through existing school-based facilities. OCSN recognizes that relatively little can be done in isolation, and that members must work together for collective impact. OCSN is a community led initiative that supports the development of full-service community schools through infrastructure and technical assistance within a collective impact framework. In 2017 OCSN was started using OAISD and CMH Mental Health Millage dollars to begin the implementation of the community school strategy.”

One role of the OCSN is coordinating Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). One example of the PBIS program in Grand Haven Area Public Schools is the Party Cart: a mobile cart that enters classrooms of high school age students to reward them with chemical-filled, sugary treats for meeting basic expectations such as showing up to class on-time.

Another role of the OCSN is coordinating Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum. What is not widely understood about SEL is that it has neo-Marxist underpinnings and, in its current iteration, prepares students for social justice-oriented citizenship. It removes focus on achievement expectations in favor of competency-based metrics, reduces effective traditional student discipline in favor of restorative discipline approaches, and stresses collaborative and collective pursuits over the individual. In our schools, the framework of SEL is built on a foundational assumption that all students are impacted by trauma. SEL seems to manufacture mental illness where it previously did not exist, resulting in schools “chasing their tails” by adding more SEL and leading to the creation of more mental illness to treat.

Another role of the OCSN is screening for mental health issues and referring students and families to area resources. One way this is accomplished is through Daily Wellness Checks at School. At White Pines middle school in Grand Haven, fifth and sixth grade students are asked to fill out daily wellness checks. After children complete the forms, counselors and social workers receive the data. This can lead to student referrals to mental health experts where they are prescribed medication.

The movie Medicating Normal explains many connections that link pharmaceutical medications to worsening mental health problems. According to the Ottawa County Youth Assessment Survey, the number of young people experiencing mental health issues is increasing. According to the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International, over 6 million American kids between 0-17 years of age were taking psychiatric drugs in 2020. 

I have no doubt that some kids have legitimate mental health issues. I also know from my lived experience in growing up, and now being a parent, that life is a bumpy ride full of emotional ups and downs. There must be great discernment in deducing whether a real mental health issue exists or a child just needs help in coping with life’s difficulties. So, what has changed since the 1970’s congressional hearing on the Federal Government’s role in promoting the use of amphetamines and Ritalin as behavior modification of grammar school children? In my opinion, it appears the Federal government has taken on an even bigger role and the program has been greatly expanded. It is probably not good for the overall long-term health of our children, but I’ll bet that it is very good for pharmaceutical industry profits.

Share

In my opinion, The Kite Runner achieves two things.  The first achievement is the engrossing depiction of a family's experiences living in 1970s Afghan, the political instability of the country, the invasion of the Soviet Union, and the protagonist's eventual escape from Afghanistan to a better life in the United States.  There are a lot of interesting tidbits in this story regarding daily life in Afghanistan prior to its destruction under Soviet rule, and many Afghan refugees that escaped to the US hold on to their traditions.  Later in the story, our protagonist returns to Afghanistan, vividly describing the fear, bleakness and violence that has become the norm under Taliban rule.  Afghanistan has become a wasteland in which warlords rule indiscriminately, and the author pulls no punches in describing this.  It makes me thankful for the great country we live in.

The second achievement isn't so great.  For those who are familiar with the trend of trauma-informed practice in public education and its relation to Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), the choice of this book in public schools makes sense.  The Kite Runner is pretty much a start-to-end sledgehammer of trauma and depression upon the reader.  Here's a list of some of the dark, twisted, and traumatic events and ideas in this story:

• Right off the bat, we learn that our protagonist, a boy named Amir, feels inadequate as a son.  His relationship with his father (nicknamed Baba) is awkward and he attributes this to his own birth, which resulted in his mother's death due to complications.  This tragedy is on Amir's mind constantly throughout the book.

• Amir comes from wealth and his father is respected in the community.  Like many families in such standing, he has servants – Ali and his young son Hassan.  Living in a shack behind the main house, these Hazara servants dutifully provide all the cooking, cleaning, and home maintenance for Amir and his father.  The ethnic Hazara people are on the lowest rung of the Afghanistan caste system.  At times Amir treats Hassan as a friend, but at other times he treats him like crap just because he can.

• Hassan, who he likes most of the time, is a problem for Amir.  Amir is constantly perturbed by the fact that his father, Baba, is kind to Hassan.  Amir fixates on this and comes across as jealous, selfish, and generally unlikable.  He's also annoyed by Hassan's inherent intelligence.  As a poor Hazara boy, Hassan is illiterate and shouldn't be smart according to Amir's world view.

• Most book reviews of The Kite Runner on Amazon and elsewhere refer to an “incident” or “betrayal” that haunts the relationship between Amir and Hassan.  Well, that incident is a graphic rape of Hassan by an older boy named Assef.  The bully Assef forces his two lackey friends to hold down Hassan as he violates him.  The “betrayal” in this story is that Amir stands farther down the alley witnessing the rape.  He doesn't help Hassan in any way: he doesn't intervene and he doesn't run to get help. Afterwards, they walk home together as blood runs down Hassan's pant legs.  Amir is a disgusting coward of epic proportions, and Amir's shame is another undercurrent that ripples throughout the book.  At this point in the story, Amir doesn't believe that Hassan witnessed his cowardice.  Later in the story we find out that isn't the case.

• After the rape, Hassan is obviously traumatized and depressed.  Amir responds to this by completely blaming the victim.  Amir simply wants Hassan out of his life.  His despicable behavior reaches its climax when he frames Hassan for stealing property, resulting in Ali and Hassan moving away.

• The Soviets invade and Amir and Baba flee in the back of a truck to Pakistan.  The escape is tense, but we see the kind of man Baba is when he puts his life on the line to prevent a Soviet border guard from raping a young woman.  The contrast in character between Amir and his father is made more evident.

• Amir acclimates to living in the United States and eventually marries.  Leading up to the wedding and during the early stages of the marriage, Baba is dying of cancer.  He used to be a bear of a man, and how he's reduced to skin and bones.

• Amir settles into married life.  He and his wife can't have children.  The doctors can't figure out why.

• Amir is summoned to Pakistan by his father's old friend Rahim Kahn who says he can “be good again”.   Rahim knows of the rape and the lies.  In Pakistan, Rahim tells Amir that Hassan and his wife were executed by the Taliban six months prior.  Hassan has a son named Sohrab that is now in an orphanage.  Rahim also tells Amir that Baba is the biological father of Hassan and it is his duty to rescue his nephew Sohrab from the orphanage.  Upon this stunning news, Amir throws a tantrum like a 3-year-old.

• For the first time in his life, Amir acts like a man and goes to Afghanistan to find Sohrab.  The director of the orphanage says Sohrab is gone, but Amir will be able to find him by contacting the Taliban man wearing black sunglasses at the soccer stadium.  At the soccer stadium, the man in black sunglasses performs half-time entertainment by stoning to death a man and a woman. Amir is able to set up a meeting with this man, and it turns out that he is the evil rapist Assef. Assef and his goons have been using little Sohrab as a sex slave.  During a violent fight between Amir and Assef, Sohrab intervenes using a sling shot and Amir and Sohrab escape to Pakistan.

• In Pakistan, Amir is having difficulty getting the proper paperwork to bring Sohrab to the United States.  When Sohrab finds out that he may have to spend time in a Pakistani orphanage, he nearly dies after trying to commit suicide by slitting his wrists.  At the hospital, Sohrab tells Amir that he wishes he hadn't been saved.

• Amir brings Sohrab to the United States.  At the end of the story, Sohrab has been in the States for seven months and refuses to speak to anyone.

As you can see, there are lots of ugly topics of discussion from this story.  I struggle to find any true redeeming values in this story and I can't believe that teachers and the educational establishment in general actually think this book is appropriate for teenage students.  If I were you, I'd opt your child out of this book.

Share