Commentary for a Sunday: Teaching American Values Is Considered Problematic by the Left—This Means We the People Have a Lot of Undoing to Do

If news anchors and teachers’ union representatives continue to label pro-American and age-appropriate educational materials as “problematic,” does it mean our schools are in more serious trouble than we thought? YES.

This from Jill Simonian on townhall.com.

Over the past several weeks, television and online media continues to lose their virtual minds with the news that PragerU Kids (teaching kids American values) is now approved to provide supplemental and optional curricula in Florida, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, and now Montana. But the opposition will not rest:

 – Vanity Fair has multiple articles lambasting PragerU’s content,

 – USA Today, Forbes, and People all jumped on the groupthink bandwagon too—with talking points nearly identical to Daily Beast’s initial interpretation,

 – MSNBC’s Alex Wagner scoffed that our videos mention Judeo-Christian values on occasion—despite that our Pledge of Allegiance contains the words “under God” and the fact that the official motto of the United States remains (at least, for now) “In God We Trust,”

 – Local news stations have featured countless panicked soundbites from uninformed parents and union reps committing to keep PragerU Kids “out” of their schools.

 – Media Matters for America ranted on X detailing our “lowlights” and,

 – Yahoo News warned readers that we “lack academic accreditation” despite countless school districts across America currently using non-accredited teaching materials from Black Lives Matter that encourage political activism and Amaze.org that includes videos on pan-sexuality.

While accusations labeling PragerU Kids as “right-wing propaganda in schools” are outright lies (go to the website and judge the videos for yourself), the frenzy started as hilarious but now has turned terrifying for everyone—regardless of what side of the aisle on which you happen to be.

Why does aiming to unite youngsters, despite our differences and historical faults, make people angry? Because much of our school system, government leaders and powerful unions no longer seem to want children to be unified as Americans. Rest In Peace, E Pluribus Unum?

Another tragedy is that the media, school boards, and educators have bought into the anti-American rhetoric.

Civil discourse and rational questions from concerned parents and citizens continue to be squashed online and in public forums.

What we have now in America is a concerted effort to safeguard a politicized education system that not only embraced the idea that America is a terrible place, but has also downright failed children.

Recent findings from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) prove:

 – [R]eading scores have plummeted to dismal levels,

 – 30-40% of 4th graders falling below basic standards,

 – 20 years of progress… gone, and

 – Only 13% of America’s 8th graders are capable of explaining significant people, places, and documents in U.S. history.

Meanwhile, many state education departments insist on prioritizing:

 – gender fluidity activities,

 – systemic racism lessons, and

 – Social Emotional Learning (SEL) surveys that ask young learners if they are “non-binary”—often without parental knowledge or consent.

And, if parents question these separatist tactics and realities in a public forum, they are told to shut up for being racist or unkind.

For decades, the left has stripped concerned and conservative parents of having a voice for our own children’s education—scrapping American values and ideas from schools while promoting radical ideology and rewriting history.

The result? Timeless American values like hard work, equality, responsibility, and tolerance are lambasted as being “problematic.”

This has been a major problem from the start, but it has grown to dangerous, culture-erasing, nation-destroying proportions. Placating angry parents is no longer possible. And rightfully not.

As a California mom, I sought choice. I pulled my children out of our ‘high-performing’ school district years ago because of age-inappropriate initiatives and lack of transparency. Those of us who begged for a renewed focus on academics that support common cultural literacy to connect us as Americans are labeled ‘domestic terrorists’ or ‘extremists.’ We refuse to be bullied anymore.

And, PragerU Kids—created by a few moms in California two years ago, who were frustrated with activism in our classrooms—is now approved to provide a bridge between parents and educators seeking wholesome options for children.

What does this mean? Transparency and local control.

Schools in Florida, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, and Montana (with more states being added soon) now have the option to use our materials and turnkey lesson plans at their discretion, per needs that differ from district to district—whether that includes our Otto’s Tales books about American holidays for young learners, our Cash Course video about understanding taxes, our Street Smarts episode about the Bill of Rights, or our 5-Minute Video about president Calvin Coolidge’s accomplishments.

No secrets. No surprises. You don’t like something? Don’t use it. How does this squash diversity of thought, critical thinking, or freedom of speech?

Yes, PragerU Kids is a firm believer in teaching students life skills, goodness, appreciation for each other, and love for country with wholesome materials—what any reasonable American parent wants. And if learning about how money works, how our government was set up to function, or how America is a great country to live in is now considered “harmful and hateful,” liberals and conservatives should equally be terrified.

Final thought: America may never be returned to the old ‘Normal’ with which we grew up, but concerned parents have begun to take control and are correcting the wrongs of the Left.