California Federation of Teachers Works Unionizing Propaganda into Curriculum

[Geee]

Big Government:


The California Federation of Teachers thinks it’s important for kids to learn how to run a business. I come from a small business family, so I’m cool with that. The curriculum immediately starts off on the wrong foot, though, because it’s not from the perspective of an entrepreneur, but rather a disgruntled employee.

A “Labor Studies Curriculum for Elementary Schools,” entitled “The Yummy Pizza Company,” takes up to 20 classroom hours over a two-week period. Important concepts in the 10 lessons, such as the value of work and money management, are critical components, but are quickly overshadowed by the fact that 40% of the curriculum is about forming Pizza Makers Union Local 18. That’s right – the program is focused on teaching kids to unionize.

I don’t suppose this creative curriculum has anything do to with current issues, like collective bargaining privileges for public employees. Teachers wouldn’t be so blatant as to involve young children in their political issues, would they?

Art lessons are incorporated into the curriculum. Students are assigned the task of designing a union logo and membership cards. Math is also a focus. Part of the lesson involves calculating “union dues as a percentage of wages.”

But the lesson doesn’t end with forming the union. What’s next? Contract negotiations, of course! Yes, elementary kids are then taught the finer points of collective bargaining. Members of the Pizza Makers Union may “vote to accept offer, negotiate further or strike.”
The next lesson covers “Unions in the real world,” where “Students will learn about a real union and how it helped its members,” as well as “some labor history and a few prominent labor leaders.”

Kids are then encouraged to interview their parents about whether or not they belong to a labor union. Additionally, students will “act out the life of a labor leader.” One wonders how students will manage to depict the thuggery that union bosses have become famous for.
At the end of the curriculum, San Francisco teacher Bill Morgan gave a first-hand account of his use of these lessons.

[clearvision]

Better be careful or the kids will unionize and go on strike against the school.

[Chickadee]

Better be careful or the kids will unionize and go on strike against the school.

clearvision, I do not believe kids need a class to teach them how to go on strike. I have personally experienced going on strike against a school twice in my life so don't think it's a new concept. And I doubt you do either.

 

Fifty years ago we in one of our 10th grade high school classes (on western civilization) ALL walked out of the classroom and told the administration we would not return until they found a teacher who knew what he was talking about and knew how to teach.

 

Then as a freshman in college, we in the girl's dorm said we would set up a coordinated effort to slam each of our dorm room doors at the same time (expecting the building would collapse under such an event), if the building's safety issues were not addressed. This was typed up, signed by each girl in the dorm and submitted to the deans' council.

 

However, to spend 20 hours teaching our ELEMENTARY school kids how to form a union local certainly seems silly to me. It's not so much about being against unions as it is about what I believe to be a total waste of the kids' time and the taxpayers' dollars. Not wishing to be crass, but are they trying to tell all the 10 year old California itinerant farm workers that their only option is to form a union?