It won’t allow me to add a screenshot, but she texted me this morning asking “ok so what is trump trying to do with the department of education?” She’s an aspiring teacher and she knows I’m left leaning so I assume she’s seeking other perspectives? I genuinely don’t know how to approach this with her because she constantly gets spooked by “woke talk.” How should I discuss this with her?
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It won’t allow me to add a screenshot, but she texted me this morning asking “ok so what is trump trying to do with the department of education?” She’s an aspiring teacher and she knows I’m left leaning so I assume she’s seeking other perspectives? I genuinely don’t know how to approach this with her because she constantly gets spooked by “woke talk.” How should I discuss this with her?
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The duality of MAGA being so deeply up Trump’s asshole while not knowing the basics of plans that he’s been laying out for years and acting surprised when he actually starts rolling them out baffles me.
“Why, what happened?”
>…she texted me this morning asking “ok so what is trump trying to do with the department of education?” She’s an aspiring teacher and she knows I’m left leaning so I assume she’s seeking other perspectives? I genuinely don’t know how to approach this with her because she constantly gets spooked by “woke talk.” How should I discuss this with her?
‘MAGAts are deplorable’ is not going to help in this situation. ‘Here is a specific, verifiable example of something Trump is doing that will harm you’ is ideal.
> How should I discuss this with her?
If you previously cut contact—don’t.
If you didn’t, just provide plain facts about what he has done. Be specific. Cite sources, plainly and clearly. Give an objective analysis of the costs and benefits of what he is doing. An objective analysis of what he does is devastating to him anyway.
Tell her to just wait and find out because the decision has been made and we won’t get another chance for a long time.
Why don’t we ask the man himself?
>”Oh, I’d like it to be closed immediately. Look at the Department of Education. It’s a big con job,”
just talk with no biased answers. if she reached out to you she knew what she was doing. just answer the questions she has. don’t make it an “i told you so” conversation.
It depends on your goals. For me, instead of just looking at the headlines, it could be really helpful to dig a little deeper into why certain reforms are being proposed and establishing what congress does and what limited powers the President has. Then I would try and steelman the idea of reforms at the Department of education. For example, when you hear about the idea of increasing local control, what are some of the potential benefits someone might see in that? Maybe they believe it allows for more tailored education that fits the specific needs of a community.
Similarly, with the idea of school choice, what’s the strongest argument in favor of it? Perhaps it’s about giving more options to families who feel their current schools aren’t meeting their children’s needs. By really exploring both the potential positives and thinking about the different perspectives involved – from students and teachers to parents and taxpayers – we can get a much more nuanced understanding of what ‘reform’ might actually look like on the ground.
The overall goal is to develop nuance and better understanding, rather than advance any ideological or policy based position.
This is a classic example of a Trump supporter not caring about the shit he’s doing until it personally affects them.
She’s the MAGA one get her to tell you. I personally think he’s laying the groundwork to allow segregated schools again.
Tell her to wake the fuck up.
Joking. I’m in a sassy mood this morning.
You might also want to ask her what she understands the federal Department of Education does.
I find that many, MANY people misunderstand what the Ed department does. They do not set curriculum, they do not set teaching or learning standards. They are essentially a civil rights department trying to ensure that students have equal access to public education (main word here is ACCESS). Along with that, other civil rights come in such as privacy, disability, and that sort of thing. But there is nothing about education standards. Some conservative folks think the Ed department is setting the standard for teaching and learning. How wrong they are. That is all based on the state, not federal Ed department.
Ask her what she knows about what the department of education does 1st.
I had this conversation with my younger cousin a week ago and I told her what they did, how many people worked there before Trump and their budget. She has IEPs so I also explained that my state repeatedly fails their special education requirements, and asked her how she feels the state will manage on their own without oversight.
I told her what Trump was then actively doing. Then let her come to her own conclusions. She has a super MAGA family but mostly due to ignorance. We’ve been practicing this since she was little and she tends to think Trump’s an idiot.
Is she religious and does she have any kids? The plan is to privatize all schools and turn them into Christian nationalist recruitment schools. They will get rid of teacher unions and pay the teachers less and they will have fewer benefits.
In my perspective it’s good to just neutrally explain what the Department of Education is, read about it and give a neutral explanation. Don’t insult the other point of view, just lay it out. Don’t bring up Trump or partisan things.
If someone is “very MAGA” they are not going to abandon that overnight. Even if they do they will retain some of their biases for a while. Putting out kernels of truth and rational points of view, showing yourself to be humble is more effective than anything over time.
I used to listen to conservative talk radio when I was young and I got indoctrinated into that perspective. Eventually it was me checking the facts and reading different perspectives that changed my mind. It is actually depressing to think that if I was born 20 years later I might still have some of the false views I held in the past just because people’s partisan views have become more of a part of their identity as people. Social media encourages this.
So with that being said I could be wrong. However the slow trickle of truth and me having to face the facts is what got me away from where I was.
That’s why I’m in this sub. I want perspective from people that actually hold the views.
From expirence the opinions I hold in the highest regard, even if I disagree, are statements of fact and how you interpret them. Leaving out hyperbolic language and conspiracy theories. That’s likely what thir seeking.
Wait, what? Click bait for sure. Just tell her to read Project 2025.
Here’s what I said to her (background – she’s 25 and no kids, and in a serious relationship with her girlfriend) I’ll update when she answers:
Girl don’t get me started😭 There’s so much that their admin is doing wrong with the DOE but the main thing that will affect teachers is that they’ve already started mass layoffs and their goal is to reduce the numbers to half what they are now. they also changed all the federal grant requirements so lower income schools won’t qualify at the rate they used to and teachers salaries will also probably be stagnant for a long time because of it. and especially teachers working with sped services will prob face challenges due to the potential reductions and resources that were previously coordinated by the DOE, but now that they basically dismantled it there’s no one to oversee the programs and stuff.
and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
they said their original goal was to just “give it back to the states” but that wouldn’t have worked in any capacity because the DOE is there to make sure that the states that don’t have as large a population or as much funding can still have good school systems and get grants. and to make sure they’re all meeting certain requirements in what they’re teaching
He’s trying to dismantle it entirely because education tends to make people more progressive and harder to manipulate.
Point to historical precedents, authoritarians know ignorant people are easier to control.
Tell her what’s happening.
I’d say something along the lines of…
“It’s probably not ONE thing.
He has stated that he wants to close the department of education and return control to states.
It’s probably that he is just trying to fulfill a campaign promise. Lots of his supporters see the Department of Education as bad. Closing it would be a win for his supporters that want that. It could just be that.
At the same time, Trump appointed Linda McMahon as the head of the Department of Education, and she’s big on privatizing education. Getting rid of the ED would help a push for that I suppose, more easily allowing red states to privatize education.”
That’s light and covers what IS happening, not really pushing an opinion on her. THEN I’d ask if she was interested in your opinion on Privatization, Righty opinions on education, and the fact that the Department of Education doesn’t set curriculum and those fucking morons don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about… but, you know, nicely.
Tell her Orange Shitler plans to dismantle the Department of Education. Duuuuhhhhhhhhh.
Then ask her what she expected from him, because it’s not like he was ever a big proponent of education. Betsy DeVos ran the DoE into the ground during his first term.
This might be kind of messed up but the best way to relate to MAGA is use the same tactics they fall for. Use the emotion of fear.
Here’s an example: If the department of education is abolished there will be less support for teens in need, which will cause more poverty, which will cause more violent crimes
Just send her to Project 2025, she’ll have her answer with zero woke talk.
Start by asking questions about what she has heard, what her reactions are, why she wants to know, etc.
Seek to understand before being understood.
It will also make her feel like you aren’t trying to convince her of anything and want to genuinely help her / understand her perspective
Send her a link to the EO about the dept of ed. along w simply “Dismantling/Disbanding it”
He’s trying to create an opportunity for private interests to benefit from student loans
He’s trying to finance tax cuts for rich people by cutting research into best educational practices
He’s either engaged in the political theater of or actually attempting to force christian nationalism into our educational curriculum.
You’re probably not going to be able to get her to absorb everything you want her to see. And, it’s probably better psychologically if it’s gradual anyway. I would start with the most basic of facts, and let her stew on it:
>Hey, nice to hear from you! He’s trying to abolish it. I don’t think it’s Constitutional because it was established by Congress in 1979 but he’s trying anyway.
How she responds to that will clue you in to what she actually is after. If she asks what’s bad about getting rid of the Department of Education, you can go down that path. If she is surprised that Trump is acting unconstitutionally, then you can go down that path.
Note, not saying you would do this, but if you immediately start saying stuff like “you voted for this” you’re probably not going to have the desired effect. We may not get people to openly admit or apologize for their actions, but we should be willing to accept signs of acknowledgement and willingness to get more information outside of their echo chambers as your relative has done. When she is ready, you’ll still be her point of contact, and you can be a trusted source of information for her that she might not get otherwise.
Just say get rid of public education, since that is the easiest way to understand this
Also “very MAGA” and also trying to be a teacher, god love her poor students.
Just talk like a fellow human being. Build trust, be helpful, and give her space to think and maybe change her mind slowly. Don’t get frustrated if she doesn’t turn on a dime, that’s not how changing minds happens. Don’t get frustrated if she stays MAGA; it’s progress if she just goes from very MAGA to less MAGA.
> I genuinely don’t know how to approach this with her because she constantly gets spooked by “woke talk.” How should I discuss this with her?
Tell her to not get upset with your answer because she asked for it. She didn’t ask to like the answer. Then just fuckin spit.
The plan was written for him in project 2025. The goal is to privatize education and roll back child labor laws so the rich get to decide who gets educated and who stays poor. And their criteria will be based on arbitrary moral standards as a placeholder to deny the poor, disabled, and nonchristian entry. If she is okay with that, then she doesn’t need to worry. But if she has a problem with that you may want to gently point out that that is what woke actually is and turning her against it is why Trump has dedicated quite so much time to misrepresenting it as having to do with cat litter boxes in bathrooms or whatever tf.
Why does it take “woke talk” to explain this to her? Just say the facts: The GOP has distrusted the Department of Education since at least the 80s and has wanted to abolish it for all that time. This is one belief that the new MAGA faction shares with the old school Reagan conservatives, they are aligned on it. And Trump is finally doing it. Since it was created by an act of Congress, he can’t officially abolish it, but he can fire every employee and just have it do nothing. That’s what he’s doing. The country will still need and hire teachers though, but how it will work without the DoE may be different.
The easiest way to address this is to just send her the information with no elaboration from you
Links from credible sources according to you, pick a few and send them. If they don’t respond well, don’t engage further.
just tell her he’s trying to abolish it
pretty much exactly whats happening
Simple: Keep it boring, direct, clinical and to the point. Focus on things that are more indisputable and less ideological, and especially on things that will effect her personally.
Teachers who vote republican just blow my mind. How can be person be so self-loathing?
She’s extending an olive branch, OP, and she is probably feeling pretty scared. Avoid any mention of trans kids or girls’ sports, and ask her to imagine how her public education might both effective at educating every child—including those with special needs—as well as being privatized and profitable. This is an economic issue at its core; a math problem where Trump’s solution just doesn’t add up.
I find I get further in any conversation with conservatives/MAGA/etc. if I start with something I know we all agree on. No one like corruption, no one likes money in politics. So I try to incorporate whatever the topic is into that.
Then from there, I use very simple, easy to digest facts without blame and while avoiding trigger words.
Usually this plants a seed. Sometimes it doesn’t work and then we fight lol
But I have to say, most of the time we get somewhere.
“I’m told he’s eliminating waste and making the federal government more efficient. Why do you ask?”
Be careful about using “woke” phrasing. You don’t want to alienate her. Be as neutral as you can with what you share with her. If you are not sure about woke language, have someone you see as neutral proofread it for you.
“He’s abolishing it, why?”
I know Reddit hates to hear it, but it’s 100% true, there are good intentioned Trump voters that aren’t a moral wasteland. Many of them are just ignorant as hell and will engage with you in good faith. I don’t know how many, but I would say a good chunk, wouldn’t even be surprised if it’s the majority just literally don’t follow the news or politics or anything like that. They hear the simplest, sugar coated version of things possible and then take the simple lie over the complex truth. A lot of these people aren’t boomers, they’re Gen-X or have Gen-X parents. Gen-X grew up when the most deeply uncool thing you could do was give a shit. People didn’t have this existential dread.
It was just kind of baked into their nature. Does that absolve them of sin? No. But, it does give you a framework. If she wants to be a teacher that means one of a few options are true. She actually does give a shit about people and really does want to make the world a better place. The fact she’s reaching out to you reinforces this option. But, maybe she wants to be a teacher because she sucks at everything and thinks it’s an easy job (no the fuck it is not), or maybe she just wants to boss kids around and have authority.
It’s best to assume that she’s a good faith actor so laying out the facts and making sure she understands that you can back up everything you say. But also, try to stay away from the overly complex economic discussion and stuff like that. Lay everything out in somewhat simplified terms, but hit hard on how those terms actually effect individual people. Put direct causation between those things that are happening and how children will go hungry or how people will die and so on. She probably voted on gut instinct and emotion. Direct that.
But most of all. Treat her with as much kindness, understanding and compassion you are capable of. She’s a living, breathing person which means she’s still growing and learning. We all are. Don’t make her feel stupid for her views, make her feel proud for asking questions and reassessing her beliefs. Because it IS a very hard thing to do. Could you imagine the sheer shame of realizing you’ve been so wrong about so much and done it very publicly and now you have to back track? So show admiration at her newfound curiosity and willingness to question her previously held assumptions, not disgust at her past political behavior.
As for woke talk, just don’t use all the stupid fucking wording and pedantic bullshit the left is famous for. Because a lot of it sounds stupid as hell. If you just frame it as ‘Attempts at kindness and empathy’ instead of all these complex intellectual arguments you might get through to her better. You don’t want to ‘defund the police’ that sounds stupid and like chaos you want there to be special task forces that are trained to handle emergency events that EMT’s aren’t suited for but aren’t criminal so the police can focus on crime and people who are trained for other stuff can handle that. You want accountability for the police so the police who actually want to help can actually do their job effectively. This shit is hugely popular by both sides if framed this way. So frame it in language that isn’t inflammatory.
You may or may not get through. But, there is that chance. And if you do then she becomes a teacher, you will have a very large ripple effect.
If the question is “What’s he doing with the Department of Ed?” the answer is he’s trying to get rid of it completely.
If her real question is “What’s his ultimate goal for US education?” the answer is to use voucher programs to gut public schools and divert public funds to private corporations and religious organizations. This will also achieve their other goal of dissolving public sector educator unions.
Tell her the truth- he wants to dismantle the entire dept and privatize all education. Whatever district she’s looking at teaching in will lose hundreds of thousands in funding. And of course the dept of education is the one that takes of all student loans- soooooo there’s that. Guess it’s a start. Too bad it took her this long to wake up and that it wasn’t until something directly affected her… but at least it’s something.
My mother is a high school teacher(in California). I asked her if she had personally seen any changes at her school due to the cuts to the dept of education, and she told me that there have been no changes at her school at all, and that most of the changes are to programs such as ESL (English as a second language). She is fortunate enough to teach at a magnet school where most of the students have relatively high academic achievement. My guess is that the budget cuts are only going to affect students that need more help for some reason or another (ie, non-native English speakers, kids with disablities, etc), and won’t affect the majority of students.
I also asked about any kind of pressure from the school to teach “woke” things, which she had no idea bout. Not sure if I should fairly infer that government imposed ‘woke’ education is just a myth or what. It might be because she teaches Chinese language. Maybe the forced woke curriculum is in other subjects like math.