Zincwarrior
Platinum Member
- Nov 18, 2021
- 18,175
- 11,040
Idaho's newly minted teacher of the year was chased out of the state by right wing parents. Moving to Illinois.
its my understanding Idaho already has a severe teacher shortage. Don't see how this helps.
its my understanding Idaho already has a severe teacher shortage. Don't see how this helps.
Idaho loses its 'Teacher of the Year' after right-wing parents chase her out of state
Karen Lauritzen, who was named as Idaho's "Teacher of the Year" last year by a Republican administration, has now been chased out of the state by angry right-wing parents.The Boston Globe reports that, shortly after receiving her award for excellence in teaching, Lauritzen became the target of a...
www.rawstory.com
Karen Lauritzen, who was named as Idaho's "Teacher of the Year" last year by a Republican administration, has now been chased out of the state by angry right-wing parents.
The Boston Globe reports that, shortly after receiving her award for excellence in teaching, Lauritzen became the target of a right-wing media campaign that flagged her social media posts expressing support for LGBTQ rights and the Black Lives Matter movement.
This led to parents angrily demanding to see her lesson plans, despite the fact that there was no suggestion she ever brought her personal politics into the classroom.
However, parents nonetheless objected to teaching students about other cultures around the world and even teaching them about the United Nations on the grounds that the parents said they "don't believe" in the institution.
“I should have felt celebrated and should have felt like this is a great year, and honestly it was one of the toughest years I have ever had teaching, not only with my community but with parents questioning every decision I made as well,” Lauritzen told the Globe. “Even after 21 years of teaching, my professional judgment was called into question more this year than it ever has in the past.”
The longtime Idaho teacher has since left the state and the Globe reports she is now "taking her talents to a university in Illinois, a long-considered career move hastened by the experience."