Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers describes the problem well.
Why Do Authoritarians Fear Teachers?
Because We Teach Critical Thinking
Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers. 2025.
“Critical thinking is the heart of democracy, the muscle at the core that keeps democracy healthy and strong. We don’t tell our students who to vote for; we don’t tell our students what to believe. We teach them how to think for themselves, why democracy is important, and how they’re an important part of making it work and making it better. But rather than help teachers build a stronger America based on knowledge and truth and freedom of thought, fascists use fear, bullying, and culture wars to try to shut down teaching and democracy.
Ironically, there is one thing fascists and teachers agree on—that we cannot create a truly democratic, inclusive nation committed to opportunity for all without public schools. Fascists fight against public education because they want to control our minds, control our ideas, and control the future. And what do teachers do? We teach. It’s that simple. Class after class, year after year, we equip the next generation to think for themselves and preserve our nation’s precious bond between individual liberty, opportunity, and the common good.”
We Want Kids to Think—and Read—for Themselves
Excerpt from Why Do Fascists Fear Teachers?
https://www.ahttps://www.aft.org/ae/spring2026/weingarten_wolfsonft.org/ae/spring2026/weingarten_wolfson
Read the book. Why Fascists Fear Teachers. Public Education and The Future of Democracy. 2025.
A project to organize and support efforts to Defend Democracy with a focus on public education is developing. Watch this blog for more. There is a place for you- dear reader.
America’s colleges and universities are the “envy of the world,” driving economic growth and providing better lives for students and their families, said AFT President Randi Weingarten at a launch of the blueprint April 15 in Texas.
“But instead of investing in the next generation, the federal government is stripping hundreds of millions of dollars in research grants, attacking diversity, saddling millions of borrowers with student debt and abolishing minority-serving institutions—all in a cynical attempt to punish political enemies and control knowledge.”
The new policy platform, “A Blueprint for Strengthening and Transforming Higher Education,” details a vision where colleges and universities, not corporations, are treated as key forces in creating a functional democracy.
Teaching Democracy Through Critical Thinking, Civic Participation, and Democratic Engagement
Democracy depends upon an informed, thoughtful, and engaged citizenry. Public education plays a central role in preparing students not only for careers and personal success, but also for meaningful participation in democratic society.
Goal: to assist teachers to shape their teaching toward preserving democracy. To encourage teachers to teach about and encourage democracy in our nation, state, and local institutions, including schools
To assist teachers and
faculty in resisting the increasing demands from the authoritarian right
that right wing ideology be taught as truth or normal in our
schools.
“Educate yourselves
because we will need all of your intelligence.” Antonio Gramsci.
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