School Teaching Students That Conservatism Wants To Restrict Personal Freedoms

by Dave Jolly 

Union Grove, Wisconsin is a small rural community 16 miles west of Racine and 16 miles north of the Illinois border.  It has a population of around 4,300 people who enjoy the small town lifestyle with easy access to the larger nearby towns.
One would expect a small rural town like Union Grove would be fairly conservative in many of their personal, religious and political views.  But if you look at the lessons that students at Union Grove schools are being taught, you may be in for a surprise.

Tamra Varebrook, a local conservative activist in Union Grove, recently discovered that her 13 year old daughter was being taught politically liberal views in her 8^th grade class.  Her daughter came home from school with a crossword puzzle assignment that was part of a lesson plan on liberalism versus conservatism.  Varebrook, being a responsible parent, was reviewing her daughter’s homework when she discovered something that greatly concerned her.  The clue for the word ‘conservatism’ was:

“The political belief of preserving traditional moral values by restricting personal freedoms and encouraging prosperity through economic freedom.”

If that isn’t bad enough, the definition for ‘liberalism’ was:

“The political belief of equality and personal freedom for everyone, often changing the current system to increase government protection of civil liberties.”

On the back side of the crossword puzzle was a political survey asking the students for their opinions on a number of political topics including guns and gun control. 

Varebrook immediately contacted the school district to complain about the definitions.  She said the school was sympathetic to her concerns and was told that the assignment was wrong and that the teacher feels horrible about it.  School Superintendent Brenda Stevenson issued the following statement:

“At Union Grove Elementary School we have always encouraged parent feedback and have strove to present a balanced curriculum.  We sincerely regret any disapproval associated with this particular assignment.  We will continue to evaluate materials used in the classroom.”

Note that Stevenson says they regret any disapprovals with the assignment, not that they regret what the assignment taught.  I read her statement as saying that they regret being caught teaching the student liberal philosophy.
Varebrook told the local news:

“I think it’s horribly distorted and it’s biased.  It’s insinuating conservatives don’t believe in people having civil liberties. That it’s only for old-fashioned fuddy-duddies.”
“Every piece of homework I’ve seen paints conservatism in a negative light.  I can only imagine what high school is going to bring.”

I went to Dictionary.com and found the following definitions for conservatism:

“The disposition to preserve or restore what is established and traditional and to limit change.”
“A political philosophy advocating the preservation of the best of the established order in society and opposing radical change.”

The online Merriam-Webster dictionary defined conservatism as:

“A political philosophy based on tradition and social stability, stressing established institutions, and preferring gradual development to abrupt change; specifically : such a philosophy calling for lower taxes, limited government regulation of business and investing, a strong national defense, and individual financial responsibility for personal needs.”

There was nothing in the definitions that said anything about giving up one’s personal freedoms as it was defined in the crossword puzzle assignment.  The designers of the homework assignment were obviously staunch liberals who took the opportunity to place their radical views into a public school lesson for the sole purpose of brainwashing students to believe as they do.
This is why it is so important for parents to be involved with their kids’ schools and the schoolwork.  They need to be reviewing what their kids are being taught, especially if they attend public school.  Varebrook understands that and urges all parents to become more actively involved with their kids’ schools, saying:

“We have to be involved as parents.  Otherwise, there is nothing we can do to stop it.”

And don’t think that this is just one isolated case of liberal brainwashing occurring in the public schools.  I’ve written on numerous instances of students being taught things like homosexuality is normal, Christianity and the Bible are wrong, the Boston Tea Party was a terrorist act, America is the evil of the world, Islam is a peaceful religion, and that students should be willing to give up their constitutional rights for the sake of safety and security.

If you don’t know what your kids are being taught, you need to take time to get involved and see for yourself.  You just may be shocked at what you find out.