FASCISM STARTS OFF LOOKING RIDICULOUS

Public schools start in early August here in the Free State. The month starts off with teacher planning. About a week later we hold an open house the day before students return to campus. It’s usually a time of great pride for teachers to show off their newly decorated classrooms, brand-new bulletin board and posters, and such.

This year was a little different. Some teachers, including myself, had an extra task. Because the books in our classroom libraries had not yet been vetted by the state, we had to cover all of our books so they could not be seen during open house.

My position on this is clear in my own mind. I’m done participating in this fascist system at this point. I scanned in more than seven-hundred books…mostly to force the media “specialists” to review seven-hundred books.¹ I have no intention of removing any books from my library. In fact, I plan on adding books!

So, I debated covering my bookshelves. Then I realized that parents need to see what the world has come to under the pudgy iron fist of The High DeSantis. I did as I was told. I went to the supplies and got the brightest, reddest, paper I could get. I then placed signs over the bookshelves explaining why they were covered.²

Part of me wanted to see what the parents’ reactions would be. None seemed impressed. Most pretended that there was nothing unusual going on at all. A significant number, however, expressed support for what I was trying to communicate.

I only wonder how far that support will go once I’m fired.

Here’s the video.

The irony is that this looks ridiculous. Fascism, at least at first, seems harmlessly silly. Of course, it’s not.

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Notes

1. I’m aware of the fact that loading so many books may be why they have not been vetted yet…but the district should have thought of that when they came up with the rule.
2. Yes, I know. I misspelled “really”. I had a lot of work to do and was in a hurry. I didn’t edit.