Pushed to the Edge: Teachers’ Stories from the Culture Wars

Death threats, doxxing, and accusations of grooming are just some of the grim obstacles confronting California teachers, according to retired educator Granzella’s eye-opening debut. After the Proud Boys “loomed over preschoolers, screaming at the parents” at her local library’s Drag Story Hour in June 2022, the author embarked on a statewide investigation, interviewing California educators about their experiences being targeted for teaching about race, gender, and sexuality. Among them are Lynn, accused by two mothers of “trying to make [their] girls gay” after writing “It gets better” in a supportive note to a struggling student, and Elisa, whose targeting by a pastor for starting an LGBTQ+ club exploded into online outrage (“one commenter recommended that she be stoned, as in biblical times”). Even more alarming are the paltry responses from school boards and administrators, including a principal who cautioned Elisa about telling students about her wife (“Don’t bring that up again. Don’t talk about your family”). Taken together, these stories expose a culture of fear pervading public schools, which, as Granzella emphasizes, is disastrous given how important teachers are for fostering both students’ self-acceptance and their tolerance of difference. Even while offering a few glimmers of hope, like Temecula Valley teachers successfully fighting for the repeal of a critical race theory ban that made teaching about slavery impossible, this paints a dire picture of a besieged school system. (Apr.)