Teachers aren’t ‘trying to push an agenda.’ They’re ‘trying to survive,’ sociologist says 

Walters is a total nut.He's one of the guys claiming that there were catboxes in schools because of woke teachers.

He's actually advocating for lying. He wants to leave all the painful parts of history out of his poor little mind

Teachers aren't pushing the agenda. They're leaving the profession. Good night and good luck, USA.

PragerU sounds like poison.

As an urban middle school history teacher. I don't spend my time trying to push an agenda. Most of the kids I teach are still sorting out their lives. 6th grade is what I teach. I work in one of the largest school districts in the country. It is no cakewalk. I spend more time dealing with the lack of communication and consistency from the administration. The lack of parental participation, child classroom engagement, and behavior. Oh, don't forget the parent. Many parents barely help the kids with their work. I call, call, and call. I can't get a response, but please don't let Little Darren get into a fight, which he started. All of a sudden, they are on campus stating that the teacher and administration are problem. Then, there are physical threats that we must contend with. I can go on. Agenda??? Agenda... make sure they learn what they can,prepare them for the future, that they are in a welcome environment, 504, IEP, for the special needs kids are met. That's our agenda. Keep building relationships. Never give up on any young soul. We exhaust ourselves trying to be the best for our kids and the community, yet somehow we are caught in the cross hairs of these people.

That male guest had not one example. He literally quoted tik tok as his source of proof. Tells you all you need to know

Faith is a belief and has no place in scientific governance or factual school education.

She has so many educated and well said point to conter all his basic and very one view points

nostalgia for a past that never really existed...

It is evident who is educated in this contrast by their words. The dude here wreaks of conspiracy theories without evidence, and the lady is more constructive with her response and encourages critical thinking.

This Superintendent is a right wing propagandist. The goal should be supporting teachers to teach kids how to think . Most teachers are just trying to get the kids to read, write and develop math skills.

One reason for the teachers shortage is due to the lack of respect in schools anymore.

He keeps saying the teachers unions are saying that they are teaching a left wing agenda, but he never says what that is

Smart lady!

Separating church and state was SUCH a good idea. Not going back to the Handmaids Tale. Curriculum already coming out of Texas for the entire country. That’s right wing enough

How about supporting teachers instead of making them political boogiemen?

With the very first words out of his mouth, it quickly became clear he was an extremist. This is why I don’t live in Oklahoma, I guess.

WOW can you say cult? That guy would drink the cool aid for sure.

Where is the PragerU video about the Tulsa race riots? I'd like to see that...

As a society we pay are teacher very little yet they spend six hour or more hours a day with our children. Yet we are willing to pay sports stars entertainment stars millions if not hundreds of millions of dollars. This is the choice we have made as a society.

The problem with Walters' position is in almost every category except military spending, the US is not exceptional.

This superintendents political bias is dangerous. He wants to teach kids what to think.

America was founded on human values… not Judeo-Christian values… that’s the whole point of the enlightenment period that shaped the minds of our Founding Fathers… secular civil government. When every other nation still had a priest as head of state, the Founding Fathers chose to separate religion from statehood. That’s not what these politicians are trying to teach our children.

As a college instructor myself, I keep wondering if there will come a day when we hit a tipping point and educators walk out en masse and simply refuse to put up with all the crap anymore. They certainly are not paid enough.

I never had a teacher pushing any political agenda. If you don't like what a school is teaching, home school.

What I've learned from this conversation: Whenever someone doesn't want you to think, they say "Its just common sense."

And another thing; The Orange One wouldn’t know a Judeo-Christian value if it bit him on his spray tan.

3:30 I've seen their videos. We are not all under the religious opinions spell. The right is unconstitutionally passing laws based on their religious opinions. You can't gaslight me, but you can ruin children with it.

Okay, she says 'Teachers go to school to become educators".....so why are so many school boards insisting that PARENTS decide the curriculum? Seven years ago, as a teacher, I walked out of a public school board meeting where they were discussing curriculum when the head of the school board declared "All these children need is some JESUS!" Yep, it was Alabama.

"I taught that they weren't racist because of the color of their skin. They chose to be racist." Someone put this person in charge of the education of an entire state of children.

Politics have no business in schools, period. Teaches have a difficult job as it is, many children in schools today have parents who have no idea how to parent, many are drug users or have done so in the past. People who live in medium to upper class environments have no idea how the poor live. The majority of people in this country are living paycheck to paycheck and are under tremendous stress. There are many children that are victims of poverty and lack of educated, or caring parents. Something needs to be done to support the teachers who are not getting the respect or the pay they deserve. They cannot be parents, school teaches, and nannies at the same time. Teachers need a break! Almost all teachers are over worked and under paid, that's why many are leaving and many are not choosing teaching as a career.

When it comes to history, tell the entire story, warts and all, and let the students make up their own minds about it. The USA's history is peppered with errors in judgement and policy.

Every time I listen to American discussions about the schooling system, I become more grateful that I teach high school in Canada. There is no way something like PragerU would be condoned in the public school system here. I doubt any of our private schools would use it either.

This guy is insinuating that there are no right wing teachers in public schools which is laughable.

She nailed it!

That lady was great

American Exceptionalism? Why not teach the exceptionalism of all humanity?

This idea of teaching kids "how to think, and not what to think" sounds good but I have seen it have serious consequences over the last 15 years in my career teaching high school science. It has led to an influx in non-specialized teachers that can create a perfect lesson plan but wouldn't be able to solve a 9th grade math problem.... In Math, Science, History, and English students need to know the FACTS and we need to install subject matter experts if we are going to dig ourselves out of this gigantic academic hole we dug during Covid...

I know for a fact if Teachers unionized and go on strike, the parents would do anything not to have to deal with their children! They are under appreciated and under paid.

They want control of education ideas, and money.

Literally the more I watch this the more furious I'm becoming. Anyone who insists that their private money making scheme is the only way forward just wants your money

Well, now you know there's definitely an agenda.

This guy sounds so political and him saying make America great again makes me nauseated.

I'm a truck driver who has been listening to Dennis Prager for years. Dennis Prager has good points of view,but Dennis at the root is a diehard racists

Thank you for having an open, respectful discussion. Fearful for Oklahoma students because bringing parents back to the classroom is homeschooling. Every parent has that right but this superintendent needs to reflect on Unitarian, Benjamin Franklin table talks, … the man even mentions Thomas Jefferson who was not even sworn into Presidency using the Bible. Jefferson even rewrote his own version of the Bible! Lol

American exeptionlism maintains an ideology that the USA has never done wrong. Until the USA accepts the atrocities executed under the American constitution and flag, there will never be healing. It seems hypocritical to keep maintaining exceptionalism while at the same time denying wrongdoings.

The country has done great things! It has also done really terrible things. If we start with “American Exceptionalism” and form lessons on that baseline, the instinct will always be to ignore (and sometimes change) the unexceptional things.

Teachers and their unions are definitely not pushing a narrative in our WI schools. None of the craziness that is highlighted in the news is actually happening. Teachers sometimes have to tiptoe in handling and teaching the headlines in current events that are brought into the schools based on what they are seeing and hearing outside the school. Teachers are doing a great job teaching how to think and dissect the “news” to pull out facts and get the students back on track to what their lessons are. I’m very proud of our teachers and administrators keeping the arguments that PRAGER U, Moms for America, and other right or left wing groups from making it into the classroom despite the nonsense that is gaslighted and made to seem they are being taught. We are producing critical thinkers for the next generation. Teachers are among the lowest paid while charged with developing our nation’s future!!! 🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸

He said he wanted to teach the kids how to think not what to think, but then when he described how he taught the Tulsa Massacre, he said he told his kids these were evil people doing evil things. I find, when I talk about these sorts of painful incidents, I don't have to tell my kids who is good and bad. We can explore who did what and what their motivations were and what it felt like to live through the incident, and the kids have their own deep-seated sense of fairness and empathy that lets them draw their own conclusions about what they'd like to do more of or differently in their own time. I often argue with kids to challenge the position the child has taken in order to make them consider the opposing viewpoint (even when I agree with the kid) so they can articulate and defend why they believe what they believe. In 30+ years teaching, have yet to witness a classroom where the teacher pushed either Marxist/ socialist economics as the system our kids should want or work for, or the (Marxist?) policy that you should reject your family and the love and authority of your parents. My work goes best when kids and parents and I are all on the same side in a quest for knowledge and self-confidence.

My parents never participated in school and we were just fine.

"I want schools to teach American exceptionalism" yet he also claims there's no political agenda. The clearest possible political agenda I've ever heard. He doesn't even know enough to try to conceal that position. Dumb. He's dumb. She unfortunately did not mount a great counter-argument. Good topic. Dumb conversation.

Kids should be learning all thats wrong with the United States. Kids must participate in making America a better country

I fully agree teachers should be teaching kids how to think, not what to think. Politics should not be involved in the education system. Educators should stick to the facts, and avoid political ideology and opinion.

Micro management is what frightened, ignorant people do.

The only constant in life is change. That includes society, forms of government, even language.

NBC getting real good at not caring where it’s money comes from.

Trump and "the Conservatives" LOVE the uneducated. Prager U: "Here, hold my beer..."

Asking the question "what makes America great?" presupposes that America IS great. Let's start by asking IS America great? We rank in the middle on most metrics in the western world. We're 1 of like 3 countries on earth that have the death penalty. We rank 1st in confidence, number of incarcerated citizens, guns owned per capita, and GDP. Does that make us great?

If I *ever* heard that they're showing my kid PragerU vids at school, I'd pull him out so fast and switch to home schooling so I can make sure he gets a real education instead of their white supremacist agenda.

Look to this guys State Oklahoma and their policies. Why are you giving him a platform 😐

That guy's working toward an army of baby brown shirts.

It's not looking good for the US.

As a teacher I will fight against the woke agenda

OMG, I would never put my child in a public school in that state.

Greed spreads discontent

Counter argue all things Praguer U propaganda

Yeah this is horrifying

I’m impressed at the civil discourse between three people who completely disagree with each other.

When i worked at an educational publisher texas had a different edition then was sold everywhere else. That was 50 years ago. And here we r

This is more than just about perspective. This is about striving to get as close to the truth as possible. This is about seeing the good and the bad in this country, of which there is a lot on both sides, and learning lessons from both. If we only look at the positive accomplishments and ignore or down play the negative we cannot grow as a people and there is little hope for improvement. America adopted the ideals of the enlightenment but at first many of those benefits were restricted and not universally available to all. Over the centuries and with great pain and difficulty we have, to some extent, faced our deficiencies and failures and have made improvements. But in order to fulfill the promise of our founding ideals we have to learn and study our deficiencies along with our successes and only through open debate and discussion can we hope to emerge a better people and a more just society.

Thank you for reporting on this!

The zealot is out of his gourd. An Amway salesman at best.

I believe people from a different generation are uncomfortable with the amount of information being imparted to children. More doesn’t mean bad, but future generations will evolve differently than my grandparents. The commercials on tv today would horrify my parents. I work closely with youth and I don’t have the luxury of being stagnant and sheltered. My political ideology is concern for the welfare, compassion and safety of all people. As adults we are who children look to for a reality check.

Define "Far left maxist propaganda" cuz it's just teaching history.

PragerU MAGA dude embarrassed himself.

Excellent interview by Chuck Todd.

There's a fascinating video about why Black and White Evangelicals vote differently (for the most part). It has to do with what they see when they look to the past, and who professes a longing for that past _today._ Why some can look back and see 'greatness' while others see exclusion, terror, repression and struggle just for equal footing. It's not that the former are bad, we all just tend to see our groups more than others.

If you don’t like public schools, go to private school or homeschool.

Just listen to what this trio,,this guy is pure unadulterated trump

Where is the black history because America is not America without Black people or Indians?

Prauger U and primary sources cannot be used in the same sentence. These folks are out of control.

Do not trust Dennis Praguer!

This guy is wayyy too online “you’ve seen the viral videos” there are BILLIONS of vids on Tik tok and engagement on there is a dime a dozen it is by NOOO means reflective of real life 😂 this guys needs to touch GRASS

This sounds like a SNL skit.

Appreciate Francesca's view about social media. Nicely worded.

Why does the guy keeping looking down left?

I dont get it.the USA spends more money per student then any country. What happened? I hear just give more money. Im confused 😢

The reporter made a mistake when he said Prager u has far right views. They have right leaning views. Which we used to call common sense.

I think that he said something about teaching what makes our country great, but we have hundreds of years of treating others as property/unhuman. The colonization of North America killed and displaced, what is believed to be 100s of millions of Native Americans. People want to forget about the means because they may be benefiting in the end.

Ryan Walters seems more politician than educator to me, and a small amount of surfing bears this out.

I feel like by using the term "radical" for either side it tends to shape my opinion of the person using the term. Unfavorably toward their opinion. 😅

I personally love primary source (and I too have read the Federalist papers..some repeatedly) and I scream at the BS that are PragerU propaganda videos...

Absolutely.

Chuck Todd was antagonistic toward Ryan Walters from Prager U in this discussion while claiming to be open to the viewpoints from both guests. @9:45 He asks Ryan Walters, “So you believe there should be a biased education in this country.” Ryan said nothing to suggest that prior to Chuck’s question. In fact, everything Ryan said suggested that he desired for a more balanced education. The strongest bias in this discussion was found in Chuck’s disingenuous question.

Everything that guy said is super concerning

I have never hear much Marxism being proposed. Left wing his his boogieman.

“The founders believed in a Jude’s-Cristian value set….” What is that: morality based on mysticism? That ignores the basis for America’s true greatness; the establishment of property rights that empowered any citizen to own the land on which they work and live. This gentleman’s claim that he is an educator is like an astrologist claiming to be competent at brain surgery.

Ryan Walters sounds like a Christian Nationalist. Respectful, but a bit embarrassing for a state Superintendent of Schools.

Most teachers DO have an agenda and they push hard until there is an objection. Liberal teachers are a threat to our children's learning the basic's such as math, reading and writing and science. History is being twisted and I refused to teach this agenda, I wanted to teach true history. I taught history and wanted the students to understand our history, use common sense and critical thinking. You can not teach history without politics because that is what history is But critical thinking is extremely important on this subject. The biggest thing I objected to in school was teaching student's how to protest.

This guy is a lost cause. He influences the school system in Oklahoma? Good grief…. Oklahoma is a state to be avoided…..