My children go to Christian school. I love the middle school, but sometimes I’m afraid my girls miss out at the high school.
The high school doesn’t have the sports programs that the local public school has. There are no Friday night lights at the Christian high school in western Michigan. The kids don’t have a fancy homecoming dance in the fall, and the offering of advanced placement classes is limited.
But, they have Bible class. They have U.S. Government, too. Those who misinterpret the phrase “separation of church and state” always think it means that God isn’t allowed in public buildings. Fortunately, my children get to learn about the government and the Lord.
However, I had a moment this summer when I was tempted by the worldly opportunities at the local school district. Just about the same time I was considering what the girls’ futures would look like if we switched back to public school, the National Education Association had its annual convention in Portland, Oregon. The 2025 Teacher of the Year, Ashlie Crossen, made a shocking statement: “Once I realized how deeply political our profession had always been, I knew I could no longer stay on the sidelines.”
Teaching children reading, writing, history, and math is not political, but the teachers’ unions are injecting radical far-left ideology into our schools. They are unabashedly announcing their allegiance to ideology over education at national conferences.
And, it gets worse.
At this same NEA meeting, they voted on a proposal to cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League. “In a narrow vote of over 6,000 NEA members at the 2025 NEA Representative Assembly, delegates voted to forward to the NEA Executive Committee a recommendation that the National Education Association not use, endorse, or publicize materials from the Anti-Defamation League or participate in ADL programs,” an NEA spokesperson said.
The ADL has provided American public schools with educational resources that cover anti-bias, antisemitism, Holocaust education, and bullying and cyberbullying prevention for years. I’ll let you guess which of those resources is a sudden turn-off to the “deeply political” career of teaching our children.
The NEA is an organization that represents nearly 3 million educators across all 50 states. The union put out a statement regarding its decision to cut ties with the ADL. “The National Education Association and its members are unequivocally committed to the cause of educating, organizing against and combating all forms of hate and discrimination, including antisemitism and anti-Palestinian bigotry. This is a fundamental principle we will never walk away from.”
The ADL responded, calling the vote “profoundly disturbing.”
Teaching about antisemitism and the Holocaust is no longer acceptable to far-left union bosses. I don’t believe they can legitimately say they are combatting hate and discrimination when it seems they are embracing antisemitism instead of fighting against it.
That leads me to a decision of my own. Friday night lights and homecoming don’t outweigh the hate. My children may not watch football games in the fall, but they do learn about eternal, unconditional love. They are taught to treat others the way they would want to be treated, and they serve their community.
JEWISH COLUMBIA PROFESSOR SHAI DAVIDAI LEAVES SCHOOL AFTER WARNING ABOUT ANTISEMITISM
I pay for my four children to attend their schools, and each month, I count my pennies carefully when it comes to the monthly bills just to be able to cover the cost of school. I could live much more comfortably if we used the public school system, and I should feel safe sending them there, but I can’t anymore. The choice is easy when I ask myself if I prefer a cost to me or a permanent cost to them.
I’m a public school graduate. I always thought my kids would go to public school, and they did until 2020. But, today, I sacrifice to make sure they have a Christian education because they are meant to focus on their studies, not someone’s personal political ideology. My children are filled with love, learning, and a lot less stress because of the teachers who bring those values to their classrooms, and I am grateful to them.
Tudor Dixon is a former Republican gubernatorial nominee, executive in Michigan’s steel industry, breast-cancer survivor, and working mom of four girls. She is currently the host of The Tudor Dixon Podcast.