The Freedom Foundation’s first-ever Teacher Freedom Summit, hosted during July in Denver, Colo., attracted like-minded educators from three different countries and 25 U.S. states to share concerns and strategies for dealing with the unions whose representation they no longer want.
Few contingent was as large, or as motivated, as the one from Washington state, and every attendee interviewed expressed gratitude for the chance to connect, revealing a sense of solidarity in their struggles.
However, a concerning reality shadows educators who hold differing views from the contentious narrative of union-led “woke-ism.” These dissenting voices often face a conspiracy of silence orchestrated by the union leaders.
Through tactics such as name-calling and labeling non-dues payers as “scabs” or “freeloaders,” teachers’ unions actively suppress open dialogue and free expression. This atmosphere fosters a belief that leaving the union would weaken the collective’s strength and jeopardize benefits, ultimately discouraging those who question its practices.
One Seattle School District educator said, “I feel like I’m the only opted-out teacher in my crazy school district. Now that I know the Freedom Foundation has my back, I can be a guiding light for other teachers in my area who are unhappy with the union.”
We are witnessing a growing number of Washington Education Association-represented teachers choosing to opt out of the union every day. Several hundred teachers have made this decision so far this year, with half of them in just this quarter alone.
Educators are historically the most difficult workers to reach and persuade, and the Teacher Freedom Summit will continue to have a profound ripple effect on Washington educator’s optout numbers.
Like a stone cast into a still pond, the event’s ripples spread ever outward, touching every corner of the educational landscape, cultivating a culture of support, courage and positive change among Washington’s finest educators.
