On Wednesday morning’s “Fox & Friends,” Ann Coulter responded to Jimmy Hoffa’s Labor Day remarks by calling kindergarten teachers ‘useless’.
“What I really think needs to be talked about is that no one is mentioning this is Jimmy Hoffa, the president of the Teamsters. They used to be truck drivers and pipefitters. Now he’s representing public school teachers? Kindergarten teachers? Cafeteria workers? Fighting for every last bit of their government pension? What a pathetic downfall!”
Coulter continued: “And how about a little of this tough talk back when the Teamsters supported drilling [for oil] in ANWR? You know: ‘Real jobs for real men’ — as opposed to kindergarten teachers. And how about fighting for nuclear power plants being installed? He’s not even representing men who have actual jobs. He’s representing a bunch of useless public sector workers.”
Co-host Gretchen Carlson then gave Coulter a chance to walk her comments back, saying “I don’t want to say that teachers are useless.”
“No?” Coulter shot back. “I will. They are government workers. Let’s turn it over to private [schools], to vouchers, to charter schools. No, they fight for every last dime. They get summers off. They’re off at two [o'clock] and they make more money than most of those pipefitters who no longer have jobs.”
Here’s the video:
As a person who has taught in many a classroom, I personally take offense at Coulter’s remarks. Teachers work damn hard throughout the year to educate hundreds of children five days a week. I know from experience that kindergarten teachers have perhaps the toughest teaching jobs in the school system. They are basically acting as parents, babysitters, nurses, and educators throughout the day. Most teachers even work after class is over and develop their skills during the summer by teaching summer school or taking college courses to improve their teaching skills and technique.
For Ann Coulter to stab teachers in the back like this is unacceptable and outrageous. I’m betting Coulter was one of those students who whined throughout the day about having homework, or actually having to listen in class. If one of her former teachers ever reads this, I commend you for your patience.
Loud, polarizing, stereotyping… is all I hear from the American right.
What they know well: a vote of the simple-minded is still a vote.
Take good care and look after yourself, America.
HAHA this kind of behavior makes me wonder if some people even own mirrors. In other words, it baffles me how many people just strut through life without ever looking at themselves as crital criteria. In saying this, she failed to realize that her position in that seat, on that broadcast, about that topic… was directly influenced and exponentially created by the skills and commitment of hundreds or maybe thousands of public Service workers. Let’s think a moment, I need a pipefitter as much as I need a toilet to crap in. But I can crap in the woods if I needed to and it wouldn’t phase me much, I can learn how to be a pipefitter and many many other skills, bc of public workers like teachers sacrifice hours of their personal lives and better my communities. She can take that horseface back to DumbLock and live in daddies mansion where she belongs and shut up.
This is another example of a vital, effective educational program which the Republicans want to cut. It isn’t just Ann Colter. You’ll find the same spiel coming out of the Right Wing think tanks. Minorities, especially families that speak another language, are especially affected. To their way of thinking, America wants to return to Normalcy, a political system that benefits only white people. To my mind, this is a blatant strategy designed to garner more votes by appealing to bigotry.
Ann, Have you been in a Kindergarten room lately? It sure doesn’t sound like you have been any where near a school in a very long time! Children in Kindergarten, in my district, Aliquippa, are already learning to READ words, learn their letters and sounds. They are learning a variety of math concepts and so much more. Kindergarten is no longer play. It’s academics! Our Kindergarten Teachers work from the time they enter the building in the morning to the time they leave. Our day is supposed to end at 3:30 but, you will typically find the Kindergarten Teachers along with many other teachers at school until late or bringing their work home to finish. Hmmm.. I’ll bet you don’t even think about work once you leave Ann!
Other countries hold education and educators in high regard. How did you learn to read and write? How did you learn your profession? You’d better thank your Kindergarten teacher and the many teachers you’ve had throughout your life, for your position and your ability to make your comments. Even though your comments should be researched and based on facts instead of fiction!
All Children have a right to a free and appropriate public education! If you take away the monies given to public schools through the a voucher system, or cyber/charter schools it will first, take money away from districts that are struggling thanks to Corbett and crew! Second it violates the law of the separation of church and state. Third these parrochial, cyber/ charter schools are not held to the strict standards that the public schools must follow! Ann, Get your head out of the clouds and come back to earth! Look at the reality of ALL of the FACTS!
Blue Collar workers in the early 1900s were kids that left elementary school to work. My grandfather started working at 9 yrs old. Yes, these construction workers fought for poor kids to go to school, too. They wanted all kids to have choices. Some of their parents weren’t educated, they could go a year earlier to learn what they needed to know for 1st grade. I don’t know how it was possible, but my Grandfather had the best penmanship and could read anything.
Believe me,there are still people who cannot read. These children need help, too.
Seriously Ann, do you have nothing else to do but bust on the very people who are trying to help make productive citizens to help shape the future of our country. Unless you can say that you have contributed to the youth of our country in a positive way, keep your USELESS mouth shut, the teachers of America would really appreciate it…Just sayin’!
My last reply had several spelling errors.Partly because I didn’t re read and out of frustration of Ms.Coulter’s irresponsible remarks regarding kindergarten teaches..Whoops!
I was in kindergarten during the depression.When I statred school it was the second grade.Why?I had everything I needed to learn from a fabulous kindergarten teacher:Miss Babson.When I was 5 my Dad taught me how to play cribbage,which is a card game using a board with peg holw for point scoring.He took me into the old fishermens institute(for retired fishermen)and I drank coffee from an old,thick mug.Back to the future.My nephew teaches 2 advance high school history classes,coaches football and participates in Civil War Reenactments.He attended kindergarten and at 6(1st grade)he taught the other kids about the Civil War.Yes-I said 6.Ms.Coulter,please get off your political high horse and join the real people.The teaches who work hard days and even into the night.I’m(my ego) attending classes to learn Russian and Spanish.My son teaches;French,Latin and speeks Greek,some Italian and Portugeese.I wish you all the best,but not at the expense of ridiculing teaches.
I guarantee that she would not last ONE day in the classroom. She is completely uneducated and needs to do some research before she runs her mouth again.
I guarantee that she would not last ONE day in the classroom. She’s obviously uneducated.
I have to wonder how much she gets paid for her 20 minutes of mis-information but I’m pretty sure she won’t tell us. (I loved when she said they make more than pipe fitters. My kid is a pipefitter ($42 an hour) My wife is a teacher at $21 an hour. I guess at her level of education, 21 is more than 42.
Ok, really? I did not leave my classroom until 8pm last night! I spend so much money on my classroom it makes my husband angry but he still understands because that is how I am. For her to sit there and say all government workers are useless! OMG! I am so mad I am seeing red and tears are running down my face! My school is so dedicated and give everything they have to teach those students. We go to trainings and workshops and stay at school well past 2 freakin o’clock! Not everyone can afford private schools for their children so public schools is the only way for most. There is nothing wrong with public schools just with people who have closed stupid minds like this jackass!
Amen, sister! I am a teacher, too. I often work weeknights into the wee hours, long past what most company executives are working, work every weekend during the school year, and last year, I spent over $1500 out-of-pocket on my classroom. I don’t care about kudos, but what I fear as that this kind of misinformation continues to hurt our chances of ever getting proper funding for education.
I’m actually glad to hear this. The Repukeliscum used to pretend to appreciate teachers. Today, the gloves are off, and I’m glad. A vote for a Repukeliscum is a vote to destroy the public schools, and people need to realize that.
It’s just more of the same negativity and assumption of the worst in fellow human beings from many on the Right. Where all this hate originates is a mystery.
Ann Coulter, you are useless.
…and what a shame. She has those “fuck me” eyes – in a “fuck you” mind…
She thinks kindergarten teachers are useless because what they teach is STILL over her head – and DEFINITELY over her pay grade…