My middle school son and I attended “Meet the Teacher” on Tuesday. And like every year, I feel this sense of annoyance because the second I get there, I have to spend a month of Sundays waiting for a parking space to open and usually end up parking illegally with everyone else anyway. Then, as soon as we walk in the school, we’re all packed into the hallways like sweaty sardines waddling like penguins to the classrooms. And there’s always that one person who’s body odor could choke a donkey or that one nervous kid with bubble guts who lets it rip and there’s nowhere to go but through the stench. I loathe meet the teacher night.
But, this year I despise it more than past years. Last year, it was brought to our attention that Hotwheels Hitler was introducing the Ten Commandments in all the classrooms. The posters had to be a very specific size and hang in a conspicuous area in the classroom for all to see. In other words, they couldn’t be hung behind a large plant or on a window facing the outside. And definitely not on fire in a garbage can. It created a public outcry. Parents everywhere here in Texas took issue with it, including me.
I started by sending the superintendent an email expressing my concerns, asking him to reconsider. This was his response:
Of course I responded back, holding my ground, but chose to escalate it further. My next step was to contact the ACLU. My contact was Amy Tai, Senior Litigation Counsel for Americans United for Separation of Church & State.
I also gathered a coalition of 71 parents in the neighborhood to support the pushback. This was the email I sent to everyone:
It was important that I gave parents an action plan. I’ve learned over the years of advocating for various movements that a lot of people want to help, but they don’t necessarily know what the first step is and end up never actually helping unless they have a simple point in the right direction. The response was overwhelming. Complaints poured into the ACLU’s inboxes. I also gave them local resources and a templated email to the superintendent. I provided them with every avenue I could possibly think of.
Once all of that was covered, I submitted a request to speak at the next school board meeting and on September 15th, 2025, I showed up and gave them all a piece of my mind. The meeting was packed and left with standing room only. I was the only one who spoke out about the ten commandments and was cut off a minute early when I began speaking too many truths. Police officers eyeballed me the entire time, but I spoke anyway. Fuck these christian nationalist fascists.
Here’s my speech:
As soon as I mentioned Charlie Kirk, the mic turned off, with a minute still left on the clock to speak.
I turned around and faced the crowd of people behind me, everybody silently nodded their heads, smiled, some quietly clapped. I could see the fear behind their eyes and it made me angry. Texans act so fucking tough until it’s time to nut up or shut up and they choose silence every goddamn time. Pussies. I didn’t stay to hear out the rest of the meeting. I did what I had gone there to do. I’m not scared of these slimy mother fuckers. My husband grabbed my hand looking proud and vindicated, escorting me out the building and headed home, both swimming in a mixed bag of feelings.
Since then, multiple school districts have been sued by parents, with the ACLU’s backing. But, when you have a corrupt AG like Ken Paxton and a corrupt governor like Greg Abbott, they don’t care what the law states. Like Diaper Don, they just do what they want as if they are mob bosses. Republicans have had control of Texas for 30 years and nothing has gotten better for normal ordinary people. For the last 30 years, the wealthy just kept getting wealthier and the poor kept getting poorer, while the middle class exhausts themselves just trying to stay afloat. This isn’t sustainable.
Which brings us to today.
Most parent’s here in Texas can’t afford private school. That shit’s reserved for the wealthy. Even with the school voucher scam Abbott pushed, normal people can’t afford it. The voucher was only for $10,000 per child, per year. The average private school education costs anywhere from $15,000-$25,000 per kid, per year. I know this because I spent 20 years as a Director for private school education. To send my children to private school, minus the vouchers, it would cost my husband and I around $30,000/year to enroll all four - and that’s a best case scenario. I don’t know about you, but we don’t have an extra $3,000/month just laying around.
Some parents chose to homeschool and I love that for them, but again, that’s also NOT in the cards for most parents. In order to survive these days, both parents need to work to provide food and shelter for their families. Some parents even picking up multiple jobs just to make ends meet. It is incredibly expensive to live in Texas, especially in the DFW area.
There’s a reason why Texas public education is one of the worst in the country, and if we want to get ourselves out of this mess and actually give our kids a chance at success in life, we need to vote out every single Republican on the ballot this election. We currently rank at the bottom 10 nationwide and it shows. Only dipshits vote Republican and hang the ten commandments in classrooms.
Couple this with the Bluebonnet program that has Bible versus and stories woven into it this year, and the dipshit cycle is complete. I have had many talks with my children over the summer and they have been instructed to be ungovernable. As long as they are respectful, I’ve assured them, they will not face any consequences from their Dad and I.
I went over what the teachers are allowed to do, what they’re not allowed to do. I’ve talked to them about standing up for themselves, never stop asking questions, especially regarding the Bible. Christianity requires blind obedience. That’s NOT the Bateman kids. My children have always been straight A students or A-B honor roll students. They’re not idiots and they work hard to make sure they’re not idiots, going above and beyond school to expand the material they learn from.
This is going to be an interesting shitshow of year. My apologies to the teachers in advance. My kids are going to give y’all a run for your money this year. Because, “Thou shalt not indoctrinate my fucking kids…”
But, that’s the consequences of voting Republican I suppose….
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Thank you for being here. Seriously. You make this worth doing.
~Eevie
Eevie, I lived in Texas in that metroplex for years, and I know exactly what you’re talking about. My sister retired from teaching in Oklahoma, and they’re (Oklahoma schools/education board) now being steamrolled by a bunch of idiots as well. It’s a sin. And I went to 12 years of Catholic school. This is something else, as you know. It’s the effing giant patriarchal project infecting every aspect of our lives and poisoning people’s minds and hearts.
You have gone above and beyond in your fight and I applaud you. We have all got to keep fighting this bullshit however we can.
p.s. You gave your kids good advice. Makes me wonder if you have to have a talk about ICE as well (?!). (I’m old and childless.). Anyway. Kudos, and all the best.
I love this! We need to keep speaking truth to power and not let them intimidate us into submission. And "Hotwheels Hitler"? LMAO! 🤣