Ramona Bessinger was the Providence, Rhode Island, middle school teacher who blew the whistle on the destructive racialized new curriculum, and then went public about the retaliation that followed, all in posts by her at Legal Insurrection:
We covered the harassment and physical intimidation against her at the middle school, including hostility from other teachers:
After her involuntary transfer to Classical High School, the premier Providence public high school in the system that is rated the best in the state, Bessinger endured isolation as she awaited whether she would get permanent teaching slot.
This summer, Bessinger seemed to emerge victorious, Victory – I’m A Teacher Who Blew The Whistle On CRT In Schools, Suffered Retaliation, But Now I’ve Prevailed:
I have received notification that coming this fall, I will have a permanent classroom assignment at Classical High. I have been freed from the basement. I’ll be back in the classroom this September sharing literature about the Holocaust, American authors with universal messages to share, historical references and literature that reflects the greatness of America in all her flaws and perfection. I’ll teach universal themes that all children can relate to, my classroom will have characters and poetry free of harmful political activism and full of accuracy. I hope to instill critical thinking, freedom of thought, rigorous activities that promote lively discussion unprompted by curriculum materials filled with propaganda.It would have been so easy to throw in the towel and step out into the fresh air and sunlight, and leave all that nonsense behind for good. But I persevered with a great deal more that lies ahead.Now, I can continue to teach children the truth about this great nation and perhaps contribute to the restoration of a politically neutral zone for all children K-12.
Bessinger was right that “a great deal more… lies ahead.” Apparently some within the Providence School system are not ready to move on and leave Bessinger alone.
We have just learned that Bessinger’s problems are not over. Some students at Classical are organizing a walk-out and protest against her, aided she has learned by teachers at Classical and her former middle school. Bessinger has provided the names of those teachers to her principal and other administrators and teachers union officials, asking whether it was appropriate for teachers to be organizing students against another teacher.
Here is the protest poster being circulated, which Bessinger believes may have received assistance from a teacher in creating:
More worrisome to Bessinger is that the student group has posted on social media instructions for students to cover their faces so they cannot be identified, and has increased the rhetoric against her that increases the possible physical danger to her.
The student group lists itself on Instagram as a “Collective of Classical students committed to making Classical a safe school for queer and trans students.” It has a list of demands linked unrelated to Bessinger, focusing on “Bathroom Equity” and “Pronouns and Chosen Name Usage By Teachers” requiring teachers use such terminology chosen by students.
Bessinger provided the following statement:
“It appears my students are being lead by activist mob teachers who tell them I am racist and transphobic. Of course nothing of the sort is true. I care deeply for all my students, and respect their individual rights, and beliefs. This is a targeted attack by the crazy 10 % woke mob that influence children using fear and bullying techniques.”
We reached out to Providence Public Schools for comment, but as of this writing have not yet received a response.
This is a developing story, and more details will be provided as they become available.
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