NEA Shouts Down Conservative Teacher's Call for Tolerance

AgapePress ^ | July 23, 2003 | Jim Brown and Jenni Parker

[ZGuy]

A conservative educator from Pennsylvania received a chilly response while addressing delegates to the National Education Association's annual convention held in New Orleans earlier this month.

Sissy Jochmann, a second grade teacher from Pennsylvania and chair of the Conservative Educators Caucus, delivered a two-minute speech in which she urged the NEA to support students in their right to choose not to engage in homosexual behavior. But Jochmann says delegates booed and shouted angrily at her while she spoke.

Jochmann's speech called on the NEA to provide "a full range of information and support resources available on homosexuality" and to be more tolerant of people on all sides of the issue. But the audience met Jochmann's proposal with antagonistic heckling and jeers.

"At one point -- the representative assembly -- I was speaking to over 9,400 people. It was a thunderous roar -- they didn't even want to consider debating it," she says.

Apparently the powerful educators' union is less tolerant than it purports to be -- and Jochmann is not the first to call attention to the organization's double standards.

In an editorial written for the organization Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays, Dr. Warren Throckmorton revealed that the NEA convention for the past two years has denied exhibit space to PFOX. Last year, convention organizers told PFOX, an organization that supports homosexuals' right to choose to change their sexual orientation, that no space was available -- although they continued to sell exhibition space to other groups. This year, the NEA refused even to accept the group's application.

Throckmorton is director of college counseling and an associate professor of psychology at Grove City College in Pennsylvania. His research, "Initial Empirical and Clinical Findings Concerning the Change Process for Ex-Gays," was published by the American Psychological Association in the June 2002 issue of their journal, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. The researcher believes in the work of PFOX and decries the unfairness of the NEA in excluding its members' viewpoints from the convention.

Throckmorton says it is time for the predominantly liberal educator's union to work through its ex-homophobia. "With the NEA stonewalling attempts to present ex-gay information, one wonders what the leadership fears from ex-gays. What possible educational purpose is served by suppressing information?" the doctor asks.

Jochmann would agree that the NEA convention creates an atmosphere hostile to alternative points of view.

"It's just amazing how people are even afraid to say that they are Republicans at the NEA convention, because it's overwhelmingly Democrats that are represented," she says. Throughout the event, conservatives tended to be timid about expressing their views, Jochmann adds, particularly on the issue of homosexuality.

The Pennsylvania teacher says she has often considered leaving the NEA but fears if she and her conservative colleagues all drop out, there will be no one to speak up on behalf of children, as she did at the conference.

"It was a wonderful spiritual experience. I'll never be the same as a result. God really blessed me for my obedience, and to experience His power in that circumstance," she says.

Despite being subjected to liberal delegates' hostility, Jochman does not regret her decision to speak out. Her Conservative Educators Caucus gained ten new members at the meeting.

[Brad’s Gramma]

Oh man. God bless her for standing up to the NEA.

[spodefly]

I have simple (perhaps simple-minded?) questions: What in the hell does homosexuality have to do with the three "R's"?

Do we even worry about the fact that publicly educated students in the US lag other industrialized nations in the fundamentals of education?

Are we concerned that US History is no longer taught with any emphasis?

Since when does the fact that certain people consider each others colons to be sex organs take precedent over essential education?

How many millions of dollars of education funds are spent propagating (propagandizing) the homosexual agenda to school kids?

[joesnuffy]

Too bad the SCROTUS isnt as brave as she is-

[Colofornian]

Now why is this of concern to conservatives? I'm sure no conservative would be absent-minded enough to leave their kid in a classroom governed by a dues-paying NEA educator who answers to a dues-paying NEA principle and NEA-backed local school board members, right?

I mean, all of those wacky NEA principles & resolutions & beliefs don't intersect into the classroom...do...they???

[netmilsmom]

God Bless her bravery. Lord Bless her for seeing God's plan and not taking this as a cut down but rather a mission.
This is the website from Google
http://www.ceccentral.org

Drop her a thanks. This lady deserves a FReep!

[thoughtomator]

It's all part of a grand plan to shatter the things that made America what it is, since the success of America is heresy to the Left (just as it is heresy to the Islamokazis, so it's no coincidence they find themselves aligned together quite often). Therefore, in the name of equality for everyone (translation: bringing the standard of living in the USA down to the world average) bitter assaults are necessary on the pillars of US success.

[Eva]

Homosexuality has nothing to do with the three Rs. Homosexuality has everything to do with leftist politics and the NEA is a political machine first, an educational machine second.

The quality of public school education is inversely proportionate to the growth of the NEA.

[nothingnew]

What a bunch of fruitcake C__k_uc_ers.

FMCDH

[mitchbert]

Apparently the powerful educators' union is less tolerant than it purports to be

The concept that Liberals are tolerant is one of the greatest intellectual scams of our age.

They are not tolerant. Anything violating the sacred beliefs of Liberalism are shouted down and spun to the point that most decent thinking individuals don't want to have anything to do with the leftist jackels. This is their plan.

Unfortunately, with the leftist media being so dominant, that's all the sheeple see on a regular basis. It just makes our job harder.

[mrmeyer]

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[hattend]

Sissy Jochmann, a second grade teacher from Pennsylvania and chair of the Conservative Educators Caucus, delivered a two-minute speech in which she urged the NEA to support students in their right to choose not to engage in homosexual behavior. But Jochmann says delegates booed and shouted angrily at her while she spoke.

NEA - "We're very tolerant, just not to you, Sissy"

[DPB101]

Sissy wasn't the only one. David O'Neal was beaten down when he suggested the NEA come out in favor of keeping the word "God" in the pledge. Details here:

SEEN BUT NOT HEARD (World Magazine)

[RightOnline]

Is there anyone with a semblance of a brain left in America that doesn't know what a stinking pile of Socialist s**t the NEA is?????? Anyone??????

[Heatseeker]

Sissy Jochmann, a second grade teacher from Pennsylvania and chair of the Conservative Educators Caucus, delivered a two-minute speech in which she urged the NEA to support students in their right to choose not to engage in homosexual behavior. But Jochmann says delegates booed and shouted angrily at her while she spoke.

In other words, the NEA demands that all students engage in homosexual behavior - they do not have the choice to be otherwise. I wish I could say I was surprised.

[goodnesswins]

Er....one correction...."NEA is a political machine first," A SOCIALIST MACHINE SECOND, and "an educational machine" THIRD. Hope you don't mind my correction.

[NutCrackerBoy]

Jochmann says delegates booed and shouted angrily at her while she spoke.

This reminds me of the reception Christina Hoff-Sommers got when, as an invited speaker to a government conference, she was booed and called a b*tch for making very reasonable point that the performance of government education programs should be a prerequisite to their continuing. I think the case in point happened to be some Hillary-sponsored edu-boost for girls.