Open Letter From Idaho Grandmother to Legislature

By Christel Swasey

An Idaho grandmother, Yvonne Hyer, recently wrote a letter to legislators.  She didn’t just confront her own representatives about Common Core and student data mining; she signed, stamped, and mailed her letter to one hundred and five members of the Idaho legislature.

On this eve of her ninetieth birthday, Yvonne Hyer told  Idaho legislators that she remembers what she was doing when America’s Pearl Harbor was bombed, on a day when the current Idaho legislators weren’t even born.

Her letter warns, “We had all better remember.  If we don’t learn from the past, we are bound to repeat the same horrible mistakes.”

(I have added some historical photos to illustrate Yvonne Hyer’s points.)

 

Yvonne’s letter explained that is was a mistake to give in –during a climate of dissatisfaction, unemployment and economic insecurity– to the comforting lies of collectivist power-grabbers, focused on transforming schools.

Actual illustrated children’s textbook from 1941 Germany (notice Hitler’s agenda embedded in curriculum)

 

The mistakes seem to be repeating themselves, wrote Yvonne Hyer: American leaders have begun to walk the school-transforming path sketched out by current elected officials and their corporate allies.  This reminded Yvonne Hyer of how many listened to the then-heroic young leader of the 1940s, Adolph Hitler, and how nobody stopped him from taking over the schools.

“He gained control over the minds of the German children who became known as Hitler’s Youth.  This he did in the school room…” she wrote.

Her letter further explains that one reason the German government mandated what went on in the classroom was to indoctrinate students with “politically correct” idealogy.  But there was a second reason.

 

It was student (and family) data mining which took place in large part the German educational system:

“They were taught that it was their duty to report anyone who spoke against the government or its leaders, even their own parents….There was a lot of spying, to keep them in line… If Hitler had had access to Common Core’s data mining in that day, it would have been a snap to get what he wanted…”

“…Please don’t think I’ll believe you or anyone else who tells me that this data mining is strictly for educational purposes. As I told you in the beginning of this letter, I was not born yesterday…. Please do all you can to get us out of Common Core….the data mining of our children, by way of the State Longitudinal Database System, and the complete disregard for the child’s privacy (and their family’s privacy) are uppermost in my mind and heart“.

Yvonne is correct.

But will her legislators ponder the wisdom of this woman’s observations –and take action?

Are they aware that no student or family is permitted to opt out of the state longitudinal database system, which does collect massive amounts of student and family information without parental consent– and that this database system has been built in exactly the same, federally-prescribed, interoperable way, in every single one of the fifty states?

Do they realize that she’s completely correct– that Common Core is no different from the power grabbing that’s taken place throughout history,  where always, the would-be elites have sought and gained access to and control over the school room?

Do they take a moment to think about the fact that the reason so many were successfully deceived and used as pawns in the widespread power-taking agendas of the past (not limited to Hitler’s Reich; including countless historical examples, past and present, around the world–) the reason for that success was that the official marketing lines sound so very, very appealing?

Will these legislators take a moment to fact check Yvonne’s claims and to fact check the claims about Common Core that gush forth, with exactly the same phrasing, from Boards of Education, federal grant application documents, official federal speeches, corporate educational sales speeches, poised-for-riches Chambers of Commerce and crony moneymakers’ speeches?  Why doesn’t any legislature or state school board use its research team to fact-check and motivation-check?

This wise  woman’s call for the legislators to wake up and stop the takeover of our schools and our students’ data privacy could not be more important.

Here’s the letter:

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Dear Senator ________________,

 

In  just four months, I will be 90 years old.  Why is that important and why do I mention it to you?  It’s important because I remember World War II.

Most of you serving in the legislature at this time had not even been born then.  I remember what I was doing on Dec. 7th 1941, the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor!  Most of us living then, still remember, just as all of us living now remember what we were doing on Sept. 11th 2001, the morning the Twin Towers were attacked.  We had all better remember!  If we don’t learn from the past, we are bound to repeat the same horrible experiences.  I see many things going on in our country today, not identical, but reminiscent of an earlier time in a different part of the world.

After World War I, much of Europe was in shambles.  Millions of men had died in the trenches and open battle fields.  As those who survived returned home, they found the additional human cost was staggering.  The length of the war, four long years, brought all kinds of problems, starvation not the least among them, along with unemployment, industry having almost shut down, with so many men at the front.  In this climate of dissatisfaction, a group calling themselves the “Workers’ Party” was formed.

A young corporal was sent by his superiors to a meeting of the group to investigate.  Dressed as a civilian, he blended in and heard a speaker convincingly describe how to get rid of capitalism.  He was given a pamphlet called “My Political Awakening” which resonated with his own feelings.  In challenging a statement made by own of the workers, he learned that he had a voice and passion that could sway his listeners.  He joined the Worker’s party and advanced in its ranks, learned how to work a crowd and thus he entered into politics and in time became one of the most infamous world figures.  He used whatever means and schemes, regardless of morality or legality, to achieve his objectives.

Adolph Hitler!  What a hey-day he would have had with Common Core’s data mining! He gained control over the minds of German children who became known as “Hitler’s Youth”.  This he did in the school room.

They were taught that the Third Reich was supreme and that its leaders had unquestioned authority; this was drilled into them from the earliest grades up.  They were taught that it was their duty to report anyone they heard talking against the government or its leaders, even their own parents, and they did; it was so ingrained in them. There was a lot of spying then to find information on people, to keep them in line.  If Hitler had had access to Common Core’s data mining in that day, it would have been a snap to get the information he wanted.

I know this sounds paranoid because this would never happen in America, but lots of things have happened in our country that we would never have dreamed of.

Of what possible use is all that data that is being gathered through Common Core tests or assessments, and to whom is it important?  Ask yourself that question, and while doing so, let the fact cross your mind, that some of the items of information from your child or grandchild’s “data back pack” might just end up biting you.  Please don’t think I’ll believe you or anyone else who tells me that this data mining is strictly for educational purposes.  As I told you in the beginning of this letter, I was not born yesterday.

Please do all you can to get us out of Common Core.  There are many other things about this program that I am deeply concerned about, but the data mining of our children, by way of the State Longitudinal Database Systems and the complete disregard for the child’s privacy (and their family’s privacy) are uppermost in my mind and heart at this time.

We know that changing the name to Idaho Core didn’t change anything!  We want out!

Those of you not on the Education Committee may not be aware that Common Core is a package deal.  It’s either take all of it, or none.  It is copyrighted by two private trade groups, “The National Governors Association” and “The Council of Chief State School Officers” the NGA and the CCSSO (check: http://www.corestandards.org/public-license ).

We can add a little of what we would like to the program, 15%, but none of that will be included in the assessments.  So if an inquisitive student should choose to study some “outside material” on his own time, none of the knowledge he acquired, regardless of how much effort he put in, or the accuracy or the importance of what he learned, will be counted toward his grade, because it will not be on the prescribed assessment.  When I went to school and even when my children went, students were encouraged to reach out and expand their minds, we even got extra credit.  We were taught that that was the way people got ahead in the world.

If the teachers’ job and salary and the ranking of their school is dependent on how well his or her students perform on the assessment, who can blame them for “teaching to the test”?  Many fine teachers in this awful predicament are disheartened.  This was not why they chose a teaching career.  Few of them dare to speak up against Common Core because they need to provide for their families.

Common Core is and will be more far reaching and intrusive in our lives than any of us can foresee at the present time.  Loss of local control is frightening to me, not just in education, but particularly in education, because of the effect on the minds and hearts of our precious children, the future leaders of our Republic.

Can you please tell me, Senator, why an issue as important as almost completely changing our education system, did not come before the whole legislative body for discussion and debate– time and again?  Is not your opinion on this subject, vital as it is to each of us, as important as that of those on the Education Committee?  Were you not also elected to uphold Idaho conservative values?  You were probably as much in the dark about this as the rest of us; the more people in the dark about it, the more likely it was to be passed, and I think that was planned.

As Common Core is actually being implemented in the classroom and as more people are becoming aware of what this program really is, you will see it becoming more of an issue.

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time”   -Abraham Lincoln

Since Common Core affects all Idahoans, I’m sending this letter to each of you legislators, with my earnest plea that you will consider the ramifications inherent in such power and control as this program gives “somebody”.

Sincerely,

 

Mrs. Yvonne Hyer

Nampa, Idaho

 

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Thank you to Yvonne Hyer