On this week’s episode, Sam Janney joins the podcast to help us delve into the issue causing many Americans, and specifically women, to change their voting habits — the issue of K-12 education. We discuss the learning loss kids have experienced over the last year, what kids are actually being taught, and the role of parents in their child’s education.
If you follow Sam Janney on Twitter, you likely know her as The Foo, the Twitchy.com editor, #FOOBar podcaster, and an all-around problematic (per Twitter) Happy Warrior. But she’s not actually a chainsaw-wielding rabbit with a bad attitude and a propensity for destruction. She’s a wife and mom who loves her country and believes we must all fight for it. And she does it with a smile and ray of sunshine.
TRANSCRIPT
Beverly Hallberg:
And welcome to She Thinks, a podcast where you’re allowed to think for yourself. I’m your host, Beverly Hallberg. Thank you for joining us today for an exciting episode. Yes, it’s exciting because we have another great guest for you, but also because we have something exciting to announce. We’ve expanded to video. So if you’re watching me right now, you already know where to find us. But for our podcast listeners, you can get this episode and future episodes on video. Just go to Independent Women Forum’s YouTube channel and subscribe. And of course, you can still listen to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and Acast. And it’s great to have Sam Janney as our inaugural guest today for our video production. She joins us to discuss K-12 education, including the learning loss kids have experienced over the last year, what kids are actually being taught, and the role of parents in their child’s education.
But before we bring her on, a little bit more about Sam Janney. If you follow Sam Janney on Twitter, you’re likely to know her as the FOOBar, the Twitchy.com editor, #FOOBar podcaster, and an all-around problematic, per Twitter, happy warrior. But she’s not actually a chainsaw-wielding rabbit with a bad attitude and a propensity for destruction. She’s a wife and a mom who loves her country and believes we must all fight for it and she does it always with a smile and a ray of sunshine. Sam, thank you so much for joining us today.
Sam Janney:
Thanks for having me. How exciting. I get to be the first on video. I love it.
Beverly Hallberg:
You are. And so we love seeing you. You even mentioned that there could be some Corgis running in the background. We like dogs, or I love dogs. I have a bulldog, so dogs are always welcome on our show. So thank you for… Hopefully, they’ll make an appearance at some point. But I thought we would start by, first of all, just having you tell us a little bit about your work and how you do your work while being a mom at the same time.
Sam Janney:
Well, I’m really lucky. I have one of the best jobs in the world. I get to write about things I care about and try to help other people learn about things and I don’t have to worry about someone being angry at me and going after me at work, since I work for a fairly conservative publication. I get to write about politics in a fun way. Things can be drab and dry, and we get to, at Twitchy.com, we make people laugh. We remind people to keep a sense of humor and really just try and keep things lighter. And so I get to do that and I work from home. So you’re looking at my crazy office right now, which is why you see Corgis in the background. So it’s a really good balance for me as a mom, because I get to work from home. I get to pick my kids up. I drop my kids off. I get to do homework with them. It all just balances out. So I get to do what I love and be a mom and it’s the best of all worlds, really.
Beverly Hallberg:
Well, so many of the women at IWF work from home as well, and we love that balance. Now, is this… Your work-from-home schedule, is that something that you had already had in the works or were already doing pre-COVID —
Sam Janney:
Yep.
Beverly Hallberg:
Or was this something that was a change for you?
Sam Janney:
No, I have always been at home, working from home for Twitchy as an editor. I’ve been home probably gosh, since 2016, after spending almost 20 years in the office with corporate communications and marketing and all that. So I’ve been working at home since then, so it really wasn’t a change for me except husband’s home and kids are home and everybody’s home. And that was the big issue for me when everybody was home. So yeah, that was the big change for me.
Beverly Hallberg:
And something you’ve been tweeting quite a bit about and writing about is about education, which is why we have you on the show today.
Sam Janney:
Sure.
Beverly Hallberg:
And I wanted to know, just as a mom yourself, what do you believe is the role of parents in education?
Sam Janney:
I think parents really need to be a part of everything their kids are doing at school. Not that we have to be the ones teaching them. I’m not saying we need to develop curriculum, but we need to be part of what they’re learning so that we know what’s going on and they know we’re a part of that. I think really the most beneficial thing is when teachers and parents work together because ultimately what we all want is for our kids to be successful and the only way to really do that is when you partner up and work together to support those kids. And as a parent, I mean, I just want my kids to do well and actually enjoy school and that’s one of the most important things for me as well.
Beverly Hallberg:
And of course, COVID has been this interesting time where so many parents have had firsthand, this experience of seeing what their kids are actually being taught. I think parents have been more invested than ever.
Sam Janney:
Yeah.
Beverly Hallberg:
And so the Virginia election is a place where I want to start and talk about what we have learned. Now you are wearing the hat bearing the winner’s name, the new governor-elect of Virginia —
Sam Janney:
Yeah.
Beverly Hallberg:
Glenn Youngkin. So obviously you were a proud supporter of Glenn Youngkin.
Sam Janney:
Absolutely.
Beverly Hallberg:
And I want to start us off with a clip from his competitor, Terry McAuliffe. And the reason I wanted to play this clip — this was when he was campaigning — he talked about the role of parents, and I think it’s one of the reasons why he may have lost. So let’s go ahead and play that clip.
Terry McAuliffe:
Veto books, Glenn, not to be knowledge about it. Also take them off the shelves, and I’m not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decision. Stop the bill that I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach. I get really tired —
Beverly Hallberg:
So let’s talk about that. He said he does not think parents should be telling schools what to teach. I don’t think that sat too well with the public, especially in Virginia. What do you say?
Sam Janney:
It was probably the turning point in the election for Glenn. I mean, let’s be honest, Glenn had momentum from the get-go. He was a different kind of politician. He’s a business guy, so he treated everything differently. And when you actually saw him, it was about Glenn cared about Virginia and you could just tell the difference. But when Terry said that, when he said the quiet part out loud, that he didn’t want parents involved at that level, he handed Youngkin a huge gift in this election because parents were already feeling left out. We were already feeling ignored. And to hear that from someone who wants to be our governor, again, it just was this wave for parents and we just got behind Youngkin, who said, “I want parents involved.” You need to be involved.
And it’s interesting because he brings up that bill that, I think it was in 2016 when they passed it, it was a bipartisan and bill that parents would be aware if there were adult books in the libraries and it was bipartisan, and McAuliffe actually vetoed it. So that’s what he was talking about in that clip was that you vetoed this bill. And it’s not just like… They talk like we’re banning books. These are books with adult themes that parents need to be aware of. And so it became this crazy… McAuliffe tried to flip it that we were banning books and that we were these evil fascists trying to keep people from reading about racism and it was the silliest thing I’d ever seen and he started it. So I think, for that really, that was when Youngkin really gained momentum.
Beverly Hallberg:
Yeah. And Terry McAuliffe even doubled down on those attacks against parents and I don’t think parents took too well to that.
Sam Janney:
No.
Beverly Hallberg:
I want to play another clip. This was CNN did a video package with some Virginia moms. Pamela Brown was the host who sat down and these are moms who all voted for the Republican Glenn Youngkin, even though they were prior Democrat voters.
Sam Janney:
Yeah.
Beverly Hallberg:
Let’s listen to why they voted for Republican this time around.
Pamela Brown:
Do you think suburban moms like you basically put Youngkin into office?
Speaker 5:
Yes.
Speaker 6:
Absolutely.
Speaker 5:
100%.
Speaker 6:
He knows this.
Pamela Brown:
And there’s one key issue all four of these women say played a huge part in their choosing a Republican, feeling heard about their child’s education. They spent months fighting to get kids back into school and now they want more done to make up for learning loss from the pandemic.
Kay Greenwell:
The school closures were really hard for a lot of kids and one of my kids, in particular, really suffered when schools were closed.
Shawnna Yashar:
It affected my family dynamic. It affected my social circles. It affected every part of me that the kids couldn’t go to school. And so I had to figure out what can I do to make sure that that never happens again.
Beverly Hallberg:
And I think that’s such a key part that they mentioned there is, of course, there is the language and the narrative from the Democrats against parents. There is the concern about things being taught, like critical race theory and books that have adult themes in them. But then there’s this, also this other side, where moms really struggle to be able to juggle work, their kids, teaching them. They really wanted their kids back in school. And when you look at kids at other states, other cities across this country where schools had been open far longer, it really put that comparison into play. And this is impacting people on a real level.
Sam Janney:
It is, absolutely. My family is from Wyoming and so we were very aware Wyoming was open. Kids are in school. And for us, in March of 2020, when they closed the schools here, it was shocking that they would do that. And then we had no idea that they would continue into the fall. We thought, for sure, we’d be back in the fall. And then we weren’t back in the fall. We were hybrid and then we were virtual and then we were kind of hybrid. And it was the hardest year. It was so hard on our kids because as they need that social interaction. Your parents can only do so much for you. You get tired of being with your parents after a while. It just became this endless fight to get our kids in the classroom.
And eventually, we had to pass legislation in the state of Virginia, which is SB1303 that basically tells schools they have to offer an in-person option for kids who want to go to school, which is crazy that you think about we have to have legislation to get kids in the classroom, but that’s where we were. But now what we’re seeing with this legislation is they snuck in a piece, our Democrat Majority General Assembly, snuck in a piece that says you have to follow the CDC guidelines. Well, CDC guidelines right now say you have to have your kids masked in high-transmission area. So they’re using this legislation that parents fought so hard for, to use as a means to keep our kids masked. So it’s not going to end until Youngkin takes office in January and that’s going to be almost two years of this, so yeah.
Beverly Hallberg:
Yeah. What lessons do you think we have learned about parents? And I’m curious about this in the lens, through the lens of people being willing to speak up. I think we’re in this era where people are shamed for their ideas. It’s more hostile than it’s ever been. But when it came to people’s kids, they didn’t care what they were called and we saw parent after parent show up at school board meetings. What does Virginia teach us about where people really are when it comes to policies that impact their lives in negative ways?
Sam Janney:
I think they really poked the bear, and I like to say that a lot as a mom because that whole mama bear thing. What I think we really learned is that parents, when it’s our children, that’s when we really start fighting. I mean, I think as conservatives, we’re already outspoken, but when it comes to fighting for our kids, it’s a whole new level, and there’s not much as parents we won’t do for our kids. And in a way, it felt like our schools were hurting them. And so I think what you take from Virginia is that parents are almost their own party now. We are a force to be reckoned with and I think every state is going to have to really start paying attention to what parents are saying about schools and making sure they are involved in those schools, no matter what.
Beverly Hallberg:
Now, of course, elections do matter. What about those who do live in blue states, where you see parents standing up, speaking out, but still are struggling to see much progress? Is there anything that you have seen that does work in more of these really deep blue states? Any encouragement you can give to parents that are listening to us from those states?
Sam Janney:
Coming from Virginia when we were deep blue when this started, I say that you have got to advocate at your local levels. Make sure your school board knows your first name and they know when you’re coming to those meetings and they see your emails. I don’t care if they roll their eyes. You keep emailing them. Make sure everybody knows who you are, who your kids are. And no matter what happens, you go to those school board meetings and you speak up. You work with your local legislators, you work with your state legislators and no matter, even if they’re a Democrat, you stay on top of it and you keep pushing because it’s just too important not to give up.
Beverly Hallberg:
And there’s been a lot of confusion about the curriculum that our children are learning. The common narrative right now in many left-leaning media outlets is to say that your kids aren’t learning critical race theory, CRT.
Sam Janney:
Right.
Beverly Hallberg:
What is the truth be behind what they are being taught, knowing that it can change from district to district, but are they dealing with just the semantics of words and not getting to the heart of the issue?
Sam Janney:
Well, we know for a fact that, in 2015, Terry McAuliffe was pushing people to embrace critical race theory, and this was six years ago. What you’re seeing now in Virginia is social-emotional learning and ways of not saying critical race theory, but basing things on critical race theory. So you almost have to know the theory to see it with what’s going on, because again, yeah, it’s semantics. Well, you can’t find critical race theory anywhere in our curriculum. But if I look, I can find components hidden here and there in your teacher training. So it is being taught. It is not some racist dog whistle. Parents who are concerned about it are not racist. It’s a very real thing and I think parents have to keep speaking on it, even if they get called names for doing so.
Beverly Hallberg:
And what have we learned about school choice during this time? Those who’ve been able to homeschool, which homeschool data, that data about how many people are homeschooling has gone through the roof. You have people taking their children to go out to charter schools or private schools of some sort. What have we learned during the era of COVID and then these draconian policies in some schools districts, what have we learned about school choice being the viable option?
Sam Janney:
School choice, I think there’s something like 70% of support now for school choice after what happened with COVID, that the money really should follow the kid and not the system. And of course, our teachers’ unions hate that because they care about the system because that’s where their money comes from. But when the money follows the kid, the kid wins. And that means because they have to compete with each other. At the private schools and the public schools, they all have to find a way to best serve the kid. And I think that’s what we all want. And I don’t know that it was ever as forefront in the argument as it is now, after what happened with COVID. So I really do believe that school choice is really the way to go. And that’s not to say we don’t need public schools. We still need public schools, but we need them to step up and be the best they can be. And the only way that happens is if there’s some competition and that the money actually follows those kiddos.
Beverly Hallberg:
Well, I want to wrap up today by talking a little bit about your work that we mentioned up top. I find it fascinating that you have almost a hundred thousand followers on Twitter. How long have you been on Twitter? How have you garnered this following for women out there, and the men who listen to us, who really want to make a difference and want to get their voice out? What lessons can you teach them?
Sam Janney:
Oh boy, I started doing this a long time ago. I originally started in 2009 and I hated it so much that I stopped. And then in 2013, I got in trouble on Facebook. I tend to… I’m not rainbows and sunshine, so I got in trouble on Facebook and I got put in Facebook jail for 30 days. So I’m like, “Oh, I’m going to go on Twitter again and try it.” And then the rest, they say, is history. I think it comes from battling the left for so long. Part of the following I have is because I have a very take-no-prisoners attitude in most everything I say and do and I’m the same person I am online as I am in life. And so I think that is really what’s key and you got to keep a sense of humor about it.
And I think, working for Twitchy, that is one of my, like a gift to me, because I still get to be goofy. Because things can really get dark and terrible and horrible and when you can keep your sense of humor about all of it, people need that. They get enough of the doom and gloom and so part of my whole following is keeping my sense of humor and the other joke is staying out of jail. So that’s what it’s all based on and just being who you are and saying what you believe and knowing what they’re going to suspend you for and not to say those words. That’s really it.
Beverly Hallberg:
And for somebody maybe who doesn’t have a Twitter account, I encounter this a lot with clients, they don’t want to get on Twitter. They hate what they would consider the cesspool that it is.
Sam Janney:
It is.
Beverly Hallberg:
Well, it is. So how do you feel like you have found that line? I know you talk about a sense of humor, but for somebody who is hesitant in signing up for Twitter and making their voice heard, would you encourage them to do so?
Sam Janney:
I would. It’s one of those things where I don’t want my kids on Twitter, which is silly, but I really don’t. But I think that right now it is one of the best ways to connect with people you don’t know and all around the world there are people. You just have to remember a couple of things. Again, keep your sense of humor and don’t take anything personally because otherwise, yeah, you won’t survive on Twitter. But I think it’s a great tool, especially if you want to connect with people and share message and get people elected. I think it’s really important to be on there and I think it’s a great tool. Besides it being a cesspool, I think it’s worth a shot.
Beverly Hallberg:
And where can people find you?
Sam Janney:
You can find me on Twitter at PolitiBunny. It’s P-O-L-I-T-I-B-U-N-N-Y. And of course, twitchy.com, and I’m all over the place. So I have a podcast, FOOBar, so all kinds of things. But mainly you can find me on Twitter and at Twitchy, so.
Beverly Hallberg:
Well, we so appreciate you joining us today, not just sharing your thoughts on the Virginia race and education, but also sharing a little bit about your life as well. So thank you so much for joining us, Sam Janney. We appreciate it.
Sam Janney:
Thanks for having me. This was great. I really appreciate it. Have a good night.
Beverly Hallberg:
Thanks. And before you all go, Independent Women’s Forum wants you to know that we rely on the generosity of supporters like you. An investment in IWF fuels our efforts to enhance freedom, opportunity, and wellbeing for all Americans. Please consider making a small donation to IWF by visiting iwf.org/donate, that’s iwf.org/donate. Last, if you enjoy this episode of She Thinks and are a parent in the DC, Maryland, or Virginia area, please consider joining us for Independent Women’s Network, Government is Not a Co-Parent Rally next Tuesday at 10:00 AM outside the U.S. Capitol. That is The Government is Not a Co-Parent Rally next Tuesday at 10:00 AM, outside the U.S. Capitol. For more details, please visit us at iwnetwork.com/parentrally. Thank you so much for joining us.