A few comments:
First, I see a LOT of teachers as a psychotherapist. My last patient today was a high school teacher. All are dedicated to their students, all give MORE than 40 hours a week, and ALL are exhausted, and remain so. The time that teachers spent trying to teach from home during COVID is something most have not fully recovered from. This week TCAPs are about over, and every teacher over the last 6 weeks has felt the pressure of their principal and instructional coaches to "teach to the test" so the school's scores will be "good." Teachers struggle with educating students, being there for them emotionally, and putting up with a lot of paperwork. The time it takes to get grades in alone is overwhelming. This being said, I do not know of a teacher who has the time, energy, drive, desire, or patience to "push" any kind of an agenda on their students. Granted, I'm sure there are some out there, but the average teacher is just trying to get through the day, put out any "fires" that may occur, worry about their kids, and get home. And one other ongoing fear that teachers have: a school shooter. This anxiety is not new; the worry about "what if" has occurred with teachers long before the Covenant tragedy. It is a daily fear for our educators.
Mac, you stated that your kids are ". . . more compassionate and empathetic just by being present with people who aren't like them." Nope, not liberal, just being human. We used to be more like that as a country, and we have about lost the quality of accepting and appreciating another person just because of who they are as a human being and not because they are a "carbon copy" of myself. All persons have value and worth. All persons are created in the image of God. I may not like or agree with someone, but I can respect them and their right to their place on this planet.
The Fifth Quarter in Nashville had that look, but not attached to a mall. One of the first to have a massive salad bar:
