HomeCulturalCalifornia couple quit their teaching jobs to start their own ‘anti-woke’ school
California couple quit their teaching jobs to start their own ‘anti-woke’ school
May 8, 2024
A couple from California has announced that they are quitting their jobs as teachers in order to start their own “anti-woke” school focused on “traditional American values”.
In recent years, debate has raged over the curriculum in schools, with some traditionalists being against the progressive material taught to children. Read More
One couple is doing everything in their power to fight back against what they believe is public schools becoming “overly politicized” by starting their own,
Kali Fontanilla and her husband Joshua, from California, have founded their online school focusing on “traditional American values” instead of the regular curriculum, which they claim “pushes” liberal politics on students.
The couple, who previously worked as teachers in Salinas, California, quit their jobs after 20 years in education and set up the Exodus Institute instead.
Joshua told the Daily Mail: “I’d say that in general, being a conservative or just somebody who believes in traditional American values is something that makes you kind of endangered or marked in the public school system.
“It’s gotten to the point in public schools where you can’t just mind your own business and keep your politics to yourself because they push it on everyone that you have to participate in liberal politics.”
Kali claimed that she had noticed a marked change over the years she had taught in regular public schools, explaining: “There are a lot of things teachers didn’t have to face at that time.
“There wasn’t pressure to put pronouns in your bio, or in your email [signature]… there wasn’t pressure to ask your students about their pronouns. There weren’t co-workers claiming their white privilege.”
Their school currently has just under 200 pupils. Credit: SolStock/Getty Images
The 41-year-old, who is biracial, claims to have seen an increase in politics in schools following the death of George Floyd in 2020.
She says she was offered a “gift for black teachers” at the time, which included a face mask with the words “black educators matter”, adding: “I don’t want to be recognized for my skin color, I want to be recognized for the work I have done as a teacher in the classroom.
“What if a white teacher wore a ‘white educators matter’ mask? It’s also making a political statement. Me wearing a black educators matter mask is a political statement.”
Kali noticed more politics in the classroom after the death of George Floyd. Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
She and her husband set up the Exodus Institute in May 2022, which they describe as “anti-woke”, and which currently has almost 200 pupils, with fees ranging from $2,000 to $8,000 a year per student.
Joshua explained the ethos behind the school: “It’s a counter, it’s anti-woke and it’s refuting the lies that are taught by the left.
“But really it’s just going back to traditional American values.”
The couple also runs the Young Patriots Academy, which costs $29 a month and is an educational supplement for children who are homeschooled.
