Watching Cartoons
Sean Gills was stunned. When his daughter mentioned they had been watching cartoons at school, he assumed it was harmless fun. However, his perspective quickly shifted when he reviewed her most recent homework assignment.
As he examined the project, a troubling realization hit him—something wasn't right. What seemed like innocent entertainment was hiding something darker, and Sean was determined to uncover the truth and put a stop to it once and for all.
Summer Break
The week before summer break was filled with anticipation for Sean, who couldn’t escape the chatter about the upcoming trip he had planned with his four-year-old daughter, Khaia. She was brimming with excitement and couldn’t stop talking about their adventure together.
However, there was still one week to go—one more week of work for Sean and kindergarten for Khaia—before they could finally begin their much-anticipated holiday. They had to patiently wait for the weekend to arrive.
Sticking To The Same Routine
After three years of sticking to the same routine, Sean had grown accustomed to the rhythm of the kindergarten during the final days of school. However, this time, something unexpected happened that threw him off. One of the teachers crossed a line in a way he hadn’t anticipated.
Her actions quickly stirred up strong reactions from the parents, causing a wave of outrage. What exactly did she do that left the parents so upset and ready to take action? The tension in the air was palpable as everyone waited for an explanation.
Nearing Closure
As the school neared its closure, there was little left for the children to do. With lessons having ended the week prior, the kindergarten's main purpose was simply providing a place for the kids to go.
However, this didn't mean the day was all play. The daily routine continued, though adjusted to fit the situation. While activities were less structured, the children still followed a familiar schedule, maintaining some semblance of order during their final days at school.
Enjoyable And Educational
The kindergarten staff wanted to create an activity that was both enjoyable and educational for the children. They brainstormed ideas that would engage the kids while imparting valuable life lessons in a simple, fun manner.
Their solution was to design an activity that would capture the children's attention while subtly teaching them important concepts. Through playful interaction and hands-on experiences, they made sure the lessons were easy to understand, providing both fun and learning in equal measure.
Imparting Valuable Life Lessons
The staff chose to show the children movies that imparted valuable life lessons. These animated films were designed to teach important virtues such as kindness and compassion, with some also focusing on topics like environmental awareness.
Every day, a different teacher would select a movie and oversee the children's viewing experience, ensuring they could reflect on the lessons presented in the films.
Concluding With A Bit Of Homework
Each lesson concluded with a bit of homework. Teachers would design a quiz based on the movie they had selected, and students were tasked with completing it at home.
While it seemed like a straightforward task, it provided valuable learning experiences, even if the lessons were small.
Nothing New
For the parents, the end-of-year festivities were nothing new. They were accustomed to teachers getting creative with activities to keep the children engaged during the final week of school.
However, what caught them off guard was the new teacher's approach. Rather than sticking to the tradition, she tried to impose her personal agenda on the children. This was something the parents could not tolerate, and they were determined to address it.
Appeared To Be Going Well
Initially, everything appeared to be going well. Khaia excitedly shared the details of the movie she had watched, and later, Sean offered to help her with the quiz. Although it wasn’t something he was obligated to do, he recognized the importance of the lessons and wanted to ensure she fully grasped their meaning.
However, by that final evening, things had escalated beyond what he had anticipated. What had started as a simple gesture of support took an unexpected turn, leaving both of them in a situation they hadn't foreseen.
Forgotten About The Movie
When Sean arrived to pick Khaia up from school that afternoon, he assumed she would have forgotten about the movie, especially with their trip looming the next morning. He thought the excitement of the upcoming adventure would have shifted her attention elsewhere.
However, Khaia’s response caught him off guard. Instead of talking about the trip, her mind was entirely fixated on the movie. It was as if the journey they were about to take had completely slipped her mind. Sean couldn’t help but wonder why the movie had taken precedence over their big trip.
Innocent Enough
At first, she was just giving her dad the details of the movie, and he found nothing wrong with it. It was just another kid's movie that managed to captivate his daughter.
But he would soon discover that the movie wasn’t as innocent as it seemed. And when he did, he would be forced to make a decision that could break the teacher’s career.
The Usual Routine
When Sean and Khaia got home, they fell into their usual routine. He cooked them some dinner while his young daughter watched some cartoons.
At that point, he still had no idea what was going on in his little girl’s mind. He had no idea that what the teacher did left her confused and conflicted about what and who she was meant to be.
Talking Some More
As they ate, Khaia continued to tell her dad about the movie they watched that day. It was only then that he realized that she pulled faces when talking about certain scenes.
It wasn’t the excited or curious expression he thought he would see, though. This was a look of utter confusion that had him wondering about what it was that she actually saw.
He Thought He Knew It All
When they were about mid-way through their dinner, Sean thought he knew everything there was to know about the movie his daughter had watched.
But she had left out a crucial detail about it. And that was because, at four years old, she didn’t understand what she saw or how to describe it to her father.
After Dinner
Once they were done eating and cleaning up, Sean took Khaia to his office so the two of them could go over her homework together.
She pulled up her small chair before pulling the papers out of her bag and handing them to her dad. At first, things seemed innocent. But Sean soon saw where the problems stemmed from.
Going Through The Questions
Sean scanned through the pages and over the questions that had to be answered. He was looking for the moral of the story. For the lesson, his daughter was supposed to learn.
But when he found it, the blood froze in his veins. How could they possibly expect little children to be comfortable with that? What were they trying to teach them?
Something Caught His Eye
As Sean’s eyes roamed over the questions, something caught his attention. For the first time since picking his daughter up from school, he found out that the main character in the story was not what he expected.
He discovered that even though the story was made for children, the lesson to be learned was not appropriate for a four-year-old.
It Must’ve Been A Mistake
At first, Sean didn’t want to believe what he was seeing. He wanted to believe that he was coming to conclusions that weren’t real.
He wanted to believe that there was some kind of mistake and that he just misunderstood the situation. That he misunderstood the moral of the story. But was it really just a misunderstanding?
It Didn’t Seem Right
Sean couldn’t understand what had happened that day. He couldn’t understand why a company would make a movie like that for young children. And he couldn’t understand why a teacher would feel it was suitable for children that age.
He had so many questions passing through his mind. And at that point, he didn’t want to go into any more detail about it, especially not with his daughter.
Asking Some Questions
Trying his best not to push the subject while getting information, Sean turned to his daughter and asked her how she felt about the situation.
Khaia confessed that she was confused by the movie and what was expected of her when she grew up. That is when Sean decided that the time had come for him to take action.
Doing Some Research
Later that night, Sean sat down behind his laptop and started researching the movie the children had watched.
He wanted to know if his fears and concerns were valid. He wanted to know if he had a foot to stand on or if he was just grasping at straws. What he did find confirmed his suspicions.
Why’s That A Valid Topic?
Sean watched the trailers and dug deeper into this story than most people would. And he couldn’t help but wonder how the topic contributed to the children's education.
He didn’t understand why this specific teacher would focus on this specific topic when all the other teachers decided to go with life lessons. What was the story behind it all?
It Didn’t Make Any Sense
For a man like Sean, this didn’t make any sense, especially not when he looked at it through the lens his job dictated him to use.
He knew the laws in the State of Canada. And he also knew what the education system demanded. So a topic such as this one baffled him beyond belief.
Feeling Uncomfortable
Plus, Sean was feeling incredibly uncomfortable about the fact that the teacher was allowed to show such things to children that age.
He felt uncomfortable with the fact that the school thought it was fine for children to be indoctrinated in such a way. And he couldn’t help but wonder what else was going on that the parents weren’t aware of.
Trying To Find A Logical Explanation
But through all that time, Sean tried to keep his mind clean. He was trying to find a logical explanation for this topic. Something he might’ve missed.
So he even took the time to watch the movie himself. He sat behind that screen, staring at the pictures that were flashing before his eyes. And that was when he realized something.
There Was None
Sean realized that there was no logical explanation. There was no other valuable life lesson to be learned from the movie.
It didn’t matter what way he used to bend the truth. He always came to the same conclusion. And that didn’t sit too well with him. So he decided to take the next step.
Talking To Her Teacher
The next morning, Sean went to the school to get the teacher’s side of the story. He met Ms. Renna in her office and asked her about the story she made the children watch.
She was incredibly friendly at first and explained the story in such a way that it wouldn’t be suspicious. But when Sean confronted her with the truth, her attitude changed completely.
The Reason Was Absurd
“Children need to learn these things early on in life,” Ms. Renna said as she took a seat at her desk. “If they don’t, it could lead to confusion further down the line.”
Sean had a look of utter confusion on his face as he stared down at the woman. How could she possibly think it was right to teach a four-year-old about sexuality?
The Law Didn’t Allow It
Plus, the law didn’t allow this kind of thing at all. Sean knew that all too well, as the law had been passed mere months before.
According to the law, schools weren’t allowed to teach about sexuality, gender identity, or anything else that could be considered indoctrination. And that law didn’t just go for kindergartens. It extended to everything, including high schools.
What She Didn’t Know
The teacher continued her rant about how the law was wrong and that children needed to be taught these things as soon as possible. But there was one thing she didn’t know.
Sean was the vice president of the school board. He formed a part of the team that dictated what was suitable at what age. And in his opinion, this wasn’t suitable at all.