Teacher Told First Graders America is a Bad Country
Rep. Mary Miller is raising serious concerns about what she calls widespread political indoctrination in America’s classrooms, pointing to a troubling report that a first-grade student was taught to believe the United States is a “bad country.”
During an interview on The Todd Starnes Show, the Illinois Republican warned that activist teachers and powerful unions are shaping the minds of young children with ideological messaging instead of focusing on basic academics. Watch the interview below.
“It’s coming down from the top, which is the teachers’ unions,” Miller said. “We have to admit that the teachers unions have done incalculable damage to our country.”
Miller argued that the problem is not isolated, but part of a broader national trend. “They are indoctrinating our children rather than educating them, and this is a national problem, but Chicago is a case study in it,” she added.
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The conversation was sparked in part by Chicago Public Schools declaring a “day of civil action” on May 1, raising concerns among parents about whether schools are prioritizing activism over education.
But it was a deeply personal story shared by Miller that underscored the issue. The congresswoman recounted conversations with parents whose young children are being influenced in alarming ways.
“I’ve talked to parents whose children have been upset when they’ve heard the national anthem,” Miller said. “And when they asked them why, their first grader has told them back, because America’s a bad country.”
Miller called the situation “outrageous,” arguing that students are being deprived of both academic fundamentals and a proper understanding of American civics.
“In Illinois, we have over a million students that can’t read at grade level, read or do math—much less understand civics,” she said. “They know nothing about how exceptional our country is, that we’re a constitutional republic, that we have separation of powers—nothing.”
Instead, Miller warned, students are being filled with political ideology. “They’re uninformed, they are uneducated, and thus they’re easily manipulated into accepting these radical ideologies,” she said.
The congresswoman urged parents to take a more active role in monitoring what their children are being taught in school.
“I can’t encourage parents enough to please get involved,” Miller said. “Visit your school, look at the curriculum, talk to your children.”
Miller has been leading a broader effort to push back against what she describes as left-wing influence in education, arguing that reform is urgently needed.
As concerns grow nationwide, her message to parents was clear: pay attention—because what’s happening in the classroom may be shaping far more than reading and writing skills.