"You're playing knight? ... oh, you're playing king."

September 28, 2022 1:25 PM

What if Trump had a really good kindergarten teacher? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
posted by MollyRealized (8 comments total)

She reminds me a lot of the terrific teachers my kid had in Young 5s and kindergarten. Teaching that emotional awareness and resiliency, catching the "kids" doing the right thing ("I see Dylan not stealing things! Shine on shine on!"). I loved finding out that early ed teachers had these kinds of strategies to use.

Trump...*sigh." If only this had been real.
posted by Well I never at 1:56 PM on September 28, 2022 [2 favorites]

If only his advisors knew to say "I can tell that you're having a really big feeling right now."

Something about casting these episodes as toddler-level instruction really gets at some core truth of everything Trump did, in a way that breathless exposes and tell-all books doesn't.
posted by fatbird at 2:51 PM on September 28, 2022 [12 favorites]

These are great. I'd seen a few but never all of them collected. Thanks!

Something about casting these episodes as toddler-level instruction

Dan Drezner noted early in the Trump administrators that his own staff talked about him to reporters this way, starting what would be a multi-year Twitter megathread: I'll believe that Trump is growing into the presidency when his staff stops talking about him like a toddler.
posted by mark k at 3:23 PM on September 28, 2022 [11 favorites]

I find the drilling video after each one to be slightly alarming.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:21 PM on September 28, 2022 [2 favorites]

although I have mostly maxed out on Trump humor as such, I really like these because she's such a professional. I don't have kids, but I have a real awe at watching teachers and carers work these days because it is so different. Even the really caring teachers back in the day did not have these techniques. When you did something the teacher did not care for, you got told, and that was the end of it; if they had to, they'd pick you up or move your hands and arms like a doll's. Nowadays it's so gentle, and I love it.
posted by Countess Elena at 5:34 PM on September 28, 2022 [13 favorites]

One video is funny. This collection is poignant. It should go in the presidential library. Thanks for collating them, Molly.

I loved Little e's preschool and kindergarten teachers -- but watching these I think, damn, she could have really benefited from this person, too. And I also think -- holy crap, this is the most important stuff to get right. Kindergarten teachers do not get enough respect.
posted by eirias at 6:13 AM on September 29, 2022 [4 favorites]

Kindergarten teachers do not get enough respect.

or pay! The Case for $320,000 Kindergarten Teachers[1,2]
posted by kliuless at 11:42 PM on September 29, 2022

This reminds me of robinramble’s playlist “Miss Rambles Classroom” where she very gently breaks shit down for white people.
posted by bunderful at 1:38 PM on September 30, 2022