Aaron Baker (he/him)
@bakerleft
Followers
3,137
Following
2,436
Media
360
Statuses
7,217
social studies public school teacher and musician. he/him Blogging at
Oklahoma City
Joined April 2012
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
Amethi
• 151768 Tweets
Knicks
• 141113 Tweets
राहुल गांधी
• 125929 Tweets
Sixers
• 71881 Tweets
Brunson
• 69048 Tweets
Pacers
• 62764 Tweets
憲法記念日
• 62541 Tweets
Embiid
• 57203 Tweets
Philly
• 55693 Tweets
#Raebareli
• 54220 Tweets
Dua Lipa
• 36098 Tweets
Maxey
• 31451 Tweets
Bruins
• 27486 Tweets
FREENBECKY IS OUR HOME
• 27304 Tweets
76ers
• 25525 Tweets
Rony
• 25409 Tweets
連休初日
• 23768 Tweets
#FattuPappu
• 22705 Tweets
Tobias Harris
• 21326 Tweets
Pachuca
• 21125 Tweets
स्मृति ईरानी
• 20137 Tweets
Josh Hart
• 20084 Tweets
ゴジラ-1.0
• 19699 Tweets
पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री
• 19271 Tweets
Smriti Irani
• 18964 Tweets
Hield
• 16949 Tweets
Hayırlı Cumalar
• 16903 Tweets
Pumas
• 15360 Tweets
チャレンジクルー
• 15174 Tweets
किशोरी लाल शर्मा
• 14981 Tweets
KerenTIMNASKU STYdanERICK
• 12445 Tweets
TetapSMANGAT GarudaMUDAKU
• 12067 Tweets
Wayanad
• 11775 Tweets
Pinned Tweet
I teach high school in Oklahoma. I am faculty advisor for our Gender and Sexuality Alliance. I have written extensively about diversity, equity, and inclusion in Oklahoma public schools. I am passionate about student democracy and increasing student voice. 🧵
321
168
1K
Student: “Mr. Baker. I would like to be called this name rather than what is in the computer.”
Me: “Absolutely. No problem.”
Student: “And when you communicate with my family, please use my legal name only.”
Me: “Also, no problem.”
#oklaed
48
45
1K
My students are worried for my mental health because a few Twitter trolls are attacking me. Meanwhile, I am worried for my students’ mental health because the entire Oklahoma GOP is attacking them.
#oklaed
47
114
1K
Oklahoma is conservative, but State Superintendent Ryan Walters does not represent Oklahoma values. He is literally indoctrinating Oklahomans into a divisive worldview of fear and hate. Everyone in this state, no exceptions, is harmed by his rhetoric and policies.
#oklaed
46
181
1K
I consider myself a fierce ally in this moment. I am a cisgender, heterosexual, Christian, white, male teacher. I am not oppressed. Oklahoma students are the ones oppressed by Ryan Walters, Kevin Stitt, and the Oklahoma Legislature. That is why I cannot be silent.
#oklaed
55
83
673
Hey, bigoted and hateful elected Republican leaders of Oklahoma! Look over here at me! I’m a white liberal progressive high school social studies teacher in OKC. Focus all your negative energy and hate toward me and away from transgender students and students of color.
#oklaed
163
50
679
I am not looking for trouble, but if trouble finds me here, I will consider that “Good Trouble.”
#oklaed
#BlackLivesMatter
#transrights
#GoodTrouble
42
25
643
There is an indoctrination problem in Oklahoma. Here are a few things I teach to counter it: 1. The 2020 Presidential election was not stolen. 2. There is no widespread voter fraud in the U.S. and 3. Vaccines are safe and effective.
#oklaed
39
54
573
Young families of Oklahoma: You can’t be pro public education and pro school choice. The two are mutually exclusive. Even liking your neighborhood school just a little means you must adamantly oppose Superintendent Ryan Walters.
#oklaed
24
79
558
Students sometimes wear bunny ears and tails with zero intentions of ever using a litter box. And adults sometimes wear big ass hats with zero intentions of being about the business of a cowboy.
#oklaed
28
61
486
My classroom teaching does not violate HB1775 in any way, and yet I am Ryan Walters’ worst nightmare because what he fears most is student empowerment, and empowering students is the best of what I do.
#oklaed
28
44
479
There is no law in Oklahoma that prohibits me from supporting 2SLGBTQ+ students at school.
#oklaed
52
23
466
Today, Libs of TikTok called me an advertisement for homeschooling. So here’s my best pitch: “Don’t homeschool. Your kids deserve to be smarter than you are.”
52
55
452
I refuse to teach from a posture of fear. For me, there is no “chilling effect.” I will continue to do what I do, and I will continue to speak out against policies that harm my students.
14
12
412
It is exciting that there is now a nationwide push for the impeachment of Ryan Walters! Many of us in Oklahoma public education have been calling Ryan Walters on his shit for two years now. We’ve been fighting this fight, & we welcome allies & accomplices the world over!
#oklaed
25
82
410
It will be a rude awakening when Ryan Walters finally realizes that some of his “best and brightest” teachers are also committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
#oklaed
11
34
393
A lot of people in Oklahoma seemed to be confused, so, as a teacher, let me be perfectly clear. The current comprehensive sex education curriculum in Oklahoma is neither opt-in nor opt-out, because it is non-existent.
#oklaed
54
67
392
I have been repeatedly targeted online by a right wing think tank. I have been publicly accosted by school choice advocates. I walked 110 miles as part of the (Tulsa to OKC) March for Education in 2018. I am Superintendent Ryan Walters’ worst nightmare.
24
12
385
One particular Oklahoma high school Gender & Sexuality Alliance held a midsummer meet-up yesterday at Oklahoma City PrideFest. A dozen students and a faculty advisor came together to celebrate, represent, and stay hydrated in the shade. (1/2)
#oklaed
3
19
380
I proudly display a pride flag in my Oklahoma classroom because I support my 2SLGBTQ+ students’ right to exist. 🧵
#oklaed
72
30
384
“The cry against ‘woke teachers’ and the manufactured debate over Critical Race Theory in classrooms and textbooks is, in truth, an assault on students’ ability to think for themselves and direct the path of their own learning.”
#oklaed
29
100
368
I am a public school teacher in Oklahoma. Every day I aspire to be “woke” to ongoing movements of social justice. Furthermore, I want my students to know that (A) systemic racism continues to thrive in the U.S. (B) White privilege is a real lived experience and… (1/2)
#oklaed
13
43
369
I wear this badge & button everyday at my Oklahoma school. I wear them not to indoctrinate, but to appreciate. I wear them not to change minds, but to save lives. I wear them not to spark debate, but to signal safety. I wear them not for division, but for solidarity.
#oklaed
164
27
358
I openly declare that trans girls are girls and that Black Lives Matter. I teach African American History through an antiracist lens.
70
13
353
A whole lot of Oklahoma teachers are political moderates. They do not attend drag shows, nor are they hateful bigots. They are currently keeping their heads down and doing what they do best; teach. And they are quietly supporting their 2SLGBTQ+ students.
#oklaed
15
20
358
The mental gymnastics performed when the Oklahoma right claims public schools “indoctrinate” and then immediately calls for the Ten Commandments to be posted in every public school classroom will never cease to amaze me.
#oklaed
11
87
351
I am in the corner of the room for the Appropriations Education Committee meeting where Ryan Walters will present. I am wearing my “I’m the teacher Ryan Walters warns you about” t-shirt underneath a button up shirt.
#oklaed
15
9
338
The dramatic imbalance of political power in Oklahoma has created a situation where anyone with the “right” look and a fierce commitment to the “right” words can rise to significant power despite having no real qualifications e.g., Ryan Walters.
#oklaed
13
33
335
Last night I thoughtfully decided that, for me, it was not enough to continue quietly doing the right thing under the shadow of the oppressive Ryan Walters administration. Last night was my “silence is violence” moment.
#oklaed
I teach high school in Oklahoma. I am faculty advisor for our Gender and Sexuality Alliance. I have written extensively about diversity, equity, and inclusion in Oklahoma public schools. I am passionate about student democracy and increasing student voice. 🧵
321
168
1K
27
41
332
Ryan Walters will go down in Oklahoma history not only as one of the most hateful politicians, but also as one of the most corrupt.
#oklaed
40
43
328
I have been accused of being obsessed with Ryan Walters, and it may be true. But I can guarantee that this so-called “obsession” will end the day that Ryan Walters no longer holds any elected or appointed office in the state of Oklahoma.
#oklaed
31
20
324
I am a proud union member. I am a registered “independent” voter. I am a formerly ordained Christian minister. I hold a Master of Arts in Theological Studies. I am an award winning teacher and activist. I am an adjunct university professor.
17
9
324
I currently teach U.S. Gov. I previously taught U.S. History & OK History. I have never taught, nor will ever teach, that “America is the greatest country in the history of the world.” It’s not a true statement, & even if it was, it’s not in the standards.
@GovStitt
@sec_walters
66
46
314
Here’s what educators in blue states need to understand about Oklahoma: The overtly racist, fear-mongering, transphobic element of the GOP controls the governor’s office, both houses of the legislature, and now the state department of education.
#oklaed
But…
21
41
311
I have taught social studies in Oklahoma, grades 7-12, for the past ten years. I regularly use social media to express my political views. I consistently receive high marks on teacher evaluations. I am extremely careful with my words.
7
7
300
My U.S. Government students are preparing for a unit study of the Bill of Rights, so I created these temporary visual aids to deepen our understanding of the freedom of religion guaranteed in the 1st amendment.
#oklaed
31
28
295
It’s possible that vouchers will be established in Oklahoma, Black Oklahomans will start Freedom Schools that will be eligible to receive vouchers, and students enrolled at Freedom Schools will be taught a variety of banned “woke” concepts including Critical Race Theory.
#oklaed
26
15
297
I will still be teaching in Oklahoma long after Ryan Walters has been removed from the Oklahoma public education scene. And that’s not a political statement. That’s just because I am competent in my job, and he clearly is not.
#oklaed
26
22
295
Proposed language for new Oklahoma legislation in response to HB1775 - “A teacher, administrator or other employee of a school district, charter school or virtual charter school may make part of a course the following concepts:” 🧵
16
57
289
Trans students exist in Oklahoma schools. Our Governor does not see you. Our Superintendent does not see you. But so many educators see you. And today, on Transgender Day of Visibility, we celebrate you! You bring beauty to our state & our schools!
#oklaed
#TransDayOfVisability
72
32
286
Ryan Walters talks so much about Oklahoma’s “best teachers.” Guess what? I receive high evaluation marks. I have won numerous teaching awards. I am respected among my peers. I have mentored many teacher candidates. This “woke” leftist is one of Oklahoma’s best teachers!
#oklaed
30
18
275
I have tried, but as a public school parent in Oklahoma, I cannot think of a good reason to place photographs of parents in the halls of the state department of education.
#oklaed
18
19
270
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt needs to take my U.S. Government class. There we learn about tribal sovereignty from the following Oklahoma standard: USG.3.4 “Explain that tribal sovereignty is a tribal nation’s inherent power to self-govern...” (1/3)
#oklaed
10
54
270
The only thing worse than the family who takes public money to send their kids to private schools is the church that increases their school’s tuition because families are taking public money to send their kids to private schools.
#oklaed
23
56
260
I got a “woke” teacher bonus from Ryan Walters last year. It consisted of online harassment from trolls, censorship of my teaching, a persistent fear of our future, and a fever dream of increasingly hateful rhetoric & policies. I am prepared to return this bonus in full.
#oklaed
39
28
258
I feel privileged & honored to be in this fight against Ryan Walters’ fascism at the top of Oklahoma public education. These are very difficult, but very important times! I stand with Summer Boismier! I stand with the growing number of state department whistleblowers!
#oklaed
11
39
249
If I quit teaching (in Oklahoma), it won’t be because I have been silenced, because I haven’t. It will be because I want to be louder. There is a difference.
#oklaed
9
26
242
We will learn more in the days & weeks ahead about the beating & death of Nex Benedict. As of now, we do not have certainty. What is now absolutely certain is the persistent hate that Ryan Walters has directed time & again at students just like Nex.
#oklaed
#NexBenedict
37
41
241
The “woke mob” owned public comment at today’s Oklahoma Board of Education meeting. This teacher came home from school and watched these beautiful people speak truth to power. I laughed, I cried, and my heart was filled with hope. We have much fight left in us!
#oklaed
16
20
241
Things are so bad in Oklahoma right now that teachers are talking to journalists “on background” for fear of retribution from Superintendent Ryan Walters. I am always willing to go “on record” about my personal experiences as an Oklahoma teacher. (1/2)
#oklaed
7
37
238
Ryan Walters knows that his worldview is rapidly fading away. He knows that, even in Oklahoma, his bigoted ideas are embraced largely by a dying generation. He knows that his policies will be broadly rejected by the next generation of Oklahoma voters.
#oklaed
34
32
236
In a red state like Oklahoma, neighborhood schools are among the most multicultural, welcoming, and fair spaces any person can find, and that is precisely why the GOP is hell bent on destroying public education.
#oklaed
9
39
236
The Oklahoma Republican Party has fostered a culture of violence in our schools. They model & encourage hatred toward Two-Spirit, Transgender, & Gender Non-Conforming students & educators. Young people take in that hatred & then outwardly express it through violence.
#oklaed
84
44
232
Ensuring that the next generation of Oklahomans wholly subscribe to Ryan Walters’ narrow Evangelical worldview requires that students not be allowed to think, ask questions, or be active participants in the democratic process.
#oklaed
#ryanisnotOK
21
32
230
Every high school in Oklahoma should have a Gender and Sexuality Alliance because there are 2SLGBTQ students in every high school in Oklahoma.
#oklaed
54
12
226
The overtly racist, fear-mongering, transphobic element of the GOP does not occupy all the (Oklahoma) mayors’ offices, district level superintendents, local school boards, and building level principals (not yet at least).
#oklaed
5
14
223
Charter schools are not real public schools. Virtual school is not real school. Virtual charter schools are neither real nor public schools. The idea of a religious virtual charter school is beyond absurd. And now Oklahoma plans to publicly fund this absurdity.
#oklaed
22
54
225
There’s a special place in fake hell for Governors who choose to not feed hungry children.
#oklaed
20
27
219
In 2023 in Oklahoma, another walkout is not the answer. Perhaps Oklahoma teachers could stage a teach-in. Perhaps we could “dramatize the issue” by teaching the same lesson on the same day in thousands of classes all over the state.
#oklaed
27
14
217
I have consumed a lot of Ryan Walters media in the last 2.5 years. Here is one thing I have learned: Ryan Walters does not talk about Black people and does not acknowledge African American existence. This is alarming, and I would very much like to be proven wrong.
#oklaed
🧵
9
26
215
Every school day my students indoctrinate me into a better world that they are creating. It is a world that reaches beyond my imagination and scares the hell out of Ryan Walters.
#oklaed
18
10
211
An incomplete list of things Ryan Walters will eventually seek to remove from Oklahoma schools: 1. Black History Month 2. field trips to tribal owned museums 3. Hispanic Heritage Clubs 4. school participation in MLK Day events 5. Indigenous People’s Day 6. Step Teams
#oklaed
25
48
215
If Oklahoma has learned anything over ten months of Ryan Walters as State Superintendent it’s that things always can and certainly will continue to get worse.
#oklaed
6
25
211
Three reasons why Ryan Walters has not personally targeted me, an outspoken leftist Oklahoma teacher:
1. I am not a woman.
2. I am not Black.
3. I am not a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
#oklaed
27
20
208
I don’t teach because I am called to it. I teach because I am damn good at it; like get a raise from Ryan Walters good. But I emphatically say no to performance based pay!
#oklaed
#ryanisnotok
14
9
211
Kudos to all in Oklahoma who are pushing back against Ryan Walters’ hate, especially those who are not in education! So many have recognized the impossible position we teachers find ourselves in & are stepping up to be on the front lines of this fight. We see & love you!
#oklaed
4
30
210
Now that Ryan Walters has prayed in an Oklahoma classroom, evangelical teachers may think it is perfectly acceptable for them to pray in their classrooms. It is not.
#oklaed
67
26
205
The most dangerous elements of Ryan Walters’ ideology do not arise from education reform, anti-union, or even MAGA Trumpism. Walters’ most dangerous policy ideas arise from his embrace of Christian Nationalism.
#oklaed
#ryanisnotok
15
38
209
I survived a whole semester as a social studies teacher in Oklahoma with Ryan Walters as Superintendent of Public Instruction. Bruised, battered, and a bit jaded, but I survived.
#oklaed
19
9
209
Ryan Walters is not the kind of radical right that circles back to having a lot in common with the radical left. Ryan Walters is the kind of radical right that historically has proven to be a pathway to totalitarianism. Oklahoma should be alarmed.
#oklaed
6
30
204
The Epic Charter School embezzlement case in Oklahoma is not a story about three greedy criminals. It is a cautionary tale about how the charter school system is functioning exactly as designed. Shady systems will attract shady characters.
#oklaed
12
80
203
Ryan Walters clearly does not like DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). So we call it something else, maybe VFB (variety, fairness, and belonging). Whatever it takes for the good work to continue.
#oklaed
#ryanisnotok
8
13
198
It breaks my heart that the leader of public education in Oklahoma behaves this way. I am ashamed as an educator to be affiliated with Ryan Walters. I want every student in Oklahoma to know that they deserve so much better.
#oklaed
"Does "TGIF" stand for "That Guy Is Female" for your marketing geniuses
@budlight
?"
@NathanDahm
404
19
165
10
29
190
I believe in free and public neighborhood schools. When public education is properly funded, there is no need for any school choice policies; no need for open transfer, charters, vouchers, or scholarship programs.
#oklaed
14
13
189
Oklahoma produced Ryan Walters. And Oklahoma will produce more like him or worse; young, Christian, White, male bigots who are not cowboys. They are lining up to be the next Ryan Walters; bigots like Gabe Woolley and Lane Brown.
#oklaed
61
23
189
Ryan Walters released a statement that ended with this “sentence.”
“We want to bring people together to focus on building literacy among our students encourage all Oklahomans to help teach students to read.”
Classic run-on sentence. Our superintendent is below level.
#oklaed
11
29
188
Ryan Walters is not Janet Barresi 2.0. Ryan Walters is not Betsy DeVos (Okie style). Ryan Walters embodies an unprecedented existential threat to public education in Oklahoma.
#oklaed
7
33
187
Ryan Walters does not accept trans kids for who they are. Ryan Walters wants Christianity in schools over other religions. Ryan Walters likes to tell families what books they can & cannot read. These are some of the reasons I call Ryan Walters a bigot.
#oklaed
57
35
187
“The State Board of Education shall trust teachers and allow them to be the professionals they are.”
#oklaed
0
10
186
Ryan Walters and Kevin Stitt are prototypes of 21st century Segregationism. And historically, Segregationists almost always claim that the other side is racist and they are not. Walters and Stitt behave in 2023 exactly how George Wallace and Bull Connor would.
#oklaed
27
37
179
Ryan Walters in every car video:
“We need to get indoctrination out of Oklahoma schools.”
Ryan Walters in an Oklahoma classroom with students:
“Dear lord, bless the nation of Israel.”
#oklaed
12
22
177
I am typically very optimistic, sometimes to a fault. But recent events, especially today’s state board meeting, have me feeling rather defeated. Not looking for sympathy, but calling on rational, justice seeking Oklahomans to rise up. The hate is strong right now!
#oklaed
10
26
176
HB1775 is Oklahoma’s so-called “anti-critical race theory law.” HB1775 is a unjust law. Unjust laws should be repealed. If a law is unjust, then breaking that law can be just. As a teacher in Oklahoma, I have not broken HB1775, but I have absolutely thought about it.
#oklaed
15
20
177
That’s right. We were at school. We were in IEP meetings. We had hall duty. We were driving buses. We were preparing lunch. We were doing the actual work, unlike Ryan Walters. Or maybe we were at home enjoying a day off because Tuesday & Thursday were 12 hour days.
#oklaed
No one shows up to speak for or against Ryan Walters' new DEI, drag queen rules proposals
15
6
33
8
30
177
Ten years from now we will still be dealing with the consequences of two educational crises in Oklahoma: 1. a global pandemic and 2. Ryan Walters.
#oklaed
15
41
172
When considering the precise nature of the relationship between Ryan Walters’ hate speech and Nex Benedict’s death, correlation alone should be enough for an indictment in the court of public opinion.
#oklaed
#NexBenedict
88
36
172
My students don’t know my political opinions. What they know is that our classroom is courageous space for a variety of student opinions. What they know is that hateful opinions will be interrupted & challenged. What they know is that we value inclusion over exclusion.
#oklaed
39
18
173
I am a certified teacher in Oklahoma. My certification is issued and held by the Oklahoma State Department of Education. I am ashamed to be associated in this way with a government agency that demonizes students, misuses public funds, and vilifies teachers.
#oklaed
No Child should feel fear in their school bathroom... Leftist social experiments and ideologies have no breeding ground here in Oklahoma... My administration will do everything in its power to uphold and enforce the law to protect our most vulnerable.
501
20
87
13
17
168
I am a classroom teacher in Oklahoma. I tweet from my own experience. I have no ivory tower, no elected position, & no dark money salary. My voice has been elevated here for no other reason than that I say the things that other teachers are rightfully fearful to say.
#oklaed
11
12
164
I knew Ryan Walters was bad news back in 2020 when his appointment as Secretary of Education set off my education reform alarm. But no one, myself included, could have guessed it would be this incredibly awful!
#oklaed
9
11
165
Like in many red states, things in Oklahoma are really bad right now, and not in the normal way. Trans Oklahomans know it full well. People whose work is in racial healing & 2SLGBTQ+ advocacy know it. Many teachers, though not all, know it. Students are not yet fully aware…
18
17
166
It is now two years after the passage of Oklahoma’s so-called “anti-Critical Race Theory” law, HB1775, and the harm is very real. It is not often in the daily media because the harm is not apparent to those outside the daily experience of public education.
#oklaed
(1/4)
9
34
164
I am a Leftist public school teacher in Oklahoma. If I could indoctrinate my students…
I wouldn’t.
#oklaed
31
4
162