The nation’s largest teachers’ union recently garnered backlash after making the claim on Twitter that educators “know better than anyone” how to educate students.

“Educators love their students and know better than anyone what they need to learn and to thrive,” the National Education Association (NEA) tweeted Saturday evening, in a tweet they’ve since made unavailable. 

Critics were quick to respond, specifically noting the importance of parents in their child’s education.

“Parents love their children and know better than anyone what they need to learn and thrive,” replied The Real Parents of Loudoun County. “They’ve also taught them not to trust adults that tell them to keep secrets from their parents.”

Users also noted how insufficient student scores are today in the U.S.

“Then why can’t 65% of children read proficiently by the end of 3rd gr[ade] in this country?” questioned Education-Consumers. “That 65% isn’t going to learn or thrive in school.  In fact, 70% will either drop out or graduate unprepared for college or a career.”

Some responses were a bit satirical.

“Is this an ad for school choice?” asked Libs of TikTok.

Corey DeAngelis, a school choice advocate who’s worked to take down teachers’ unions, responded to the NEA, “delete your account” and “they aren’t your kids.”

In contrast, some users applauded the NEA’s statement.

“Professional educators have done the studying. We’ve done the research, and continue to do so, and as a result we have the subject-matter expertise,” tweeted one user. “Thank you for your support. It *is* a rich skill set, and far too few respect how valuable it is.”

“Most parents don’t have education degrees,” chimed in another.

Some users noted how much they enjoyed their teachers, which was why they agreed with the NEA.

“My kids teachers are phenomenal. I agree 109%,” wrote one.

One user, who was also responding to DeAngelis’ tweet saying “they aren’t your kids,” noted how teachers are being controlled.

“And my kid is not your kid so stop micromanaging teachers. If you want control homeschool them,” said the user.

Yet, some users were a little more in the middle.

“My kids teachers are great also.  But they don’t have the same interest as parents do, nor should they. This remark is disgraceful for both parties,” said one.

“Big schools are failing kids due to too many students and too few GOOD teachers,” added another. “My daughter is 5, goes to a small school and can already read, count to over 100, and loves science. All because she has GOOD teachers, not teachers who just show up to collect a paycheck.”

One teacher also weighed in, saying, “as a teacher I so wish you would stop saying stuff like this.  It makes our profession look so bad!  Parents are a massive part of this equation.  Most teachers and school systems understand this.”

The NEA has worked to diminish parental rights in schools, such as fighting against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill, and any other similar legislation across the country. Florida’s law has been called the “Don’t Say Gay” law by critics, even though it’s only meant to protect young children from being exposed to sexually explicit material in school.

The NEA’s LGBTQ+ Caucus awarded badges to teachers who promoted content off its website, which provides how-to guides for various sexual activities. While the Caucus said it doesn’t “speak for, or act on behalf of, the NEA,” the NEA has numerous LGBTQ+ resources.

What do you think about the NEA’s statement? Do educators truly “know better than anyone” what’s best for students?