🛩️ Welcome to the Upside Down World of Education: A Look at DEI

A whimsical illustration of iconic global landmarks—such as the Statue of Liberty, Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, and the Sydney Opera House—suspended upside down above a red vintage airplane flying through clouds.

By Levlyn Emet Quill | ONE. MAD. TEACHER.

“Come fly with me in an upside-down world…”
— Ernie and Bert, somewhere over Sesame Street, probably during a state-sanctioned investigation into whether “diversity” is code for Marxism

I never thought I would start a piece on the state of public education with Ernie and Bert. Nevertheless, here we are.

Because honestly? Their ridiculous little airplane ride over a topsy-turvy town where fish fall out of the sea and food won’t stay on your plate feels disturbingly accurate in 2025.

🎶 Mood Setter: Ernie & Bert in the Upside Down World

Because sometimes the only way to make sense of things is through Muppets and musical chaos.

Since Trump 2.0 took office, education has been flipped upside down, spun in circles, and forced to sign a loyalty pledge before we are allowed to land.

What used to be common sense—include all kids, teach the truth, provide access—is now suspect. The DEI work that once helped students feel seen? Branded “radical.” The teachers doing that work? Under investigation. The programs that made schools more equitable? Defunded, frozen, and scrubbed from federal websites like we imagined the whole civil rights movement (U.S. Department of Education, 2025).

This is not policy. It is gaslighting with a side of censorship.

🧨 DEI Is NOT the Danger—Erasing It Is

Let’s get real: DEI has never been about forcing ideology. It’s about recognizing that not all kids walk into school on equal footing and trying—however imperfectly—to fix that.

However, under Trump’s reign, we are now pretending:

  • Sign language interpreters = unfair advantage
  • Wheelchair ramps = “ideological infrastructure”
  • Books featuring Black or LGBTQ+ characters = indoctrination
  • Naming racism = being racist

Meanwhile, Trump 2.0 is stripping the Department of Education of DEI staff, language, and accountability. Over 200 web pages are gone. Civil rights offices gutted. And the term diversity itself has been flagged as dangerous in grant applications.

It is not an upside-down world. It is a carefully flipped one.
And make no mistake—it is not random. It is targeted.

🎯 Let’s Talk About Sesame Street

Even Sesame Street, the gold standard for inclusive childhood education, is now caught in the crossfire. “The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo” has been accused of promoting “woke ideology,” while public libraries hosting drag story hours or bilingual reading times have been vilified as grooming sites (NPR, 2025).

Sesame Street was built to close educational gaps in underserved communities. Its roots are in justice and equity—long before DEI became a politicized acronym.

Erasing DEI erases the very reason Sesame Street existed.

📉How is This Affecting Schools?

Schools nationwide are being asked to sign vague DEI “certifications” that could be interpreted as violations if they even mention racial disparities. Teachers are scared to display “Everyone Belongs” posters. A social-emotional learning lesson can trigger a lawsuit. Teachers are being monitored like enemy agents for daring to create a welcoming space for queer students (NPR, 2025; Schwartz, 2024).

Meanwhile, kids are watching. They’re noticing who’s being erased and wondering if they’ll be next.

💥 But Not Everyone is Flying This Plane Into a Mountain

Thankfully, some states and institutions have refused to play along:

  • Washington, Vermont, Wisconsin, and others are pushing back. They’ve criticized the certification requirements as vague and unconstitutional (Schwartz, 2024).
  • Harvard lost billions in federal funding and still refused to bend (Pager et al., 2025).
  • Judges have paused enforcement of some loyalty-test policies, signaling they are likely illegal (Schwartz, 2024).

There are still people willing to fly this thing right side up. We just need more of them in the cockpit.

🛬 Final Thought (With Bert Gripping the Dashboard)

“You’ve lost him, Bert.”
“I’ve lost him??”
“Yeah, while you were singing…”

We are all Bert right now. Panicked. White-knuckling the controls. Trying to make sense of a world where up is down and truth is optional. And no—it’s not because we’re “so woke,” or trying to “groom” or “indoctrinate” kids. It’s because every year, we work with anywhere between 24 and 500 actual human beings. Not data points. Not talking points. People.

Our students are as complex and unique as humanity itself. They are Black, Brown, white, Indigenous, multilingual, neurodivergent, queer, disabled, gifted, poor, wealthy, hungry, joyful, grieving, brilliant, and brave. They carry stories, traumas, hopes, and home languages we may not speak—but are still obligated to honor.

As teachers, we know DEI is not some new woke agenda item, it is just being a grownup that knows it is their solemn and sacred responsibility to be there to educate each individual child that comes into their classroom.

They deserve equity—not equal treatment, but the right support to thrive alongside their peers. They deserve inclusion—not tolerance, but belonging. They deserve teachers who are allowed to see them, support them, and tell the truth.

And that’s why we panic. Because someone is trying to erase them. And we won’t let that happen quietly.

But maybe—maybe—we need to be a little more Ernie. Keep singing. Keep laughing. Keep calling out the absurdity. And when the plane veers off course? Grab the yoke. Roll that baby back on course.

Because this is our flight too.
And I don’t know about you, but I’d like to land in a place where all kids are welcome, where facts still matter, and where being different isn’t treated like a threat.

If that makes me “radical,” fine.
I’m one mad teacher—with both feet on the ceiling and a pen in my hand.

✏️ Lead with heart. Speak the truth. Write the revolution.
— Levlyn

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