Who’s Still Holding the Line?
Who still believes Teachers Matter during Teacher Appreciation Week?
Welcome to Porch Talk Grit #8 by Liberty Lane & Daisy Justice
Liberty:
This is Teacher Appreciation Week.
Yesterday was Teacher Appreciation Day.Â
And I found myself thinking not just about the teachers who shaped me, but the ones who still show up—every day—underpaid, under fire, and somehow still full of grace.
Then came the headlines from Glendale.
A school. A parking lot. A protest. A shooting.
On Cinco de Mayo.
I sat on this porch last night and couldn’t help but feel the weight of it all.
The culture we honor, the country we’re trying to save, and the people caught in the crosshairs just for telling the truth.
Daisy:
You know what I can’t stop thinking about?
The classroom where it all started for me.
Freshman year. Government 101.
My teacher made us write a bill, present it, debate it—and defend it against a stacked room of classmates with wildly different views.
No one screamed.
No one shot.
No one got expelled for asking the wrong question.
We disagreed. Then we got better.
But somewhere along the way, adults started calling that dangerous.
Now teachers are getting fired for teaching history.
Cameras are in classrooms.
And “free speech” means whatever the loudest lobbyist says it means.
Liberty:
It’s not lost on me that the Glendale shooting happened on Cinco de Mayo.
The irony cuts deep.
Because that holiday?
It ain’t just margaritas and mariachi.
It commemorates resistance—Mexican fighters standing up to empire at the Battle of Puebla.
My abuela used to say:
“La historia no es solo memoria. Es advertencia.”
History isn’t just memory. It’s a warning.
And yet here we are:
Celebrating a holiday rooted in resistance—while criminalizing resistance in our schools and streets.
Daisy:
That part.
I’ve got classmates who protested peacefully this year and got called “threats.”
I’ve got professors who stopped assigning certain books because they’re scared of backlash.
And now there’s this shooting in Glendale…
…after last year’s shooting in Temecula…
…after the string of bomb threats last fall.
Every time we raise a sign, someone raises a weapon.
And then they tell us to be “more respectful.”
Liberty:
Let me tell you something about respect.
Respect isn’t silence.
Respect is showing up—with dignity—for the people who can’t.
It’s what teachers do every single day.
And it’s what 50501 is about.
Daisy:
For those who haven’t heard, 50501 is the movement calling for 50 protests in 50 states—with one message:
Hands OFF our rights.
They’re not waiting for permission.
They’re not asking for invites.
They’re showing up on June 14—across the country.
Why?
Because we’ve had enough of this gaslighting.
Because communities like mine are tired of being targets.
Because free speech doesn’t mean anything if you’re too scared to use it.
Liberty:
It’s no coincidence this moment is happening in schools and on porches.
Those are the two places where truth grows best—if you let it.
And I’m not gonna lie—some days I feel tired.
But then Daisy comes out here with her signs and her fire.
And I remember:
It’s not about staying strong every day.
It’s about holding the line long enough for the next one to take the baton.
Daisy:
I’m tired too.
But I’d rather be tired from fighting than numb from giving up.
We’re not just marching for headlines.
We’re marching because the people who taught us to speak up—the ones who put history in our hands and fire in our voices—deserve backup. Hands off matters.
So Who’s Still Holding the Line?
That 5th grade teacher who bought banned books with her own money
That student who filmed the school board meeting instead of staying quiet
That mom who said, “Not my child—not this time”
That protestor who showed up anyway
That neighbor who opened their porch, their home, their heart
That elder who remembered what freedom used to mean
And that kid who asked the hard question… again
Call to Action
1. Thank a teacher.
Seriously. Text them. Tag them. Tell them what stuck.
2. Show up June 14. Hands Off Protest.
Find your state’s 50501 protest on Mobilize
3. Don’t let Glendale be forgotten.
Read about the incident
Support groups like Everytown for Gun Safety
4. Protect truth in classrooms.
Learn what PEN America is tracking
Support teachers fighting censorship
Next Read:
Want more? Check outÂ
Joe Bob Justice — The Bullshit-O-Meter. No filters. No fear.
Colonel Ezra Stone (Ret.) — Uncle Ezra. Old-school dignity with a soldier’s spine.