Middle school science teacher pushes anti-capitalism and anarchy on students in biology lessons

A middle school science teacher in Minnesota is teaching anarchy and anti-capitalism in the classroom – and the district is defending her actions as free speech.

Mandi Jung, a self-proclaimed “anti-capitalist” and teacher at Highland Park Middle School in Minneapolis, recommended on TikTok that teachers promote anarchist ideology and materials in their classrooms, Fox News reports.

“My students this year have no respect for authority,” she says in one video. “And I love that in a person because I have no respect for authority whatsoever. But it has been a frustrating year because I am the authority. So, I’m like, ‘Damn the man,’ but I am the man.”

She reportedly even infuses her ideology into a basic biology lesson about cellular structure, likening the lesson to “capitalist indoctrination.”

“Seventh grade science… the year that you learn that the mitochondria [are] the powerhouse of the cell and all this cell biology,” she says in the video. “So, at the end of the unit, I have [students] take a test. And one of the questions is ‘A person says the nucleus is the most important organelle in the cell. Do you agree or disagree, and why?’ 

“And almost every child says, ‘Yes, I agree. Because without a boss, the cell would be in total chaos.’” 

Jung oddly goes on to praise “bacteria,” arguing they are the original anarchists. 

“Bacteria don’t have a nucleus, and they are arguably one of the most successful classes of organisms on the planet,” she adds. “Bacteria out here being the original anarchists, right? No nucleus, no master. Seize the means of metabolism. I don’t know. It’s funny to me.” 

The district appears to be supporting the teacher’s First Amendment rights to express her views, but offered no explanation as to whether anti-capitalism is generally included in its middle school science curricula. 

“As a general rule, public employees, as citizens, have the right to personally comment on matters of public importance without restriction or reprisal by their employer,” the district said in a statement to Fox News. 

While the First Amendment has been traditionally championed by classical liberalism, which also supports limited government and free market economies, the argument is gaining popularity as a defense for teachers pushing agendas in the classroom.  

As previously reported by The Lion, a middle school teacher in Maryland is under investigation after a history of extreme statements was exposed. 

Lane Cogdill, a “gender fluid” middle school teacher at Silver Spring International Middle School, admitted to purposefully hiding students’ gender transitions and has a history of expressing extreme views. 

Seemingly unconcerned, she scoffed at the district’s investigation saying, “Not a soul at my district or my school had brought it up because as it turns out… everything I said aligns exactly with explicit district policy.”