Matthew Hayward

02/28/2026

A middle school “Day of Action” turns into a political loyalty test, and one student pushes back. If you’ve ever wondered how social pressure gets disguised as “civics,” this is for you.

A classroom story about coercion disguised as civics

02/24/2026

Washington state made a huge mistake by hiding public records on in-home childcare providers via Initiative 1501—sold as 'protecting seniors' but really shielding fraud risks. Minnesota's massive $hundreds of millions childcare fraud scandal proves why transparency matters. Public money demands public accountability!
Read the op-ed: [link]

Washington has been down this road before.

01/28/2026

"This is not about left versus right. It is about the basic expectation that a union should represent teachers, not attempt to reshape the culture of an entire state."

This is the third piece in a series examining why so many Washington educators feel trapped, silenced or misrepresented by the unions that claim to speak for them.

01/22/2026

"This is not collective bargaining as most people understand it. It is coerced representation backed by legal indifference to predictable abuse. "

In my previous article The true playground bullies in today’s schools, I described a culture inside public sector unions that punishes dissent, tolerates intimidation, and relies on fear rather than

01/22/2026

..."And if the most radical defenders of the union behave like this, maybe the problem was never the Freedom Foundation.

It’s the culture inside the union itself."

Public education is supposed to model reason and maturity. It is supposed to show students how to disagree without losing control.

11/20/2025

https://www.teacherfreedomalliance.com/teacher-freedom-summit/

Over 500 teachers from 35 states have attended a Teacher Freedom Summit. You don't want to miss this!

10/28/2025

In this short animated video, a public employee tries to leave the union — but discovers it’s not so simple. From hidden forms to restrictive opt-out periods...

10/21/2025

Flashback
Governor Inslee, or King Inslee? - Freedom Foundation

Before 2020, Gov. Inslee issued an average of 11 proclamations per year, totaling 77 since his election. But in 2020, Inslee has so far made more than 349 proclamations without calling the legislature into session and giving the people's elected representatives a chance to weigh in on the state's ...

10/12/2025

https://youtube.com/shorts/5mCEzRFT8mw?si=3Fpi-0sns2kd8A1W

When unions fall apart, it’s not because of the teachers in your building. It’s the politics and agendas coming from the state and national affiliates. At th...

10/12/2025

https://youtube.com/shorts/il5Kk4vL0fg?si=Zl4hJ-dqcFu-gsGq

At the 2025 Teacher Freedom Summit, Matt Hayward reminded educators what unions fear most: your voice. It's not just about dues, it's about control. The illu...

10/12/2025

https://youtube.com/shorts/CTKHkz5EEfw?si=81D5HqxlQ50d3Isy

Freedom Foundation’s Matt Hayward explained that fear of retaliation keeps many teachers from opting out, but in most cases that fear is unfounded. Still, he...