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if you don't have an issue with IB voluntarily or otherwise then you are part of the problem that will eventually destroy this countriy's sovereignty . No we will not stop it but there is no excuse to advance it.
The United States has existed for 2.5 times longer than the UN and the organization it replaced - the League of Nations - combined. The US will still be here in 1000 years, probably with a few states added, and the UN will be long gone and replaced many times over.
A criminal outfit like the UN is NOT pushing a benign program, period. Even if it looks harmless today, it will evolve into something more sinister every year.
The UN is a thoroughly corrupt organization that has not prevented any mass slaughters, while the big boyz live high on the hog and enjoy diplomatic immunity.
They seem particularly insensitive to the plight of black Africans.
They think they're smart enough to run the world.
Move the UN to Bejing or Moscow or Somalia and take all their bloody programs with it.
BINGO!!!! You are 100% correct. However, the UN recommendation for education is what is educating NH students on our dime.
Maestramommy - I was not referring to LA Unified - not all of LA was in the Unified School District - there are many reasons for LAUSD's problems but the curriculum has been more traditional - for example, constructivist math has not been allowed. LA's school problems are because of LA's serious community problems. We were not within the LAUSD but our district was still infected by the problems of the city. We left public school in LA Cty simply because of safety issues.
It is ok that we have differing philosophies and goals regarding educating our children, we are different people. To better explain what I meant by 'sovereignty', I was talking about protecting American sovereignty, not my children's personal sovereignty. I can teach them to self regulate as well as provide a basis of faith toward this goal and consider it beyond offensive for public schools to assume it is their job to tell children what and how they think, feel, do, speak especially when the perspective is anti-God and anti-American. The way I see it, if my children grow to be adults who choose employment with an international entity, they will be proud examples of faith based American exceptionalism if at all possible.
I believe the majority of Americans share my priorities, which is why I am so opposed to the mainstreaming of the opposite, as promoted by the UN passing as Public Ed in America. There have always been international schools out there to select for those with specific non mainstream priorities, and that is the way it should have stayed.
The whole "Global Citizen" thing is BS. It's just code for Anti-American.
We should be teaching our kids to be independent thinkers, academic skills (reading, writing, math, science), US history, and how to become productive citizens, to support their family and community.
BINGO!!!! You are 100% correct. However, the UN recommendation for education is what is educating NH students on our dime.
Maestramommy - I was not referring to LA Unified - not all of LA was in the Unified School District - there are many reasons for LAUSD's problems but the curriculum has been more traditional - for example, constructivist math has not been allowed. LA's school problems are because of LA's serious community problems. We were not within the LAUSD but our district was still infected by the problems of the city. We left public school in LA Cty simply because of safety issues.
It is ok that we have differing philosophies and goals regarding educating our children, we are different people. To better explain what I meant by 'sovereignty', I was talking about protecting American sovereignty, not my children's personal sovereignty. I can teach them to self regulate as well as provide a basis of faith toward this goal and consider it beyond offensive for public schools to assume it is their job to tell children what and how they think, feel, do, speak especially when the perspective is anti-God and anti-American. The way I see it, if my children grow to be adults who choose employment with an international entity, they will be proud examples of faith based American exceptionalism if at all possible.
I believe the majority of Americans share my priorities, which is why I am so opposed to the mainstreaming of the opposite, as promoted by the UN passing as Public Ed in America. There have always been international schools out there to select for those with specific non mainstream priorities, and that is the way it should have stayed.
With all due respect Lisa G, your bias is noted. I don't think it is as much the academic programs you are upset with, but more so that you are aligned with a fundamentalist Christian-based didactic. You "believe" Americans share your priorities, but this is not necessarily true.
You speak of American "sovereignty" yet you have not explained what you are getting at? America is a blend of cultures, and has been that way since the beginning. It has certainly morphed, but it is part of America. Do the American Indians share the same definition of American sovereignty as you do? Is it just the Christians?
You mention ambiguously "mainstream priorities" but what do you mean when you say this? I am looking to move to New Hampshire. I'm certainly not looking to change it, but I certainly don't believe that everybody in the state shares your polarized view.
I don't need to know of the academic programs that you mention. I live in NY, and I can tell you that in a melting pot culture that most all of our largest cities are, there will certainly be plenty of benefits of teaching kids to have a larger view of the world than just the Christian-right.
To say that something is "anti-American" is a bold undertaking, considering that America is a very young country and values are certainly not shared unequivocally throughout the country.
If you truly are a free-thinker, you'd have no problem with nor be threatened by different international perspectives nor religious ones.
I will add that I agree with much of your first post, but your biases come out after that. I grew up on Long Island, a place where being publicly educated is generally excellent. I agree that kids should be pushed harder than they are most of the time, and need to really learn the math, english etc. to a certain standard. I just don't think that having a global mindset is bad. One needs to know how the world works, not just how America works in this day and age. That is in addition to having a strong foundation in core academics.
The whole "Global Citizen" thing is BS. It's just code for Anti-American.
We should be teaching our kids to be independent thinkers, academic skills (reading, writing, math, science), US history, and how to become productive citizens, to support their family and community.
We should return to the methods and texts (regarding 3Rs) used 100+ years ago. My father was taught Latin and Greek in elementary school. This is what was then a small hick town in NH, Concord to be exact.
Let's throw out all K-6 textbooks and begin again with McGuffy Readers.
They tolerated no nonsense in the classroom.
He was still reading some of his in-Greek books well into old age.
He attended Walker School, which BTW still stands and is still a viable school. I am so sick of hearing eveyone whine that then need a new building, theirs is "worn out." Maintenance, people.
Critical thinking is NOT what the UN or the NEA want taught. They want the party line taught, they want emotionalism taught because emotions can overcome the rational.
If one is insufficiently rational, that is.
The bigger the bureaucracy, the less effective the education system. Period. Has the Dept. of Education improved anything? Billions per year, and kids are "graduated" who can't read or write on a 6th grade level, and who need serious rehab if they are accepted in college.
Many prominent "intellectuals" graduated from what some consider elite institutions such as Harvard and Yale are IMO some of the lamest-brained critters walking the planet.
Whoever it was who said EVERY bureaucracy needs to be dissolved every 20 years, lie fallow for two years, then re-created with none of the personnel from the past, was onto one great bit of wisdom.
With all due respect Lisa G, your bias is noted. I don't think it is as much the academic programs you are upset with, but more so that you are aligned with a fundamentalist Christian-based didactic. You "believe" Americans share your priorities, but this is not necessarily true.
You speak of American "sovereignty" yet you have not explained what you are getting at? America is a blend of cultures, and has been that way since the beginning. It has certainly morphed, but it is part of America. Do the American Indians share the same definition of American sovereignty as you do? Is it just the Christians?
You mention ambiguously "mainstream priorities" but what do you mean when you say this? I am looking to move to New Hampshire. I'm certainly not looking to change it, but I certainly don't believe that everybody in the state shares your polarized view.
I don't need to know of the academic programs that you mention. I live in NY, and I can tell you that in a melting pot culture that most all of our largest cities are, there will certainly be plenty of benefits of teaching kids to have a larger view of the world than just the Christian-right.
To say that something is "anti-American" is a bold undertaking, considering that America is a very young country and values are certainly not shared unequivocally throughout the country.
If you truly are a free-thinker, you'd have no problem with nor be threatened by different international perspectives nor religious ones.
I will add that I agree with much of your first post, but your biases come out after that. I grew up on Long Island, a place where being publicly educated is generally excellent. I agree that kids should be pushed harder than they are most of the time, and need to really learn the math, english etc. to a certain standard. I just don't think that having a global mindset is bad. One needs to know how the world works, not just how America works in this day and age. That is in addition to having a strong foundation in core academics.
Yes , let us look at those "wonderful" benefits, the advancement of AIDS, increased drug and alcohol abuse, teachers molesting students, students sending naked pictures to teachers, illegal immigration running rampant, wholesale welfare states because people come over the border and demand nonexistent rights and the government ( matters not republican or democrat ) kowtows for fear of not being politically correcy. , loss of pride and respect for both self and country, the worship of trees and mother earth, young minds turned on to terrorism, dialing one to speak in our OWN language and the list goes on..wonderful; benefits indeed.
We have of course no one to blame but ourselves, we wanted to "get along" instead of being the best, now we are hated and no longer the best, yet there will be people who go..OH LOOK HOW FAR WE'VE COME right in the face of our continued decline.
Wow, this thread is fascinating!
I'm still perplexed over how being a 'global citizen' makes you anti-American.
Totally mind-blowing.
Of course, I can read between the lines and anytime someone starts talking about 'values' you can bet it is really code-speak for religious values.
Anti-God in the IB curriculum?? I'm truly amazed.
The program at my children's school (for HS level only) is extremely difficult and challenging. Here is a brief synopsis of the curriculum.
IB Diploma Programme students study six courses at higher level or standard level. Students must choose one subject from each of groups 1 to 5, thus ensuring breadth of experience in languages, social studies, the experimental sciences and mathematics. The sixth subject may be an arts subject chosen from group 6, or the student may choose another subject from groups 1 to 5.
In addition the programme has three core requirements that are included to broaden the educational experience and challenge students to apply their knowledge and understanding.
The extended essay is a requirement for students to engage in independent research through an in-depth study of a question relating to one of the subjects they are studying.
Theory of knowledge is a course designed to encourage each student to reflect on the nature of knowledge by critically examining different ways of knowing (perception, emotion, language and reason) and different kinds of knowledge (scientific, artistic, mathematical and historical).
Creativity, action, service requires that students actively learn from the experience of doing real tasks beyond the classroom. Students can combine all three components or do activities related to each one of them separately.
In the last examination session, students completed the following exams: Biology HL, Biology SL, Chemistry SL, Economics HL, Economics SL, English A1 HL, English A1 SL, History HL, Latin HL, Latin SL, Math.Studies SL, Mathematics HL, Mathematics SL, Spanish B HL, Spanish B SL, Theory Knowl. TK and Visual Arts HL.
Hardly; the criticism is not the issue. I'm just sick of these smoke and mirrors issues to prevent any "real" problems from getting fixed. My response was not a criticism of Lisa or of the "all schools have some real/troubling/need to be fixed problems" view. My criticism is WHAT is being targeted and how its propagation is diverting our attention away from the REAL issues. Standardized testing & false statistical conclusions, too much/too little competition (both depending on the circumstance), lack of up-front investment to save future $$$...these are all some "real" issues that are hardly ever talked about except on the fringes- they are never the "targets" of reform or action.
As for having issues with a "global" education (and this is in regard to an earlier post; not the one I've quoted); I've had to sell products/services with foreign countries in a past job... Apple Pie and Football is great and all...but when I can bring a couple dozen jobs and several million dollars TOO this country (instead of from- for once); I'd gladly take the knowledge of that countries customs and put it to work. It doesn't mean I view them as "superior" or practice them- it just means I have knowledge which allows me to be as or more competitive than the others in the GLOBAL market that we now have to compete in.
Don't confuse adoption/replacement with understanding.
Last edited by vter; 05-28-2010 at 05:18 AM..
Reason: orphaned material
To better explain what I meant by 'sovereignty', I was talking about protecting American sovereignty, not my children's personal sovereignty. I can teach them to self regulate as well as provide a basis of faith toward this goal and consider it beyond offensive for public schools to assume it is their job to tell children what and how they think, feel, do, speak especially when the perspective is anti-God and anti-American.
But you still haven't explained (and neither has Dave) what you mean by American sovereignty. As to the rest of what I quoted above, I guess we really do disagree. Because *I* am a person of faith, and I have never considered the curriculum to be either anti-God nor anti-American. And by whose standard can anyone make this claim?
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrazyDave
Yes , let us look at those "wonderful" benefits, the advancement of AIDS, increased drug and alcohol abuse, teachers molesting students, students sending naked pictures to teachers, illegal immigration running rampant, wholesale welfare states because people come over the border and demand nonexistent rights and the government ( matters not republican or democrat ) kowtows for fear of not being politically correcy. , loss of pride and respect for both self and country, the worship of trees and mother earth, young minds turned on to terrorism, dialing one to speak in our OWN language and the list goes on..wonderful; benefits indeed.
With all due respect, you are lumping a lot of things together that don't belong together. I agree that the societal problems you mention in the beginning are indeed serious, although I think attributing that to teaching according to UN standards is making a HUGE leap, esp. when the IB program is not available all over. As for the rest, like dialing '1' to speak in English, what is wrong with that? It assumes most people do speak English, and puts that choice first. It also realistically assumes many people calling in do NOT speak English well enough to navigate the rest of the voice messaging maze, which can be a huge pain even IF English is your first language. And nature worship, there were plenty of nature worshipping people living here eons before the English speakers showed up.
"Global citizen" or "global education" is code for the obamaspeak dissing American exceptionalism, criticizing the USA at every turn, and pretending all the world's nations and all the worlds' peoples are equal in integrity, ingenuity, quality of civilization, and other feel-good utter nonsense that anyone with rudimentary knowledge of history knows is malarky on a good day.
American sovereignty means that the feelgood "open borders" crowd, "we are all people!" "there are no illegal people!" types who demand the benefits of legitimate American citizenship while accepting none of the responsibilities such as for instance immigrating legally, do not run roughshod over American citizens and laws.
American sovereignty means the feelgood "sanctuary cities" law-breaker mayors who are glad to spend citizens' tax dollars on illegal services while the cities and states are going broke, turning law on its head and not being arrested and prosecuted for flaunting their law-breaking activities, ARE arrested and prosecuted for breaking the law, abusing their power, exceeding their legal authority.
American sovereignty means that out-of-their-depth dimwit governors like Schwartzenegger do not look the other way while spending 10 to 20 billion in "state" (aka taxpayer) monies on illegal services when the state is essentially bankrupt, due largely to criminally irresponsible legislators spending money and initiating activities that would land private citizens in jail.
By the way, when Arnold made the uninformed anti-Arizona joke about going for ice cream and being asked for his papers: Yes, Arnie, what DID you have to do to emigrate to the USA? Did you hop across the Mexican border and get fake papers in LA, or did you actually do it legally?
Funny, I didn't hear any "reporters" ask him that question.
American sovereignty means having a C-in-C who does not join in when foreign despots, tinhorns, and lower primates criticize our nation while their own nations have laws much more stringent, and problems much more dire to the point their own nations' very survival is in jeopardy.
American sovereignty means no judges, no legislators, no executives suggesting the USA adopt other nations' legal concepts with no congressional action; that unelected not-American bodies have no jurisdiction over American servicemembers or other citizens; that when some nitwit suggests the US adopt sharia law because it will make some of his fellow nitwits feel good, or maybe our enemies will suddenly love us, that nitwit should be censured by all decent citizens including politicians and "media."
In brief, the way we viewed and respected our nation during the Eisenhower era.
We got considerable education regarding other nations, when I was in school.
In 7th grade we all did country reports. Those were semester-long research/writing projects on one nation.
Multiply that by 25 or 30 kids doing oral reports and turning in written projects, and we got a little "international" education.
BTW, my 7th grade geography teacher announced to us in the mid-60s that "By 1980, Brazil will have replaced the US as the world leader. They will be richer, more productive, more militarily powerful." Or words to that effect.
So much for HER international knowledge and soothsaying skills.
Definitely a woman ahead of her time. Something tells me she'd have loved the IB program.
And the beat goes on.
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