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I don't like the poem. At all. And because of that, I would be up at the school asking to see both the principal AND the teacher. Ceece hit the nail on the head: Be involved in what is being taught to your child. I personally do not have a problem with children being taught the factual truths when learning history. Why should Southern children through the years be taught that slavery was something done only in the South while, in truth, the second largest slave market was in NY?
God and religion has been out of our public schools since the 60's. This was unacceptable to my parents who instilled "God, Country, Family" into their children. They decided to sacrifice and work longer hours so that we could go to private school where they felt they had more control over what we were being taught.
If, after you bring your VERY valid concerns to your local school board, the PTA, etc., and do not have them addressed to your satisifaction, then perhaps private schooling is a route you should look into. I still hold firm, however, that national pride is something that is learned in the HOME. That is YOUR responsibility as a parent.
Roysoldboy, I apologize for my post directed at you. I mistakenly read your post as a shot at me. As a Brooklyn girl, I shoot back and ask questions later! My weakness. I continue to work on it. My sincere apology to you.
I don't believe any one thing is "representative of what she is being taught about our country and its leaders" but YOU do seem to be having a particularly bad time of it with you kids schools, based on your post history. I have to ask, if it's as bad as you seem to think then why do you send them there?
I also think you pick and choose what to "see" and get upset about. If you honestly look at the big picture then the things you don't like might look more balanced, like your kids are getting a well rounded education or something.
I would be up in arms because it a very badly written poem. 5th grade is old enough to start challenging opinions. Did no one here study Dickens, who was very outspoken against the US over slavery. Or William Blake who wrote many of his poems rebelling against religion. We should not be spoon-feeding children thoughts and opinions, but teaching them to develop their own, and the parents play a larger role than the teachers in that regard if you are involved.
I don't like the poem. At all. And because of that, I would be up at the school asking to see both the principal AND the teacher. Ceece hit the nail on the head: Be involved in what is being taught to your child. I personally do not have a problem with children being taught the factual truths when learning history. Why should Southern children through the years be taught that slavery was something done only in the South while, in truth, the second largest slave market was in NY?
God and religion has been out of our public schools since the 60's. This was unacceptable to my parents who instilled "God, Country, Family" into their children. They decided to sacrifice and work longer hours so that we could go to private school where they felt they had more control over what we were being taught.
If, after you bring your VERY valid concerns to your local school board, the PTA, etc., and do not have them addressed to your satisifaction, then perhaps private schooling is a route you should look into. I still hold firm, however, that national pride is something that is learned in the HOME. That is YOUR responsibility as a parent.
Roysoldboy, I apologize for my post directed at you. I mistakenly read your post as a shot at me. As a Brooklyn girl, I shoot back and ask questions later! My weakness. I continue to work on it. My sincere apology to you.
Apology accepted. We do agree on many things but not every thing on this thread. For instance, every time parents run from the pubic school they are doing just what the progressives want them to do. There are so many fewer of those who can afford private school and that leaves the majority of kids getting the shaft. Organize and go after those who are doing this. They have about won now and it seems that only a few people other than Beck really want to hold them up for what they are doing.
I would be up in arms because it a very badly written poem. 5th grade is old enough to start challenging opinions. Did no one here study Dickens, who was very outspoken against the US over slavery. Or William Blake who wrote many of his poems rebelling against religion. We should not be spoon-feeding children thoughts and opinions, but teaching them to develop their own, and the parents play a larger role than the teachers in that regard if you are involved.
But too many parents have been "taken" by the progs already and they won't be willing to take part in any kind of rebellion.
My 5th grader came home from school with this poem given to her by her teacher. The poem is representative of what she is being taught about our country and its leaders:
How to be Thomas Jefferson
by Barry Lane
I don't find it funny and I don't think its appropriate to be given to a fifth grader. It is only one example of many in which I have seen the school make a mockery of our country, its leaders, history, flag, etc. Is it any wonder that we have a growing nation of citizens who seem to lack a sense of pride in our country and are so overridden with a sense of guilt that they cave in to every piece of politically correct coersion thrown at them? Sad. I find it sad. Is this how you want your children taught? Is this how you want your tax dollars used?
Did you complain to the school or the teacher? I would make a special trip to the school. This sort of education in self loathing has got to stop. They give this material to 5th grader because they are too young to understand. Teachers have to catch the children at an age where they are too young to recognize it for what it is and immediately reject it as garbage. We shouldn't sit back and take it anymore.
I just remembered something. The last time I saw a parent "outraged" by a story brought home from school by his kid it ended up being 1 story in a BOOK OF SHORT STORIES. That's all I'm going to say about that.
I would be up in arms because it a very badly written poem. 5th grade is old enough to start challenging opinions. Did no one here study Dickens, who was very outspoken against the US over slavery. Or William Blake who wrote many of his poems rebelling against religion. We should not be spoon-feeding children thoughts and opinions, but teaching them to develop their own, and the parents play a larger role than the teachers in that regard if you are involved.
I absolutely agree that it's badly written, and the exercise it seems to have been written for is frivolous and unchallenging. That should be the concern of these parents, seems to me.
You could always just shove lies down their throats so when they start to investigate things for themselves they'll figure out a lot of things they were taught were bull****.
If they are curious enough to investigate things for themselves they'll be intellectually capable of putting it in context. I prefer that over indoctrination.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FinkieMcGee
I mean are you disputing that these things happened or are you angry that they're being presented to the student? I don't really see why it's the schools job to teach people to be "proud Americans", that sounds pretty fascistic, which is surprising coming from people that are angered with "liberal propaganda". I guess propaganda is only appropriate when you agree with it?
It's not the school's job to teach people to be "proud American." And it sure the hell isn't their job to teach them to be ashamed. The material is not age appropriate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FinkieMcGee
I'm not even touching the context that this was even presented in.
The important thing is to teach children to think critically (which is something that is ignored, and why are society is dumbed down).
Giving children material beyond their intellectual development, cannot teach critically thinking. These are frickin' 9 and 10 year-olds for goodness sake. Get real.
k12 probably the most clever social engineering machine built since third reich.
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