Let Our Children Go

4 Comments

1. Comment by michael [Member]

   Although I agree with you that we need more school choice and that vouchers are a great way to start we need to deal with the question of public education as it is now being dispensed.
   Liberals such as Pam need to learn that agendas in the public schools go both ways. I doubt she would have a problem with schools teaching messages which she would like to see promoted. I wonder if she would back parents of Lexington Ma who were upset to see homosexuality being taught to their young children.

   This has become a big story in our area with the emphasis being placed on the age of the children involved.

   http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1618216/posts – 39k
   NewsCenter 5′s Gail Huff reported that some parents of students at the Estabrook Elementary School are upset that the students were read a book called “King and King,” the story of prince who is interested in the brother of the princess.

   “My problem is that this issue of romantic attraction between two men is being presented to my 7-year-old as wonderful and good and the way things should be,” parent Robin Wirthlin said. “We feel like 7 years old is not appropriate to introduce homosexual themes.”

   The Estabrook School is the same school that garnered attention last year after another father, David Parker, was arrested when he protested the school’s decision to have his 5-year-old son’s class read a book depicting gay families. Parker was arrested and banned from school property for refusing to leave without a promise from school officials that he would be notified in advance if similar material was going to be taught.

   How is that for an agenda and a reality check? These parents have been told they have no right to know what material will be read to their 5-7 year old children. The principal and the superintendent have taken to the radio talk show circuit to make it clear that they will be promoting more of this kind of value driven content regardless of what individual parents say.

   Here is the response to one couple who objected to this content being taught to their children:

   It was explained to the couple that since same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts, discussion of the matter is fair game — parents do not have to be informed before or after the issue is presented. Kramer reportedly told the Wirthlins that the theme of the day was “weddings” and the teacher wanted to present all points of view on the subject. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49813

   Imagine that! Because it is legal teachers unions and the Liberal organizations which promote them will be free to push what ever agenda they see fit onto the children REGARDLESS of how their parents feel.

   Here is some info on Paul Ash superintendent of Lexington Schools.

   Dr. Paul Ash has a level of experience and expertise in the area of the supervision and evaluation of teachers that few can match. Paul has been a high school teacher, the president of a local teachers’ association, a teachers’ association chair person of contract negotiations, a school board member, a director of personnel and staff development, an assistant superintendent for personnel, finance and administration, and is presently the Superintendent of the Lexington, MA, Public Schools. Paul served on the committee that wrote the Massachusetts Department of Education Principles of Effective Teaching that are the performance standards used to evaluate all Massachusetts public school teachers. Paul serves as the chair of the legislative committee of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents and is a member of The Governing Board of the American Association of School Administrators. Paul is also an adjunct faculty member at the Boston College Graduate School of Education. Paul trains administrators in effective supervision and evaluation and consults to school districts on the development and improvement of supervision and evaluation

   SO when Pam says:

   “If her panties are in such a twist, why is this child in public school? There are plenty of religious schools out there where her son is free to proselytize all day long to his peers”

   The next time Pam complains about any unfairness regarding gays in public schools, tell her to adjust her boxer shorts and remind her of her own words. Simply tell her that those kids should be in private schools. Don’t expect consistency, however. These are liberals you are dealing with after all.

   Here is a reactionary idea. How about leaving any agenda out of public schools and stick to teaching the basics. We could leave the moralizing to the parents. But I doubt that will suit many Liberals. This is exactly why we need to allow all parents choice when it comes to educating their children.

2. Comment by Adam Graham [Member]

   Well, Michael, there’s a difference between the King and King story and what’s happening at this other school. That being, the school never was going to hand out religious messages in the school but prohibited a student from doing so. Pam and the school’s problem is with an individual excerising their right to free excercise of religion and I think the school will actually lose this one.

3. Comment by michael [Member]

   Of course there is a difference. No case is exactly the same. They simply share some characteristics. In the case I presented the school was promoting a Liberal cause. But the school can advocate for a side without actually presenting the material. A perfect example would be the Day Of Silence which happened in schools today.

   http://www.dayofsilence.org/

   One of the local radio talk shows featured a teacher backing this protest as a matter of free speech. I can assure you there have been dozens of cases in Massachusetts where Liberals squelched the rights of students to express themselves in all manner of ways. In other states similar cases have occurred where students where told they had to go home and change an offending T-shirt with a pro-life message.

   Yet in today’s protest students were allowed to wear tape over their mouths and remain silent for the entire school day. They would respond to any questions as to what they were doing by handing out a paper discussing the issue of violence toward gay ad lesbian students.

   So as you can see, the school is in the position of taking sides. Keep in mind that the students who do not wish to take part in this day of silence have NO WAY to avoid being part of it. This sort of thing disrupts the school day no matter what.

   Radicals such as Pam will never show consistency. Do you think she would come down on THESE students for handing out leaflets in school hallways? Adam. Radicals are frauds and cowards. They simply don’t apply the same rules and logic across the board. Freedom of speech is something to embrace when it’s speech they like. But it’s dangerous hate speech when it’s something that doesn’t suit them. I could continue with dozens of examples but that is best left for another day.

4. Comment by michael [Member]

   This is what parents are battling . Check this out from Mass Resistance :

   For many parents and residents of Lexington, it is not acceptable to have the public schools taking sides, or even appearing to take sides, in the contentious political and cultural battles that mark the so-called “culture wars.” Last year the town gained national notoriety after a parent was arrested while protesting the schools’ unwillingness to accommodate his request to be notified so that he could withdraw his young son from classroom programs that teach issues of human sexuality from a perspective contrary to his personal values.

   http://massresistance.blogspot.com/2006/04/cancel-day-of-silence-say-lexington.html

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