Posted on 08/11/2008 11:41:00 AM PDT by Big Guy and Rusty 99
I recently recieved a welcome letter from my daughter's teacher. My daughter is going into kindergarden at a catholic school. The letter included the phrase "learning how to help save the planet" which of course means global warming. My wife and I believe that global warming is a hoax built on junk science.
I don't want my daughter brainwashed by this liberal bullcrap. what should I do?
Well now THERE’S a good point!
ditto
Since that comment of her’s, I can’t look at her with saying “ewwww”.
Words matter.
“Save the planet” is the rallying cry for the movement. As George Carlin said, the planet will be here long after we’re gone. It’s gone through billions of changes over its existence. It doesn’t need saving. In fact, the Earth is in much better shape than it was 30 years ago.
Reference.
Public school is much worse. Just look at the test scores. Also, toward the end of the school year my 7th grade daughter was shown a movie about illegals. The family risked being deported. The kids did not know they were illegal. My daughter was told she is unfair, racist etc because she stated the family should be sent back to Mexico for breaking the law.
1) Leave her in this school, if it's otherwise good, and...
2) Take an active role in reviewing each day's material with your child, if possible. Correct any misinformation, propaganda and/or other falsehoods which may be taught.
I disagree with those who think that isolating your child from public schools is the answer. I honestly don't think most public education is that bad yet, though it may get that bad in the future.
A teacher passing along what she honestly believes is correct information, even if she is wrong, is not necessarily an eeeeevil puppet of the Left. It's morally OK to be misinformed and wrong. It's important to differentiate between "wrong" (incorrect) and "deceitful" (dishonest).
Now, as a parent, I would hope that you have the kind of relationship with your child that enables complete trust. With that relationship, you can explain that some thing she may be taught at school are not correct. That teachers are human and sometimes they're just wrong. They may teach Global WarmingTM, but that it's not true.
In other words, let teachers teach, then correct what they get wrong or where they step outside teaching a subject to advocating a cause.
Parents can't simply remove their child from every possible source of false information. Better to help your child to understand that teachers aren't perfect, and that there will be some things taught to them which are simply wrong. Being able to at least question, and hopefully discard, false ideas is a far better skill than vain attempts to avoid them all, to me.
As always, your mileage may vary.
I thought he was pre-law?
Then I'd point you away from Rome and to Christ, and His saving Gospel, for all I was worth. But, this being FR, that plea will be buried soon.
As to the school problem, I'm a big fan of HSing if you can do it. But if they're doing wrong and Rome is always right, tell Rome on them. Should be no problem.
To everyone else scandalized at my view: he asked. I responded. Hello? "BibChr"? My aiming at being a Biblically-faithful Christian hasn't exactly been a secret for the last <10 years.
Excellent, you nailed it!
“Why not just let her be a little kid and go along with the other kids?”
?!?! :o Letting kids be kids is very important, and we did our best to raise ours that way, but Good Lord! Letting them “go along” with the other kids?! Too many today have just that kind of hands off parenting... shakes head. It is a parent’s job to provide your with a solid foundation that adjust according to their age.
Tatt
All hail Pope BibChr!
As “hateful” comments go, THAT was pretty MILD.
Is somebody a little overly sensitive today?
Ask to see the material that will be used in class. If it is really offensive you might want to reconsider that particular school.
That said, my guess is that the same material will be taught in the public school.
Meet with the teacher to see exactly what is going to be taught. If what is being taught conflicts with your views, ask that your daughter be excused from that part of the teaching.
If you are concerned about how her grade might be affected, discuss that with the teacher as well. Perhaps she would agree to let you work with your daughter on a 'special project' to put together information that refutes the global warming belief.
Depending on whether it's a parish school or ordinary (that is, taught independent of the diocese, by a specific order), a meeting with the teacher and the principal, to clarify what was meant, might be in order.
There are a handful, perhaps half a dozen.
I can’t speak to your personal experience. I can speak to children who hold outside the norm views in class.
The teacher seeks to change that kid’s mind. In my experience the kid will be badgered to agree. The other kids in the classroom will also be used to move his opinion. The kid will be asked why he thinks that way. He will be shown hundreds of professional opinions that refute his opinion.
With a teacher against you, most the kids in the classroom laughing at you, it begins to be a very painful experience for a young child.
I’ll leave it at that. Thanks for your comments.
I agree with NoExpectations.
I would always want to approach someone I disagree with in a respectful manner. That does not mean cave into them or even “agree to disagree” whatever that means. Instead, I would simply ask the question “save the planet from what?”
I would use what I call “the Columbo” approach. Always defer to the person whom you wish to politely debate. You can say things like “I know you are the teacher and you must have much more experience with this sort of thing than I do. Perhaps you could help me understand what you mean by this and what sort of curiculum materials you plan to use.” After all, giver him/her the benefit of the doubt.
Also, I always maintain that I am open to learning new truths, especially scientific ones. So, if someone can prove to me that any of the following fads are based in real science and the scientific method, or real logic with empirical support, I am more than willing to defer and adopt those views, since they would then be correct: evolution, global warming, multiculturalism, diversity for its own sake, socialism, communism, election by popular vote vs. electoral college, progressive tax is superior and fairer than flat tax, high taxes bring in more loot than low taxes, big government can be trusted, Saddam Hussein should still be in power, there have been no nuclear wars and we did not win it :), atheism, budhism, taoism, confucianism, paganism, etc., social security system will work like we want it to for many years to come, medicaire will also work out, biofuels are more efficient than oil, recycling actually recycles (as opposed to using one more time, maybe) instead of creating neatly sorted trash piles, and so on...
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