After SCOTUS and vouchers: The LEFT now embraces the RIGHT's "Back to Basics" movement for education

July 1, 2002 | summer; and another writer

[summer]

After SCOTUS and vouchers: The LEFT now rushes to embrace the RIGHT's "Back to Basics" movement for education

by summer - a former Dem, now an independent and a FL certified teacher

I had to chuckle to myself as I read the editorial, below, written by an unknown liberal and posted on one of the many Dem sites.

The author is screaming out against the SCOTUS's recent voucher decision because, according to this angry liberal:

Schools should ONLY teach the basics.

Sound familiar?

Oh, and by the way, according to this author, "the basics" does NOT include religion.

People on the RIGHT would say: Oh, hello there Angry Liberal, WELCOME. Before the SCOTUS decision, you told us "the basics" includes: (1) sex education, (2) multi-cultural education, (3) every darn thing under the sun "education" -- and, if there's any time left over in the school day, OK, throw in some of that reading and writing and math.

But the Angry Liberal is now saying: Oh, no folks, you had it RIGHT all ALONG! But, only since the SCOTUS decision have I been able to SEE THE LIGHT! Really, I was always on YOUR side, and NOW, even MORE SO!

This is rather entertaining to me:

To see the Left suddenly demand that educators everywhere toss aside everything teachers must cram into the school day beyond the basics, all because what MAY now be included is:

Something else -- and, that something else concerns religion.

I am reminded of a true story I would like to share with you, as most of you know I am an independent and have many liberal friends:

Not long ago, while considering various elementary schools for their young son, a liberal husband and his atheist wife went to a highly regarded religious elementary school, located in Orlando, FL. They met with the principal and made the following request:

"We've decided your school is the best one for our child. We like almost everything about it, except - we do not want our son subjected to any religion here.

Consequently, whenever the teacher talks about religion, would you please let our son be excused and go in the wonderful library you have here? That's what we need."

The school principal, a nun, politely responded to the couple: "What you need is a different school."

Moral of this story: Maybe angry liberals everywhere should remember that school CHOICE exists as a result of the SCOTUS decision. CHOOSE your school.

Finally, here's the editorial I mentioned earlier, showing the LEFT's mad dash to now support the RIGHT on the "Back to Basics" movement:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An editorial from a Dem web site:

July 1, 2002

School Vouchers: Can't We Just Teach School Stuff at School?

Ah, school vouchers. I love this issue. The public school motto of "a decent education for all" has been officially Republicanized. With the introduction of faux-religion and stupidity -- two pillars of the Republican party -- into our school system, our new motto is "I'll teach my kid that your kid is a blasphemous non-believer and you'll pay for it."

There was a time in America (last week, I believe) when public schools taught a group of subjects generally recognized as useful for transforming young people into thoughtful, skilled adults. Thanks to the Supreme Court's decision on Thursday, we can now spend time, formerly spent teaching our children school subjects, teaching our children church subjects while forcing the states to pick up the tab!

You heard right. Jews can now force Christian taxpayers to pay as they teach their Jewish children that Jesus was just a nice guy who could really entertain on a tight budget. Christians can now force Jewish taxpayers to foot the bill as they teach Christian youth that Jewish kids will burn in Hell for believing the stuff their school teaches. Radical Muslims could force Jewish and Christian taxpayers to pay for teaching their kids that Christians and Jews are an affront to Allah and therefore must be destroyed. While I'm sure that these friendly spiritual disagreements will make for some spirited interscholastic basketball rivalries, do we really want to have to pay for this system?

Wait! I've got a great idea! Let's have an educational system where we teach our children school stuff at school. You know, all those non-religious subjects that all the aforementioned schools will be teaching (except for Flat Earth Society members and Christian fundamentalist nuts, of course). I'm pretty sure that Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Satan-worshipers can all agree that 2 + 2 = 4, and that "i" usually comes before "e" except after "c." Then, parents can teach their kids that everybody who doesn't believe in their particular brand of god will face eternal damnation on their own time. Maybe over the weekends, perhaps? Yes! This will work! We could have a series of buildings all over the country that would be built and paid for only by those who attend them. This way, those who think the things they teach in a particular building are a dangerous and offensive waste of time would at least not be on the hook for the cost. We could call those buildings "churches." Or maybe "synagogues." No, let's call them "mosques." Okay, maybe we'd better let those who attend them name the buildings.

Best of all, with religion removed from schools, everybody's kids could attend the same school! They could learn, eat lunch, and play side-by-side. I'm betting they could also learn that despite what their parents teach them in those chur. . . uh, buildings on the weekends, they are all pretty much the same people. They could learn that people of different faiths can live and learn together without killing each other. They might even have a chance to learn about somebody else's religious beliefs and prefer them to their own.This could be the greatest educational system ever devised!

Faults aside, this was the system we had before Thursday. Let the Balkanization of the American school system begin!

. . .The Angry Liberal

[summer]

Frankly, I am glad the SCOTUS supported Cleveland's efforts to provide schools choice to parents, and I believe the court made the best decision based on an important fact:

No one is forcing any child in Cleveland to attend a religious schools, and, the Cleveland voucher program does offer choice of religious or non-religious schools.

In reading several letters to the editor of the NYT recently, I was struck by two letters, and I wish I could find them on the net and post them.

One letter, from a Rabbi, strongly rejected the Left's claim that religious schools will somehow weaken America as "one nation" - as the Rabbi convincingly argued, IMO, that American ideals and beliefs will be strengthened by any religious school teaching Judeo-Christian ethics. I strongly agree with this Rabbi.

In the 2nd letter, another writer asked the following question: What happens when radical Islamic fundamentalists in this country start demanding taxpayer money to support THEIR religious schools operating in America?

And, for that 2nd letter, I had no answer. What kind of response, of solution, exists for this potential situation? I do not want my tax dollars supporting Islanmic fundamentalist religious schools in this country, sorry. I think a real battle will eventually brew over this issue, and I hope people start to think of ways to win this one.

Also, I strongly believe the Rabbi's letter made an important point, one that should not easily nor quickly be dismissed.

I still support the SCOTUS decision, but I think there are some very rocky roads ahead.

[summer]

This subject may be too cerebral as well for your show, but, I hope people start thinking about it. :)

[summer]

If you have any thoughts on this matter, please do share. Thanks. :)

[summer]

FYI.

[Born in a Rage]

Summer, vouchers are bad news.

1- I agree with the point about my tax money possibly going to Islamic schools. It also will serve to divide communities.

2- If a private/religious school accepts government money they will be accountable to the government regulations and programs and etc. -- if not now, later. Basically, 40 years from now, there will be only state controlled schools - public and private. There will be no more private schools once they are all intergrated into the voucher system.

3- I do not want this 'movement' to interfere with those of us who choose to homeschool our kids. I don't want government money.

4- This will not help inner city kids. The rich people will take the voucher money and add some of their own to send their children to elite schools. The poor parents won't have the funds or they won't have the transportation or the desire to send their kids to any other school besides the one closest to them and the lack of motivation/education within the schools will get worse.

NO VOUCHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Still Thinking]

Our new motto is "I'll teach my kid that your kid is a blasphemous non-believer and you'll pay for it."

I believe the old motto was "We'll teach your kid that his Christian parents are bigots guilty of a hate crime, and YOU'LL pay for it."

[Balding_Eagle]

The Libs got 'religion' (the 3Rs) a little late I'd say.

[Balding_Eagle]

You make some good points.

The evidence refutes "#4- This will not help inner city kids." however. The Cleveland and Milwaukee inner city kids clearly benefited.

I'm a Grandfather who is proud that his grandkids are homeschooled.

[Born in a Rage]

I'm a Grandfather who is proud that his grandkids are homeschooled.

That's great! My Mom was a little skeptical at first but now that she has seen the results she is very happy with our decision.

We moved recently from AZ to NH and my kids went to the public school here for 3 months. They couldn't stand it. My 8 year old told me that "in the public school, you go to school for a long time to learn hardly anything. In homeschool you have school for a shorter time and you learn a whole bunch of stuff." He also complained about how the other kids didn't get in trouble for anything unless they hit somebody (one of his pals made a weaved belt in Art class and another kid pulled the whole thing apart and the teacher saw it and the kid didn't get into any trouble).

[Frohickey]

Not long ago, while considering various elementary schools for their young son, a liberal husband and his atheist wife went to a highly regarded religious elementary school, located in Orlando, FL. They met with the principal and made the following request:

"We've decided your school is the best one for our child. We like almost everything about it, except - we do not want our son subjected to any religion here.

Consequently, whenever the teacher talks about religion, would you please let our son be excused and go in the wonderful library you have here? That's what we need."

The school principal, a nun, politely responded to the couple: "What you need is a different school."

Yeah. Unfortunately, liberals like things ala-carte. They like the Bill of Rights ala-carte as well.

[OldFriend]

Islamic fundamentalists are already teaching at many many colleges.....state colleges.

It is up to the parent to decide what kind of school to finance for their child......and it is up to the rest of us to stop citing the absolutely worst case scenario as a way of attacking vouchers.

[HeadOn]

it is up to the rest of us to stop citing the absolutely worst case scenario as a way of attacking vouchers.

I agree with you, but I'd like to take a side road - WHY DO I NEED A VOUCHER? LET ME KEEP MY TAX MONEY !!!!!

[summer]

it is up to the rest of us to stop citing the absolutely worst case scenario as a way of attacking vouchers.

That was not my intent at all, Oldfriend.

Since writing this editorial, two other thoughts have crossed my mind, and I wonder if you had any comments you could add here:

(1) Any attempt by the left to claim a new "back to basics" movement in the schools will most likely be a sham. It is only being done to get rid of vouchers, and it is important to recognize that "back to basics" call for what it really is if liberal politicians start saying it.

(2) The real "back to basics" movement is taking hold in schools located in states that have imposed real accountability measures, simply because such accountability forces the schools to spend more time on reading, writing, math and science -- as those subject are being tested.

(3) What my concern really is with respect to the radical Islam fundamentalist religious schools is this: I do not want to support, nor aid, anyone who is teaching a "belief" that destroying America is "good." To me, that is not a religion requiring any protection from our US Constitution. Nor does it need my taxpayer dollars

But, to spare me from being forced to support such an enemy of this nation, at some point down the road, it seems there will need to be legal recognition of the fact (a) such schools do exist around the world; (b) such schools are not welcome her; and (c) any financial support for such schools from me or anyone else is, in fact, giving aid to the enemy and treason.

Maybe I am off base here, but, I believe this is one of the many rocky roads we will face -- legal recognition of the above, as it related to schools.

[summer]

related = relates

[summer]

BTW, I meant to put what you wrote in italics:

it is up to the rest of us to stop citing the absolutely worst case scenario as a way of attacking vouchers.

[summer]

Hi Born in a Rage, Thank you for your comments. Here are my thoughts on what you said:

1- I agree with the point about my tax money possibly going to Islamic schools. It also will serve to divide communities.

I am really going to be watching for this scenario, as I think this is likely to come up very soon in a legal challenge. But, I do not believe vouchers divide communities, since many communities are growing stronger due to vouchers. Here in FL, there are many new, small, religious (Christian) private schools now opening, taking vouchers. These schools are popping up in the poorest of neighborhoods, and I think more schools like this will bring more businesses, more jobs, etc. It is a welcome sign all around.

2- If a private/religious school accepts government money they will be accountable to the government regulations and programs and etc. -- if not now, later. Basically, 40 years from now, there will be only state controlled schools - public and private. There will be no more private schools once they are all intergrated into the voucher system.

I was just explaining to someone last night on freepmail that many of the private schools in FL did NOT choose to participate in FL's three voucher programs. Consequently, 40 years from now, I think you will still have: private schools not accepting vouchers; private schools accepting vouchers; and public schools. There is a substantial number of private schools that rejected vouchers in FL -- and, no government regulation exists, nor is on the horizon, to "require" their participation in vouchers. That is why these new private schools are now popping up -- to meet the growing demand, since the existing private schools do not (and choose not).

3- I do not want this 'movement' to interfere with those of us who choose to homeschool our kids. I don't want government money.

Some homeschoolers want government money; some do not. This will be an interesting area to watch.

4- This will not help inner city kids. The rich people will take the voucher money and add some of their own to send their children to elite schools. The poor parents won't have the funds or they won't have the transportation or the desire to send their kids to any other school besides the one closest to them and the lack of motivation/education within the schools will get worse.

The rich and middle class are not now affected by vouchers. Here in FL, being rich and middle class is not the criteria to get into one of three existing voucher programs. You have to (1) have a kid attending a failing school (most failing schools are located in poor neighborhoods); OR (2) be low income (not middle class or rich); OR (3) have a disabled student (which does not exist due to income levels).

Poor parents are starting to use vouchers, but, I agree with some of the problems you cited when they do not use them.

I disagree with you about motivation of public schools descreasing -- the voucher system in FL has absolutely imcreased the desire of public schools to improve. And, I believe DO help kids in inner city schools.

So, I have to say: YES to vouchers.

But, I enjoyed reading your well-written post. Thanks. :)

[summer]

descreasing = decreasing

[summer]

WHY DO I NEED A VOUCHER? LET ME KEEP MY TAX MONEY !!!!!

HeadOn, I did not understand your comment -- are you saying: "Why do I need to pay any taxes at all for schools" ???

[summer]

Islamic fundamentalists are already teaching at many many colleges.....state colleges.

I think this is why the USF situation distressed so many people. How can we allow people to teach here that believe destroying the US is "OK," or helping those who want to do that is "OK"? For the life of me, I can not figure out why this USF college professor has BEEN in this country for so long, in light of all the information the Tampa Tribune is now reporting about this guys' background. He should have been gone from the classroom, and this country, LONG AGO, IMO.

[summer]

Yeah. Unfortunately, liberals like things ala-carte. They like the Bill of Rights ala-carte as well.

LOL...thanks for your post.