Political Indoctrination at my Public School

FrontPageMagazine ^ | June 14, 2002 | Steve Miller

[dawn53]

The problem is that even if all conservative parents pulled their children from the public school system, they'd still have to pay school taxes

If I'm right on this, I believe that what you say is only true on a local level.

Yes local taxes would stay the same for funding, but federal dollars are meted out on a per pupil basis.

[RobbyS]

What he probably doesn't know is that both teachers and administrators belong to trade organizations that are the chief supporters of the Democratic Partyand are therefore in active alliance with the most radical groups in American society.

[kaylar]

When I was in second grade, the teacher gace the class a (simplified) list of the differences between capitalism, communism,and socialism. In retrospect, it's obvious that she tried very hard to make us believe that socialism was the best of the three alternatives, as the others are "too extreme" (capitalism's definition may have applied to , say, the 1870s), and like good little parrots, the class voted for socialism as best.

This was IN 1972!!!

This has been going on for a long, long time.

Best thing that could happen is if the liberal mindset becomes so obvious and so overwhelming, kids become conservative out of rebelliousness. The kids raised in the "conformist" 1950s became the hippies , so it could happen.

[CatoRenasci]

At Greenwich High School, in Greenwich, Connecticut, the entire social studies faculty are far leftists: the most moderate among them still considers himself a Democrat, but most of them are self-styled 'social democrats' or admitted Marxists. Most of them are excellent teachers, with good graduate degrees (mostly PhDs) from good universities. The problem is that what they are teaching is the radical anti-American and anti-Western views of people like Howard Zinn (his works are required in all honors and AP history courses).

These clowns have tenure and given the administration's and the school board's reluctance to go to war with the powerful teachers union, cannot be dislodged.

As an historian I have supplemented my kids readings with more balanced, nuanced views and have given them the information they need to effectively argue more conservative historical views cogently. It's a struggle, however.

[RobbyS]

The voucher system would actually do the job. This is why the educationists have pulled out all the stops to block it in the courts.

[dead]

Yes local taxes would stay the same for funding, but federal dollars are meted out on a per pupil basis.

This is true, but local taxes still pay the vast bulk of education costs, so it would be a funding net-win for the leftists.

Still, no reason not to pull your kid out.

[RobbyS]

And of course this is why the unions are so gung ho on certification, which is so much indoctrination in left-think, especially the belief in process over content.

[mondonico]

If I'm right on this, I believe that what you say is only true on a local level.

Yes local taxes would stay the same for funding, but federal dollars are meted out on a per pupil basis.

Thanks--I didn't know that. Still, I believe the bulk of public school funding comes from state and local taxes.

[Cowgirl]

I hate to be a pessimist, but I don't think anything is going to change. The few who take their kids out of public school won't amount to a hill of beans. We have to do something at the political level in order to stop the funding of public schools. Even that, is far-fetched. The horse is out of the barn and I don't think we'll ever get it back. We've been cooked like a frog in water. This information was available back in the late seventies. I homeschooled my first son starting in 1986 because I knew it then. What's so discouraging to me is that even Christians sent their kids to public school after they threw God out.

[TLBSHOW]

what a great freep idea. Just before the new school year coming up, if everyone did just that imagine what would happen, what a great idea!

[KentuckyWoman]

To only educate students about what's important to the political left robs students of their freedom to choose their own belief system based on an open and fair presentation of the facts.

And herein lies the entire purpose of compulsory, state-run and managed "education". It is social engineering at its finest and nothing more. This explains why the communists and marists were the first to institute "state" controlled schools (as opposed to community controlled schools). I'll be re-posting this letter on our web site for further public consumption.

[dd5339]

My family and I live in rural "fly-over" country. About half of the local teachers attend the same ultra conservative church that we do. Unfortunately they are not able to teach what they believe but what is handed down to them from the government. I was joking with a 3rd grade teacher about paddling out of control kids. She said it would result in her immediate firing!

The article above just adds another reason as to why my wife and I are going to homeschool our children.

Semper Fi!

[Boxsford]

LOL! They can be freeped by pulling your kids out of them.
That's goooood!!!

[Boxsford]

You may be onto a good idea. It would be quite effective, I would think, if there were a web site that was for this sole purpose or posting this stuff all across this nation. The problem though is that there are liberal parents that watch liberal news and read liberal newspapers/websites and have already bought into the propaganda themselves.

[Boxsford]

We home learn.

[Boxsford]

Thus, by reducing the cost and leaving the income stream intact, they'd actually benefit the brainwashers.

No, it doesn't work like that. They loose federal monies and it's a LOT! Public educrats hate homeschoolers for this very reason. It's always about money. They don't genuinely care about the children when they voice opposition to homeschooling. (not that they could find any legitimate opposition)They don't like loosing the money~ particularly special education money!

[Boxsford]

I emailed Steve Miller and told him about this idea. I sent him this thread too. I said that a daily thread on daily indoctrinations might be beneficial. He could contact his friends and relatives and go from there. Report and shed light on this.

[mafree]

Since my graduate degree was in the social sciences rather than teaching I was not as succeptible to the indoctrination.

You mean you had no Marxist or radical feminist professors who taught economics, sociology, psych, etc.? What a miracle.

In the end it all comes down to whether your family has a greater influence in the end than your peers and teachers.

Amen and Amen.

BTW, I didn't mean to say that there is no leftist political indoctrination in any public school, but I have felt that it's not as intense in areas that are more politically conservative and/or ethnically homogenous.

[mafree]

The philosophy has been "smuggled in" through the curriculum. It's in the textbooks, so even if the teachers aren't blatantly teaching it, the kids are reading it.

That's too bad. I know it happens everywhere, but it's worse in some places than in others.

So next year, she'll be homeschooling too. Kids minds are too precious to pollute with the garbage that is being spewed out in textbooks and schools.

Good decision- I would homeschool too if I had kids and I help parents who do.

[chemainus]

The Schools of Education must be closed. The indoctrination is coming from the training received ( spout the leftist doctrine or flunk) and the unqualified people let into the schools ( CONTENT doesn't matter i.e. be completely ignorant of facts because we will tell you what to say). In all universities I have ever looked at, the bottom 10% of the class is in the Education School. I am not knocking your kid in the School, just telling you what to expect. I have a Masters of Science in Education that I got for a spell of teaching and was appalled at the lack of education and excellence I saw in the Schools of Education including the dumbed down classes with high numbers and fancy titles and the leftist indoctrination that was shoveled to the prospective teachers. Feel good, jive shuck, turn up your nose at America and spout the Professor Toohey drivel. BTW anyone who has not read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged should delight and educate themselves by doing so. It is inexpensive at Barnes & Noble and free at your public library. Have a great weekend Freepers of every stripe and bent .