Posted on 03/13/2011 6:06:56 AM PDT by reaganaut1
Keep in mind two things:
1. Public education is still a very localized phenomenon in the United States. The variety of public school experiences is dramatic. While many public school systems, especially larger systems, and especially urban systems, have wholeheartedly embraced an alien (at least to Christians) ideology, many systems, not as much.
Generalities may be true in a general sense, but often fail at the level of the particular.
2. Not everyone agrees with you. Or me. Many folks are just fine sending their kids to school systems that have embraced a secular humanist ethic because, well, frankly, these folks themselves have embraced much, if not all of such an ethic. And a lot of these folks consider themselves Christians or religious Jews. Whether you or I think much of their religion or faith life, they attend churches or synagogues, they say their creeds, they have a faith life.
sitetest
Thinking it through, I realized there’s more interests
affected by the public school monolith than just the
parents, administration and staff; the vendors being one.
My conclusion: it’s too bad for the latter, we need to
make big changes.
“the State will provide for your every need”
... until it doesn’t.
Even my **dentist*, his 5 employees, and their families, depend upon the government school dental insurance brought in by those working for the government education-industrial complex.
I've read posts by conservatives who are perplexed by how few churches run private schools. Well!...Duh!...With all those school employees and vendors sitting in the pews, how many ministers will bite the hand putting money in the collection plate?
I would agree that public education is a localized phenomenon. Those that think they are in a “good” school district fail to see the dangers because their district is better then the ones in the big cities. I have actually heard this from several parents...normally after a year or two they are then complaining about their local district because their child has changed.
“Many folks are just fine sending their kids to school systems that have embraced a secular humanist ethic because, well, frankly, these folks themselves have embraced much, if not all of such an ethic”
Which shows how well the “education” is working over the last several generations.
“Not everyone agrees with you”
That I know...
Thanks for the response.
“I have actually heard this from several parents...normally after a year or two they are then complaining about their local district because their child has changed.”
This is the nature of traditional schools, no matter how good. It's a built-in issue, although there are certain factors that can exacerbate the problem.
When folks homeschool, the only real, significant authorities in the life of the child are mother and father. As soon as the child attends a traditional school, there is a competing authority: teacher. As well, there is an increase in peer pressure.
If the school is a good school, and especially if parents and faculty are truly a united team, the dilution of the parents’ authority isn't as big a problem. But in a large public school environment, “involvement” on the part of the parents usually means to the faculty and administration that the parents should help fund-raise; volunteer to drive kids to various school and extracurricular events; buy the kids whatever goodies the teachers instruct. Parents aren't really part of a united team, and have little say in the overall direction of curriculum or school ideology.
And thus, there is a split between parents and school faculty and administration, resulting in two competing source of authority.
The split becomes especially noticeable if one’s children attend schools where the prevailing ideologies are either: significantly different from one’s own world view and/or; among those ideologies that admire and encourage the repudiation of parental authority.
sitetest
“And thus, there is a split between parents and school faculty and administration, resulting in two competing source of authority.”
Very well put.
Luke 11:17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall.”
And then we wonder why we have the problems we do in the culture...
Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods besides me.”
Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
These are the first and second areas of authority in a persons life. If anything competes against these first two, it is not for the betterment of the person or culture...but an attack on God and His plan.
“While there is much that we do not know, humans are responsible for what we are or will become. NO DEITY WILL SAVE US; we must save ourselves.” Humanist Manifesto 2 (1973).
It looks to me like the humanists have stated their plan and their thoughts clearly for us to understand...they are against God...no need to hand our kids over to them.
“These are the first and second areas of authority in a persons life. If anything competes against these first two, it is not for the betterment of the person or culture...but an attack on God and His plan.”
This is why it's important that parents scrutinize closely the schools to which they send their children. The most important thing is not great academics, or, if your child is athletically-gifted, a great athletics program, or a great music program, if that's where your child's interests lie. The most important thing is to know whether the school is pulling in the same direction as you are.
As well, the administration of a school should understand who is actually in charge of the students and their education. And it isn't the teachers and the administration.
sitetest
I completely agree...
God bless
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