Posted on 04/27/2010 7:32:07 PM PDT by ConservativeHideout
One of the other school districts that I worked in has a gifted and talented program that I thought would interest some of my readers because it shows how possible and how extensive the liberal agenda can stretch into the government-run schools in our country.
In some schools, gifted and talented programs for students may offer increased enrichment opportunities, ask students to take more leadership on important issues, hold seminars to improve critical thinking skills, or include visits to local museums. But in other schools, just the the program that I observed in a local middle school, the gifted and talented programs instead are serving as laboratories for molding future communist-left-leaning Democrats.
In this government school, gifted and talented students are usually identified in elementary and middle schools and then put into a program apart from other students, where they learn and work on an additional or alternative curriculum. They are told over and over that they are not different from other students, just unique- separate, but equal. Myself, I’d just tell these students the truth- ‘hey, you’re farther along and advancing more rapidly, so let’s put you in a different class or give you additional projects and challenge you.’ But the liberals who run the education system instead say to these students ‘we’re all equal, but we’re going to put you in a special class to mold your unique skills.’
And the scary part is what they are trying to mold the best and brightest into. Apparently what this school is trying to mod its most gifted and talented students into is government planners, communists, bureaucrats, and solid liberal Democrats. They do this molding in several ways.
These gifted and talented students have to create and run United Nations type projects. That is, the United Nations projects that are funded with other people’s money, unaccountable, full of corruption, and tend to make the situation they are supposed to ‘fix’ worse. Students work on projects that have to deal with environmentalism (how to force businesses through government power to do certain things, or propose laws to do this, etc.), global appeasement policies (peace on earth, how to stop the war, stop the war in Iraq, how to make friends with France, etc.), tax and spend schemes (pretend money comes from air and isn’t stolen from hard working people’s pockets, and think up ways to spend it, etc.), wealth-redistribution schemes (collect for charities, can drives, etc.), and focus on human rights abuses (especially caused by the US).
The gifted and talented programs that some government-run school districts are setting up for their impressionable youth steer clear and never mention anything related to individualism, morality, or personal rights. In fact, not a single project touched on those issues. The goal apparently with these programs is to emphasis themes of government control and elitism, but steer clear of morality, individual rights, and individual responsibility.
The students get the time to put together these projects by being pulled out of classes that are deemed ‘unimportant’ by the liberal elites who run the school- they are pulled out of business or economics classes, they are pulled out of shop, home economics, or auto mechanics classes, and they are pulled out of gym and physical education classes. According to the liberals who run the school, these are ‘dumb’ classes for the ‘dumber students’, and the gifted and talented students should instead be learning how to rule us, make decisions for us, and control our behaviors.
Where gifted and talented students could take on more real life examples and challenges, and begin to train to be our future business leaders, and improve their discipline and teamwork skills, and be part of the tradition that made our nation great once- skilled mechanics, dedicated farmers, good shop keepers, smart accountants, and hard-working factory workers- these students instead spend vastly more time talking and learning about government intervention in business and society in the belief that if our country had more lawyers, bureaucrats, and communist leftist pinko’s, it would be a better country.
It is a scary thought- in schools all around the nation, our future leaders- our most gifted and talented- are being put into government re-education programs designed to make students into liberal Democrats. Scary indeed.
Original Post: A Conservative Teacher
BTW, This is from A Conservative Teacher, with permission.
bump
Doublethink.
Thanks for posting. I have 2 in ‘the program’.
My oldest is in a pull out program that has pluses and minuses (the minuses seem to get more numerous as time goes along). The creepiest thing was studying what being “gifted” truly means (spending time on Covey’s teen “psuedo-religious” 7 Habits). They have done many useful projects as well (a character study with presentation in character of an important historical figure), and my daughter did a project on the requirements for becoming a vet and what it met to be a vet (I actually took her to the vet college and toured it).
The pull out situation sucks though. If good instruction is going on, you cannot learn unless you are present. The pull out reminds me of the old Harlan Ellison story in which everybody has to be equaled (the dancers had to wear weights etc). Pull out seems to be a way of handicapping the more proficient students. A way of getting over the fact that courses are not streamed except for Math and that is a story in itself.
As a side note, I started the year telling the teacher of my 6th grader that I wanted her in Pre-Algebra in 7th grade, and I viewed this accomplishment as being the most important goal for the year (she performs well in everything). Well this pull out crap left my daughter missing 40% of her instructional time in math. About a semester into the year I found out and raised heck. The teacher said she thought it did not matter since my daughter was “doing well”. She later withheld her recommendation for my daughter to enter Pre-Algebra in 7th grade (this despite the fact she has an A and a 94% on the ITBS). How you cannot be slotted for Algebra in 8th grade with a 94% in ITBS Math and an A in your class is beyond me.
You’re welcome.
My “gifted” kids were pulled out of public school, and are in a wonderful Christian school. It’s training them much better than the public school.
Sadly, it is not much better at private schools, at least in NYC. People may scoff, but the damage is immense.
I was a graduate of the IB program.
Yet, I’m here anyways.
That seems to be the best way. Either a good private school, or homeschooling is the only way to avoid the indoctrination system.
Back then? None. Now? I don’t know. I don’t see them that often to know.
People’s views change as they get older. Poll any sample of 18-20 year olds and you will find fewer conservatives than you would in a sample of 58-60 year olds.
The problem isn’t the ‘gifted’ program, the problem is the public schools as a whole. I’d wager that the ‘gifted’ program would actually see more conservatives than in the general population of teenagers.
You’re right. The heavy influence of public schools tarnish private teaching as well. Let the market decide what are the best curricula.
Instead of getting a truly customized education, you get a factory. One size fits all doesn’t work for socks. Why would it work for people?
In the meantime, homeschool if you can. It is easy and the results are astonishing. We spend too much time creating academic wonders and forget to create adults.
Imagine the amount of programming from K-12 to get those results in college. It is another form of the mind plantation of liberalism. They’ve destroyed the black family. Now they’re gunning for yours.
If liberalism made sense they wouldn’t need indoctrination, nor lies to convince you. Good ideas have a way of rising to the top naturally.
Why in the world do conservatives continue to offer up their kids to government schools?
I agree. Homeschooling is absolutely wonderful. It is also the fastest, most efficient way for conservatives to help defund and disempower the Left.
The shocking thing to me is how the whole “teen angst” thing is an invention of the government school system.
Our kids act like adults and enjoy adult company. Other kids their age can barely make eye contact with you or simply mumble.
At 10-12 y.o. most kids were historically working a trade with their parents. The only adult outlets we allow kids into today are illicit.
The system is sick and it must be scrapped.
I absolutely hate how the “teen angst” myth is used by even well-meaning adults to enlarge the myth and the problem. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard, “Well, I know you’re a teenager and that means . . .” with the adult proceeding to “define” a teenager as someone with some kind of a behavior problem and poor judgment.
Yes, teen years do include behavior problems and poor judgment. But setting that up as the STANDARD and NORM is completely irresponsible and stupid. Why go around saying things such as “teens experiment with drugs” — a teen takes that as an expectation and has an even harder time sorting out what is “normal” for teens and what can be avoided.
We all know that one of the historical reasons for government schools literally was babysitting. As parents in industrialized society had to go to work, and there was no one to supervise the children, or if Mom was home, no plowing on the back 40 or cows to milk or trees to chop down for the kids to be occupied with, compulsory “professional” schooling became necessary. It’s not because it takes 12 years to educate a human being. It’s because society really can’t think of anything else to do with kids who do not live in a society where their labor is needed until they must support themselves as adults.
Babysitting and mind control. Kindergarten was the Prussian response to military losses. Getting the kids away from “weak” parents and into the state’s hands were the way out.
Look up John Taylor Gatto when you get a chance.
Also, responsibility only comes from getting responsibility. We cannot infantilize our children and then expect them to make good decisions. They’re rats in the maze and the only cheese is liberal dogma - aka spiritual death (sometimes real death).
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