Common Ground on Homosexuality in the Public Schools?
‘Tis a thorny issue, to be sure, and finding the balancing point is tricky work, but my buddy Dr. Throckmorton seems to be onto something in this piece:
Sexual Orientation: When Conflict Rules the School
There is no place for the abuse of kids on matters regarding sexuality. Neither is there place for propagandizing on any side of the spectrum without proper time/respect being given to opposing viewpoints. The truth will win in the end. Seems like Dr. Throckmorton is on the right track.
This phrase comes from the 1978 "Jonestown massacre" in which most members of the Peoples Temple cult, blindly following their leader Jim Jones, committed suicide by drinking cyanide-laced Kool-Aid.
Osborne: A Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God
Schlossberg: Idols For Destruction
3 Responses to “Common Ground on Homosexuality in the Public Schools?”
I have a huge problem with The New Public School of Social Issues. Students are being divided into political / sexual groups before they experience puberty.
Can they balance a checkbook? Can they spell? Can they articulate an English sentence properly using nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. without interspersing it with “like” and “y’know”? Do they even know what nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. are? Have they been told that illegible handwriting is a sign of laziness, not genius? Do they understand the basic monetary value of learning to show respect to those they don’t necessarily respect, like bosses?
Are they able to fill in the names of nations on a global map, particularly the ones currently threatening to blow them up?
Are they studying the consequences of mistakes made by previous societies and administrations without taking sides?
We shouldn’t feel obligated to teach kindergarteners how not to contract HIV.
Can you tell I’m over 50?
Something is seriously out of whack.
Across the Flow ~ Apr 11, 2006 at 8:18 am
And my solution is:
We have so many operational details to teach, there shouldn’t be enough time to discuss sexual orientation outside the Biology classroom. State conclusive findings in the genetics semester and move on.
No religion classes. No prayers thereby eliminating rancor between faiths. Call evolution a theory and don’t let it dominate science class.
Point: Pare down. And if they aren’t prepared by their parents to pay attention and learn, they get to stay home until they are old enough to do manual labor. School should not be mandatory but instead a privilege.
Across the Flow ~ Apr 11, 2006 at 8:28 am
I agree with most everything you say, Across; unfortunately, the reality is that the public schools have decided that sexuality is a topic that they’re obliged to cover, and so long as that’s the case, fairness needs to be the rule of the day. But yeah, I share the same concerns you do—and I’m not 50 yet!
But, uh, sloppy handwriting? Pure genius. Pure.
Byron ~ Apr 11, 2006 at 3:39 pm