Our schools are doing God's work (nfr)

[SandySteel]

Is it off topic if it is a non-fishing faith related post in this forum?
With the bashing that our public schools took in the "We said OK" post and as a Christian teacher who holds his faith deeply I wanted to post this article which was written by an editor for the Oklahoma Observer by the name of Frosty Troy. Take from it what you will.

OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE DOING GOD'S WORK

by Frosty Troy


Of all the groundless, hurtful attacks on public educators, none is more painful than the charge that public schools are "godless" institutions of secular humanism. From Phyllis Schlafly and William Bennett to Pat Robertson, D. James Kennedy, James Dobson, and Jerry Falwell, the staccato drumbeat against public education includes religious defamation.

The Constitution requires that public education be neutral in the arena of sectarian religion, but that's a far cry from the debasement heaped upon public educators. A torrent of abuse has flooded the airwaves since the shootings in Littleton: If only the Ten Commandments had been posted. If only prayer had been permitted. If only school teachers were not void of values.

It is ironic that the religious and political critics bring no facts to the table. Columbine High School was rife with religion--the kind permitted under the Constitution. There were Bible clubs, a religious organization for athletes, "prayer at the pole," and a largely Christian faculty.

The crescendo of calumny heaped on public education by the likes of Cal Thomas, Rush limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, and other politicos is a partisan attack. They promote vouchers and charter schools–the resegregation of America, this time along class lines.

Who is for spiritual values for kids and who is just kidding? Can you name one other institution that comes nearer to biblical injunctions than public schools?

Feeding the hungry? Last year, for nearly 30 percent of public school children, a school lunch was the only hot meal they got.

Clothing the naked? There's hardly an elementary school in a poor neighborhood in America that does not have a clothing closet stuffed with underwear, socks, and other necessities for have-not children.

The widow's mite? The average teacher spent more than $400 of personal funds for such things as workbooks and pencils for poor children.

Visiting the prisoners? Those are public educators manning the GED, vo-tech, literacy, and skill centers behind the walls–redeeming tens of thousands of otherwise lost lives.

No greater love? The Littleton teacher who herded children into a room for safety, then shielded them with his own body, lay shot and dying in front of the praying students he had saved.

Role models? No other profession provides a higher percentage of Sunday school teachers.

Suffer the little ones? Who takes millions of little ones who are retarded, developmentally disabled, or mentally handicapped? Who redeems the dispossessed and the delinquent in alternative education programs?

If you're looking for values, consider the majority of teachers who spend their own time and money mentoring students, sponsoring non-academic class activities, all the while attempting to deal with the most undisciplined generation ever to enter public education.

Because teachers can't pin on a church label and baptize the students doesn't make public education any less spiritual. It isn't the babbling critics who wrap themselves in religious intolerance who are making a difference for all of God's children. They preach to the saved in the rear echelon while public school teachers staff the front line.

Public educators don't have the time or the inclination to bash Christian, parochial, or other private schools, or the home schoolers who so often bitterly denounce public education.

Look who comes to public school among the 46.5 million enrolled this year, then consider who truly does God's work:

* Six million for whom English is a second language.

* Six million special education children.

* More than two million abused children.

* Nearly 500,000 from no permanent address.

* One out of four comes from extreme poverty, often born out of wedlock, and many are neglected, unwashed, unwanted, and unloved.

Public school teachers are scorned on editorial pages and maligned from ignorant pulpits, but they keep on keeping on--and only God knows why. They earn the poorest salaries among all the industrial nations, yet a new study shows they are among the brightest college students, and nearly half hold master's degrees.

With all its warts, public education produces more math and science brains than all of private education combined. From astronauts to Pulitzer prize winners, from Nobel laureates to the clergy, public school graduates are in the front rank.

The public school day may not start with a Hail Mary or an Our Father, a mantra, or a blood sacrifice, but public education does more of God's work for children every day than any other institution in America--and that includes the churches.

[ 06-03-2002, 11:24 PM: Message edited by: SandySteel ]

[Chukrchaser]

I have received the "we said Ok" 3 or 4 times now from different friends -- I have spent probably more time than I should pondering the ideas in it -- it is filled with both fact and fiction-- as some one once said -- "The truth is somewhere in the middle."

First, in defense(?) of the teacher/school administrator slam -- If you look at it it says that "we" did this or that -- it also states that the principle said to do this or that -- pause for a moment-- whose the "WE" here and whose the boss -- the school board -- usually elected by a majority of --- yep=-=- PARENTS!!!! (and others).

So who is it that really needs to take this to heart? -- Not teachers -- the majority of them are exceptionally dedicated people -- but, in fact, the very people that have allowed the changes in our school system get to the sad condition they are in-- the voting public. The self same ones crying about how bad things are in the schools-- are the same ones that elected or voted for the changes that have occured--they asked for it -- now it's here --- :depressed:

Teachers have had their hands tied behind their backs for a long time--- If parents would do there part this "We said OK" thing wouldn't even exist and Teachers could teach instead of referee.

As for the 911 thing being a "punishment" -- that line of thought is not scriptural -- we are now under the covenant of Christ's blood. The fact that that point of view is even brought up is disgusting ------

Chuck

[Jennie@ifish]

I never did see the "OK" thing as saying God was punishing us.
Call me spacey... I must not have seen those thoughts.
If that's what it says to you, then I'm sorry for posting it on the board.
What I saw was morals sliding.
Don't you think they are?
Or not?
Jen

[Capt. Hook]

You are exactly right Jen. Whenever this subject is brought up extremists, liberals, left-wingers come up swinging. No one accused teachers of anything. Schools are not run by teachers anymore than the FBI or the CIA is run by the agents.
Poor administration and gutless decisions by staffers and board members fearful of being sued have brought us to this point.
Christmas trees being tossed out of schools, references to God, historical or not being hushed. All for fear little ears might be offended. Never mind that moral principles are moral principles regardless of what religion you may prefer or even that you prefer none at all. Morality is rooted in common law and forms the basis for our statutes and regulations. I'm sure teachers are capable of teaching moral principles, citing their origin in the civilization of humans, without proponing a particular religion. Why is it that parents who object to certain "scientific" teachings are sent packing with by comtemptuous admisitrators but parents whose religious beliefs are far from the mainline are looked upon as privileged minority?
The Christmas example is one of the most telling choices schols have made in recent years. While governments, Eugene excluded, have continued to have decorations allowed in public buildings, Capitols, White House, etc. schools have retreated into their shells fearful of offending those chosen few. Offending them how?
The true test of freedom of religion would be to allow all forms of expression by the students and teaching of tolerance to those who somehow see themselves as the offended. It is easier though to simply pretend it doesn't exist and maybe it will go away. It ain't gonna happen folks!

[Chukrchaser]

Jen,
I agree that the morals are going down the toilet-- I just did a poor job of saying so -- the parents that are blaming the schools who are blaming the teachers who are following the direction of the elected officials -- ad nauseum-- Fact is that children are not being taught morals (which should come from home) -- not being "raised up in the way they should go" (verse?)

As for the punishment thing -- was brought up a time or two in the other thread -- it comes from the comment that God has pulled His protection and turned his face from us-- Didn't you feel punished when your father turned his back on you -- ignored you -- how much more
so when our Heavenly Father does that -- In fact, the real truth is that we ( collective pronoun) turned our back on God. She has it backwards.

Jen, the bottom line is that we must continue to pray diligently for a sweeping revival in this country. One that will bring Jesus to every one and put God in the center of everything we do--

Chuck

[Alligator]

Our schools are doing our governments work, not Gods work. But just the same, all the good things that happen in our public schools and the good our public school teachers do helps children in many ways and I hope those good things continue.

The fact is, the schools are being forced into pushing today's new culture of politicly correct agenda which is an absolute attack on our children and the family. I have read where the National Education Association (NEA) supports policy that our schools teach children homosexual propaganda. In California there have already been laws passed that will lead to adopting a pro-homosexual curriculum and I won't be supprised if Oregon isn't far behind. Even Hitler knew to begin with the Children! He most likely fed and clothed the children too.

The attack on our children begins very much earlier than school age and this again shows our moral decline. I've read if you destroy an eagle's egg you would be fined $25,000 and you would likely visit a jail. On the other hand a perfectly healthy baby kicking and fighting for her first breath during birth almost completely removed from her mother can be killed without reguard to life and our governments protection. What a shame, What kind of people are we to just let it continue?

les

[happybrew]

Eric, I can certainly understand how you may feel that your profession is under attack. In some senses it is, but in another sense, the attack is more properly aimed out our culture at large, of which public education is a manifestation. I don’t think that most people would fault the hard work that many teachers do. You are to be commended for undertaking a difficult task and sticking with it. I know a lot of teachers, and they don’t have it easy. There are many teachers who are good Christians, and their work is motivated by, and a reflection of their faith. However, I don’t think it can be denied that when most of the students are raised in a neo-pagan culture that is devoid of God, and people who have faith are put down and ridiculed for it, and when teachers are pretty much prohibited form doing what it would take to change that, then students will learn the values of the dominant culture, of which the “We said OK” post was basically an indictment of. If you knew a student who was engaging in promiscuous sex, and you wished to help that student to get out of that lifestyle, as a teacher, your arguments would be limited mainly to secular arguments about why that was a bad idea. This student may have learned this behavior at home, watching a parent parade a string of overnight visitors through the house. This student may have never been told about God, in fact may have been actively discouraged from forming any sort of faith. The student may have been told that as long as pregnancy or disease does not result, it’s perfectly okay. If you try to dissuade this student from adopting that sort of lifestyle, you may come under attack from the parent, particularly if you attempt to use religious arguments, and bring the student into a relationship with God. And let’s face it, unless you bring that person into a relationship with God, it’s highly unlikely that you will be able to persuade him or her to abandon that type of behavior. Furthermore, your colleagues may tell you that you’re out of line for doing this. If the parent or the student complained to the principal or the superintendent, it is almost certain that you would find yourself in some sort of hot water. You would probably be told that it was none of your business. You would be told that it is not your job to try to get the student to abandon those choices that would do moral damage, particularly if you used a faith-based approach. You would, in effect, be told that you couldn’t fully exercise your faith by trying to dissuade someone from a course of action that is objectively wrong by most religious standards, using methods that would have the greatest likelihood of success. You as a Christian are prohibited from fully living out your faith. I am basically prohibited from doing the same at my job. This is par for the course for a Christian. A few years ago, when I responded to population control statements made by RT on the main discussion board, I was basically told by him and other members of the board that my views were totally inappropriate and unwanted for the board, but his views were allowed to stand. They were considered the normal and accepted, and my views were labeled extreme, even though they are merely the views of the Catholic Church, which has a billion members. People didn’t like me very much for stating those views. It was considered okay to promote mandatory birth control, abortion, and the acceptance of promiscuity, but to oppose that, even when I was just responding to the words of others, was considered bad. It wasn’t just that they disagreed with me, which I can accept and live with. The very fact that I held a different opinion and dared to speak out was what was labeled inappropriate. As Christians, we are on an uneven playing field. You, as a Christian cannot do everything your faith may compel you to do.

Now let’s take this a bit further. If this student is engaging in promiscuous sex, it is most likely with other students at the school. Furthermore, other students will be aware of what is going on. They will see other students doing what feels good, without any immediate consequences. Furthermore, they will be taught by the school to use a condom to prevent disease and pregnancy. They will be taught where to go to obtain these. They will be told where to go if the condoms fail. This sends a message that what these other students are doing must be okay. So they start to engage in it as well. Anybody who opposes this is told that the schools cannot teach them otherwise. The school cannot go to the Bible and show the students why this sort of thing is wrong. Everybody has freedom of religion, including not having any religion. I have no argument with this. I believe as well that it all begins at home. I certainly wouldn’t want by kids being taught to be Baptists when I’m raising them as Catholics, and Baptist parents wouldn’t want their kids to be taught Catholicism. However, our culture is so far from embracing Christianity anymore, that promiscuity is the norm. Those kids whose parents try to teach them their faith find themselves immersed in a culture that is the opposite of how they are being raised. Many of them will see other kids doing what they have been taught not to do. They will see the schools taking no position, or else tacitly endorsing it by their silence. They will be ridiculed for not doing the same as everyone else. My seven year old was called “gay” by his classmates because he wouldn’t take part in picking on other kids. Nothing was done about this. Our kids are under enormous pressure to conform to a dominant neo-pagan culture. They spend most of their day at school or engaged in school activities. School becomes the main force of socialization in their lives. My family is evidence of this. I have nine brothers and sisters. We were raised Catholic. Out of the ten of us, six practice no religion. They engage in things that they were taught not to do. Where did they learn a world view that led to a neo-pagan lifestyle? At school. They did not learn that it was okay to shack up at home. They did not learn that it was okay to smoke pot at home. They learned that it was okay to smoke pot by meeting a large number of pot smokers at school. The school I attended in California was overwhelmed by drugs, sometimes sold openly in class. They learned that pre-marital sex was okay in school, where we were taught about birth control and condoms and abortions, and how to do stupid things without suffering the consequences. There were plenty of people doing it, and heck, they taught you how at school! Nobody ever said it was a bad idea. I could go on and on about the things we were taught in school that went completely against what our parents taught us. But the main point is that the public school system socialized my parents’ children in a way completely opposite of how they tried to bring them up. This resulted in six out of ten abandoning their faith for the lifestyle they were taught in school. Even I abandoned my faith for a time, but returned. We all agree that parents have a right to raise their children as they see fit, but then we send them to public schools where they are taught the exact opposite. Nobody says that the parent’s rights have been violated. If the parents object, they are basically told to shut up, which is what my Mom was basically told on occasion when she objected to how the schools were operating. A Christian does not have the right to both send the kids to a public school and to raise them as they see fit. There will always be a tension between the two.

It is true that many devoted Christians work in the schools, and they do in fact do God’s work by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, comforting the afflicted, acting as peacemakers, etc. They are to be applauded for doing so! A lot of teachers are absolute heroes in my book. They cannot, however, effectively change the dominant culture of consumerist materialism and pleasure seeking because it has been ingrained too deeply by a system that acts as a surrogate parent to our children. It’s not the teacher’s fault that this has happened. It is the fault of the community. When parents do not hold their children accountable for their actions, when they do not teach them right from wrong, when they do not give them a proper direction for their life, and when there are enough of their children to influence others, then those who do want to raise their children properly will find their hard work undone by a culture which drags their kids in by example, social coercion, and legal precedent.

I know that you want to do a good job. I know that you are filled with love and the desire to do the right thing. If I’ve said anything that offends you, I apologize. I don’t want you to think that I mean you personally, or any teacher personally. I don’t by any means intend to say that all children going to our public schools are going to turn out bad. But look at it this way: If 30% of your students were going to get terminal cancer from something in the school, people would be up in arms about it! Maybe 70% turn out just fine, but it’s the 30% that would worry people. How about 10%? How about 3%? If a school district has 5000 students, and 150 get terminal cancer, the odds of any one student getting cancer would be small. But 150 people getting terminal cancer from going to school would result in an outrage. For a Christian, there is a risk of a terminal cancer affecting their children by attending a public school, a cancer of the soul. It’s by no mean true that all kids who attend a public school turn out bad. Not by any means. But that doesn’t mean that our schools don’t socialize our children in a way that many parents don’t want.

Yours in Christ,

Doug