I see the world through the eyes of a free-thinker and because of that I just cannot wrap my ahead around certain things I see happening especially in the world of education.
There seems to be a debate going in the country right now as to whether Creationism should be taught along with Evolution in the same science class. Now as an Atheist I see that as utter lunacy, why would you want your child to learn myths in a science class?
Yes I know that there are some people that share the same planet with me that truly believe the earth is only 5-6,000 years old and that Dinosaur bones were put here to test their faith, to a free-thinker they prove that the earth is much older than 6,000 years old.
Zack Kopplin a 17-year-old Baton Rouge Louisiana high school student is leading the fight to repeal the misnamed “Louisiana Science Education Act” which was passed in 2008. This bill is very similar to a bill SF 1714 that Michele Bachman tried to pass in 2004 when she was a Minnesota State Senate Congresswoman.
The misnamed and misguided law creates a back door to bring the teaching of creationism into the Louisiana public school science classrooms. Science “is” a process of critical thinking; it is supposed to promote critical thinking skills.
Zach Kopplin’s concern is how teaching Creationism in a science classroom will determine how students like him from Louisiana are viewed elsewhere. Also will his education be up to par with other students that have only learned actual science in their science class.
Maybe the teachers will be ordered to teach that the world is flat and that the sun does revolve around the earth? Why would they even need to teach gravity or germ theory, when God just blinked the world into existence in six days.
Imagine sitting in a science classroom say at NYU and having your fellow students wonder if you have been taught actual provable science facts or facts based on Creationism science, if you could even get into NYU.
Your critical thinking skills that science is supposed to promote may be looked upon as less valued because Creationism is not science, it is merely a myth that you are asked to think critically about. I find it very challenging to think critically about myths.
There are never-endings proposals to completely defund and get rid of the U.S. Department of Education, by the anti-government Libertarian agenda (spearheaded for years by Ron Paul who is running yet again for president in 2012) ); add to that the corporate interest in seeing this as a means to turn education into a for-profit business and we can pretty much kiss our current dismal standing in the world – now pathetically ranked at 18 out of 36 in the developing nations – because we will be in a race to the bottom!
There is a serious national effort to tear down public education, attacking teacher unions as “thugs”(Gov. Christie, N.J. after all – those greedy overpaid teachers always have their hands out for more!); legislation proposing school vouchers which is nothing more than codespeak for using federal tax dollars to pay for Christian schooling; education cuts to primary, secondary, Head Start programs (which Blaine Young did defund) that give the very young a running start, Pell grants that help enable the struggling classes to seek higher education and massive teacher layoffs resulting in increased class sizes.
Sometimes I wonder if they are just afraid of an educated society because an educated society would mean a society full of critical thinkers, and critical thinkers are often critical voters.
I was very concerned when I read in the FNP about Cindy Rose who was upset because her child’s text book was pushing socialism. “She said she was concerned the book pushes an agenda of socialism and she wanted it removed from schools.”
Now the definition for socialism is a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.
There are many ways you can interpret that definition, in the political movement socialism includes a diverse array of philosophies, ranging from reformism to revolutionary socialism.
She wants the books removed because they are pushing an agenda of socialism, but I wonder if she would not be as upset if the text books were pushing an agenda of Capitalism ?
Capitalism is considered the opposite of socialism. The poor and disadvantaged fall to the wayside in lieu of unencumbered economic potential, and 'survival-of-the-fittest' is the rule of law. Socialism, on the other hand, values all citizens regardless of their earning potential.
"This chapter tells our third-graders they have a voice and they should get involved," Rose said. "Let's not teach our little third-graders to be protesters and picketers.
Getting involved does not necessarily equate with protesting and picketing, even though I seem to remember that protests and picketing have brought about great change.
Getting involved in a community can mean anything from volunteering at your local school to keeping a watchful eye on your neighborhood.
Encouraging a child to be involved in their community helps that child to feel connected to that society and a child that feels connected to the society they live in are less likely to hurt the members of that society.
Think about it this way, the moment you laid eyes on your child you bonded, you connected and knew you would protect your child no matter what. You knew that you would never allow anyone or anything to ever cause harm to your child. You became an involved parent you became a socialist.
Once a child feels connected to the society around them they not only want to make that society a better place to live in, they will make sure that society stays a safe place to be.
Capitalism concentrates power and wealth within a small segment of society, that small segment of society then controls the rest of society through the means of production and derives its wealth through a system of exploitation.
A stratified society based on unequal social relations fails to provide equal opportunities for every individual in that society to becoming contributing members of society.
When you focus on what the market needs instead of what a human needs you are creating members of a society that no longer feel connected to the society they live in.
No connection to the world you live means you no longer care about the world you live, which means you will have no problem hurting the world you live in.
I am a socialist, because I do believe everyone should all have equal opportunities to reach their maximum potential.
Public schools are meant to help a child feel a connection to the world around them and they do a fantastic job if we would adequately fund them and keep them secular.
When parents start pitting education against the child, there is something wrong.
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