Monday, June 18, 2007

Manipulating Public School Children

I think we're all pretty much aware that children in public schools are often not taught that there are two sides of an issue. This article, written by a group of Maine fourth-graders, is certainly evidence of that. Even though there are many prominent scientists who disagree with the global warming theory, these children have been taught that global warming is not only a certainty, but imminent:

Have we ever wondered what life might be like in 50 to 100 years? We might have imagined big robotic cities and flying cars, but I bet we didn't imagine huge cities and tall skyscrapers underwater. Well, that's what life will be if we keep burning fossil fuels without thought.

Let's scare these poor kids to death with a theory, and then put a guilt trip on them about whose fault it is that this is happening. Nice. Just one more reason to teach your kids at home.

As for the commenter at that article site who suggested that homeschooled kids merely parrot their parents' attitudes, that is a gross generalization, but even in the cases where it is true, our society is better off with citizens who have a variety of opinions than citizens who have all been taught the party line, don't you think? Groupthink is the antithesis of free thought.

5 comments:

Middle-Aged Moi said...

I definitely would rather have my child have his own opinion rather than voice what some government puppet has taught them!

Crimson Wife said...

Unfortunately, there is a certain segment of the homeschooling community that will become outraged and accuse you of being a "religious fanatic" for voicing that opinion :-(

Silvia said...

I remember that our 5th grade class was to write a letter to Pres Jimmy Carter--I don't know if we were told to write a solution to the gas crisis, but that was what I wrote about. And what on earth did I know about that? I did get a nice letter back from one of his letter-writers, though. :)

Barbara Frank said...

Janet, I love that phrase, "government puppet," LOL!

Crimson Wife, I just figure sticks-and-stones, you know?

Silvia, isn't it funny how we remember some of those school projects years later? The question is, what did we learn from them?

Silvia said...

If a president has time during a gas crisis to listen to 5th graders, and doesn't have a plan already . . .