I consider myself a liberal. Well, I did. Lately I am SOOOO frustrated with the political garbage that's creeping into everything that I sometimes feel sick to my stomach. For instance, putting together a plant study for ds on extinct/threatened plants. Found a great website... I thought. I was reading through the information and realize the author completely blamed humans for all plant extinctions... minus one tiny line that said some plants couldn't be saved from extinction (no actual mention here that it can occur naturally). I had to go in and add a bunch of stuff to even it out. YES, human beings DO cause plant and animal extinction. I'm not arguing that at all. BUT there can be natural causes as well. I even added a bit about the REASONS that the current atmosphere (haha) in our country seems to center on how horribly humans have screwed up the planet, and how to keep that in context. Thankfully, I had more luck with a University article on invasive plants in our state- it listed both human caused AND natural events which lead to problems. It is a repeat of the constant recycle conversation I have with my 7yo dd. They pounded that into my kids' heads in ps (and kids' channel commercials). I realize she's only 7 but jeez, I drive a 12yo extremely fuel efficient car. We aren't the kind of people who buy stuff just to have it. Our lawn mower has more tics than a fieldmouse but we still use it. Our furniture almost all needs replacing... you get the picture. So I don't recycle my cans... give me a break :roll: ARG. Just.. bothering me lately. I don't mind telling my children that it is important to take care of our planet, but when I have to pick through the most basic stuff just to give them a balanced view... it gets a wee bit annoying.
I understand how frustrating it can be to pick through political stuff when trying to educate the kids. For me, I don't mind the recycling reminders. What I mind is the completely lopsided amount of conservative Christian materials when it comes to homeschooling resources. I can't trust any science books with the word "Christian" attached to it to give me real science so I avoid that completely. And right now I'm trying to find American Government and Economics resources for my high schooler that will be balanced. Talk about political! Yes, I agree with you, finding just the right stuff can be difficult.
Good point, Meghan. Why do three-year-olds need every cartoon to revolve around environmentalism? I was surprised a couple years ago when I sat down to watch PBS with my DS and roughly half the cartoons we watched centered on something like recycling, conserving water, or an environmental theme. And, their logic was a little shady - if we leave the faucet running, animals will run out of water to drink...really? We are to be responsible consumers of the earth, but I agree that it seems a little over the top! Maybe environmentalism is the new "religion" ~ lol. And, I'm pretty sure that homeschooling materials are the ONLY area where conservative Christian principles oversaturate the market...as a Christian I find it a relief to see my beliefs and principles (which I regard as the real truth) represented somewhere in the educational market.
I am on the opposite end of the pendulum, but I'm not always wanting to be associated with conservatives, either. I think this is a problem for everyone now. You have either one end of the spectrum or the other and both sides are trying to endoctrinate people and neither allows for any variance from the extreme. We are Christian in our world view, but we don't want someone else trying to pass off their opinions or personal convictions as the gospel truth. Trying to teach our kids in a way that leaves them teachable is very difficult, regardless of which side of the aisle you lean toward.
I recently picked up a book at a used book sale balled Global Warming: Opposing Viewpoints. I've seen books in this series before. I really like the idea. It is full of essays by different people and the books presents both sides and allows us to decide. I'm excited about reading this one because I really haven't made up my mind on this issue yet. Here are some of the essay names: -Global Warming Poses a Serious Threat -Global Warming Does Not POse a Serious Threat -Global Warming Is Causing the Polar Ice Caps to Melt -Natural Fluctuations are Causing the Polar Ice Caps to Melt -Greenhouse Gas Emissions Should be REduced -Greenhouse Gas Emissions Need not be Reduced -Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cannot be reduced with current Technology Well, you get the idea. I like this kind of balance. I'm looking forward to reading it with my 14 year old for EArth Science this year.
When I was a kid I remember being taught that recycling was good - but it wasn't shoved down our throats like it is now. My kids are very indoctrinated about it. When we were kids we were taught not to waste, to leave a campsite better than you found it, to pick up litter... all of this was simply taught to share our duty as citizens. I'm not sure why it's so difficult to stick with that approach now, but it sure isn't being taught that way! That polar bear commercial for whatever hybrid car makes me want to puke. As a former citizen of the great state of Alaska, there are certainly more points of view on this subject than the one side we get bombarded with.
I've noticed that "Green" is the new gospel. It doesn't matter if it really IS better for the environment, you'd BETTER do it or you're a horrible person. When I was a kid, Pittsburgh implemented a mandatory recycling plan. If you were caught not recycling, you were fined. We had to pay a monthly fee to the recycling pick ups. They were hard-nosed about it. Well, turns out asking every one of the million+ people in Pittsburgh to recycle every bit of paper means far too much paper for the recycling centers to handle (duh, right?). The city was spending so much money and space storing up the paper back-log that 20 years later they still limit the recycling pick ups to plastic and aluminum. Anyhow, people are up in arms that the city doesn't require paper recycling. They are STILL trying to get caught up from the early 90s! I don't see how building dozens of huge warehouses to store the paper is better for the environment.
^^^LOVE this! This is exactly why we choose to homeschool. I do not want my kids in public school having a massive liberal agenda shoved down there throats. I'm lucky in the fact that I grew up in a small town back in the 80's and there didn't seem to be too much political stuff going on, but I do remember a teacher making us feel guilty if our parents didnt vote for the school levy that was coming up. We were in 4th grade and she actually asked us to raise our hand if our parents were voting yes! Mine were not and I felt so embarrassed sitting there with my hand down. That was also the year we weren't allowed to write in our workbooks *unless* the levy passed:roll: I miss the days when personal responsibility was taught and taking care of your space and not littering, etc was just your duty as a human. Now environmentalism IS the new religion and if you don't subscribe you must hate the earth and animals. It's not just in the schools though, adults are getting it at the workplace. My uncle's wife who describes herself as pretty apolitical recently came home from a presentation at work and posed the question to my very conservative uncle 'So like, I guess Republicans hate clean air?'. Seriously!? How about work be work and school be school and let's quit trying to indoctrinate people and kids? Now regarding there being an over saturation of Christian materials in the homeschooling market. Yes, there is, BUT it's because from what I have experienced most homeschoolers I have know have been Christian. To be honest the ONLY people that have EVER questioned my homeschooling have been liberals. My husband's boss was the worst and very rudely asked me if I felt public schooling was beneath me. Yeah, he went there, in front of a whole group of people. From the liberals I know they want their kids and your kids in public school so that they can get the proper agenda taught to them. Right now the hot debate out here in CA is gay history is going to be taught. Real true accurate history isnt taught as it is and now they're going to add gay history!? Anyway, I'm new here and sorry I vent on a rant, I'm just really, really passionate about this
I hear ya'. Finding materials that are well balanced is tough. I'm more of a moderate conservative, leaning somewhat towards the Libertarian party. So while I appreciate the Christian perspective, I do like something that is balanced. I don't want to shove every bit of my political feelings down my children's throats like it is the only way to think. I agree that the "green" and "recycling" movement has really gone crazy lately, almost like a religion. Stewardship, recycling, re-using, and taking care of the earth are very important, but sometimes it seems like it is carried too far. Many companies are taking advantage of it for profit as well.
Isn't it more opinion and worldview than simply politics? Publishers look to sell their books so expect authors to put in commentary designed to appeal to certain demographics/communities. It's the same with the news: There's very little real news these days, just commentary. Right-wingers watch Fox and ridicule the mainstream media; left-wingers listen to public radio and ridicule Fox. Over the last few years, the country has become really polarized because of this. I'm definitely of the opinion that NO opinion or commentary should appear in textbooks - environmental, Christian, atheist, patriotic, or any other. It's difficult to do this with history, because events must be interpreted. Still, it's ludicrous that many textbooks imply that the nation's early leaders were fervent Christians, for example; they were not. Authors shouldn't rewrite history or science etc. - or add 'filler' to appease certain groups - to make it more palatable to certain types of reader: Such an approach violates the very basis of education. The world is the way it is, not the way we wish it to be.
One other point on this. I once visited Vietnam on business. While there, I visited the mausoleum to see the 'preserved' body of Ho Chi Minh and then the national museum. Most of the building consisted of pictures of a smiling "Uncle Ho": smiling with farmers, smiling with teachers, smiling with soldiers, smiling with politicians, and so on. Then there was the technology section: a vacuum flask, a door with bolts to keep locked, a kitchen sink with faucets, and a picture of an escalator. The many visitors, shipped in buses to the museum from suburbs or rural areas, honestly believed that their country led the world in technology and that these items were world-beaters. These people, we'd say 'ignorant' people, were so proud of their country. It was very very sad to see. Don't we do the same with our children when we feed them with sanitized or biased materials? We give them books that claim that "President so-and-so was a Christian" whereas, the truth is, he wrote many words against the faith. Just as those Vietnamese visitors walked away with a false sense of reality, so do our children. Oftentimes, the truth is inconvenient and unpleasant and even contradicts our opinions. So be it. Education is about learning and uncovering the truth, not propaganda.
Good question, Steve. Personally I think it depends on your definition of politics. At this point in my life, I consider anything agenda-based as politics. Worldview or opinion is just that- sharing one's worldview or opinion . For example, if I'm sharing my worldview or opinion I would say, "this is what I believe and I want you to believe it, too." As opposed to Politics: "This is what I want you to believe," whether or not I personally believed the same way. Not sure if that makes sense.... need more caffeine This is one of my struggles with college. EVERY text has some slant. So instead of taking a class to learn something new, I'm constantly writing papers I think are garbage about things I don't believe in. In one class, every paper I wrote argued with whatever chapter we had just read (thankfully the teacher agreed with me). Sociology classes blame families for every problem in the world, any class involving Earth science devolves into a discussion about Global Warming (or whatever the new catchphrase is these days). But I digress... I'm older so my opinions are formed. Watching the 18 and 19yos BELIEVE everything really drives me crazy- and is part of the reason WHY my kids will enter that stage with a balanced view as much as I possibly can give them, even if I have my own opinion on the subject.
You're absolutely right that, ideally, education would reveal truth. However, how can that occur in a society which, as a whole, dismisses any absolute truth? Much "truth" is really someone's interpretation based on his or her belief system. In education it's usually the interpretation of the teacher or the writer of the textbook. Even in a religion such as Christianity which ascribes to absolute truth based on the Bible, there is MUCH difference in the interpretation of Scripture among those who consider themselves Christians. ANYWAY, I guess my point is that what some call truth, others call propoganda and vice versa. Without a standard, how can truth be found to be true? I believe that standard is the Bible and many people would accuse me of being biased because of that. Even our modern public school system is based on an ideology of secular humanism. That foundation biases everything taught in the schools, doesn't it? Okay, I'm getting down from my soap box now.
You're quite right that we can't eliminate worldview from our teaching, and neither should we. IMO, though, we should strive to be even-handed and encourage our children to consider topics from multiple perspectives and be very careful teaching things that are blatantly contradicted by the facts. I used the example of pretending that America's early leaders were all Christians, but there are others. (I've read music history books, for example, that claim Richard Wagner was a Christian, but he was a villain wanted 'dead or alive' before the age of 20.) By considering different viewpoints, we can at least uncover potential contradictions and encourage our children to think things through. The point about propaganda is that it's usually intolerant of opposing views.
I think you shoudl check out Simple Schooling's science, Colorado Mom heron the spot did a great job with Physics, it was not all God this or God that kind of thing and I personally don't cringe at the meniton of God in creation but I do like science to be science, and history to be history... I think politiiics are way too inserted in our kids lives and I consider myself not a liberal hahah, I think there is a place for everything and a time for everything in our kids learning but they don't need it all now and not all at the same time. My kids know more about current events than many public school kids and less of someone else's opinion of the event. All the joys of homeschooling wrapped up in one are that we get to teach our kids to think for themselves and study to find the truth in each idea. MY kids know that not all text books are accurate and that the author puts his or her own opinion in most of them. They need to check the credentials and they have the choice to believe it or not.
Glad to see this discussion. I was concerned about using a Christian curriculum (Switched On Schoolhouse) for science. But I went through all of the lessons, and only found a few that I felt were objectionable and far too biased. SOS allows me to remove any lessons that I don't want to be taught, so that wasn't a big deal. I have other resources to fill in the gaps and try to find a more balanced perspective.
