Public Schools - gone too far - again! - Page 3

For the most part, we agree.

One of the sad issues is that many parents are uncomfortable with the topic of sex and proper labels for "those" body parts.  The best prevention against unwanted pregnancies is arming children with knowledge about pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and their bodies.  Our school wanted to have a wonderful teacher on sex education.  I attended her class and was impressed.  She was forthright, no-nonsense, and taught about safe sex, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and the human body.  Her curriculum involved teaching girls and boys separately and then together.  It included teaching boys to respect girls as well as teaching girls to respect themselves (it also included teaching boys to respect themselves).  She included scenarios to teach everyone some ways to handle situations where they may be pressured into sex.  It was wonderful.  Unfortunately there was a small handful of parents who freaked out over teaching children this.  They equated sex education with permission to have sex and causing their children to want to have sex just because they learned about it (good grief, and yes this was what many of the parents sited as reasons against this woman).  Empirical evidence shows a correlation between decreased incidents of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases with good sex education.

Did the school and its administration in the article use common sense in their handling of sex education?  No.  Did they proceed in an appropriate manner with sex education?  No.  If the reporter was accurate in the description of what occurred, I too would be upset.

The questionaire we're discussing is mandated by the Federal Government [under Bush Sr's Administration], not the school district.

Paperwork was sent home, informing the parents of the survey, but the mother in question failed to return the form with her signature, which would have ensured that her daughters were not surveyed.

but how many babies born today are even born into a "traditional marriage", you know the kind that is capable of providing moral guidance?
 

Are you honestly saying that morality is exclusive to heterosexual marriages?
If so, it doesn't seem to be working, since nearly every gay person on earth was born to heterosexual parents.

Or are you saying that morality is limited to Christian families?

Just what ARE you saying here?

SM, I am guessing you have never been a teacher. 

Many teachers are placed in classes where there are 40 or more children in a single class.  Parents in many lower SES areas are either working multiple jobs to make ends meet, are in prison, addicted to drugs, or not in the child's life.  Many parents expect the schools to be the parent for their children that they are unable or unwilling to be.  Teachers are expected to "teach to the test" (which came about under Bush's brain child "No Child Left Behind" which mandated testing and such but did not BUDGET for this, Duh).  Many school districts are down right dangerous and the children are more concerned with the simple act of surviving the walk home than homework.  Many children also work outside the home to help support the family and those hours are more than many children should work (not saying that work is a bad thing, just so many hours that it interferes with homework and studying is unacceptable).  Schools need money to pay teachers, get supplies, maintain buildings and transportation.  We are one of the lowest pay for teachers both starting and after 15 years.  The top education systems per graduation levels, students that continue on to college and are successful, etc are Korea, Singapore, and Germany, the US is way at the bottom.  Those countries pay their teachers well, seek the best educated from teaching programs, and give their teachers bonuses for students that do well.  These schools also provide extra help for teachers in class rooms, tutors for students that need it, and encourage parents to be active participants in their child's edcuation, help parents to become active if they don't know how because some parents never finished school themselves.  These are not punitive environments but supportive environments.  When most children act out it is due to something going on in their lives, how about finding out what is causing the behavior and addressing the child's needs.  

You want to punish students, punish teachers, and privatize schools?  Really??????  The only way we are going to compete in the future world market is by educating our children.  The only way we will get great education is to support our teachers and hire the best of the best and then make sure they are compensated for their time.  Our children are precious and knowledge is power, the way to gain knowledge is education. 

Teacher's pay has been low for many, many years.......this isn't new.

I don't understand why teachers complain, the reason I decided not to be a teacher is because of the pay.

If someone decides on a profession and they should know the payscale prior to making that decision.

Some of the best school systems in foreign countries use a voutcher system. Children are not stuck going to bad schools and they fail.

SM You can't understand why the teachers are complaining?  Really???  You didn't want to do the work because of the low pay but yet you go after those that you feel superiour too because you must have a good income (are you big oil or gas???), private school your children (If you have them).  Well most of the teachers I have had the pleasure of working with did it because they wanted to make a difference in a child's life, they wanted to show them the wonders of science, math, astonomy, art, music, and all those other areas that kids need to have their imagination engaged enough to want to learn all they can,.  THe Teachers signed on so they know what they are getting paid.  Wonder how much their wages and benefits have been cut since they first started?  I'll tell you what SistasMom, I have a cousin who still teaches in the inner city of a large metropolitian area complete with metal detectors at the door, drug and bomb dogs patroling the hallways and the children joking about who will make it home and who won't.  She still loves teaching the kids but was recently given 30 more students to here various classes so she is personally responsible for a total of 40-50  students in each of her various classes and I am sure she would be willing to give you a taste of what being a teacher for these overcroweded, schools.  I can set it up and you can spend a week there and maybe a week at another school to get the full effect of these Overpaid, lazy, people who don't deserve tenure, benefits, retirement, and a decent livable wage,

Same is going on with firefighters and police officers.  They should not be paid as much and certianly don't need their benefits. And we don't need them as much......at least until you have an emergency....tee hee hee

If you don't like the pay, choose a different profession.....

Its supply and demand........if teachers, firefighters, police or others were hard to come by then the pay scale would go up.

Sorry, I don't feel sorry for y'all.

So, with your reasoning the farmers in Ga should offer $20.00 an hour and the fields will be all harvested. Lettuce will now be $4.00 DOLLARS A HEAD. Good thinking SM.  Think about it, the demand is huge, but the pay has not increased at all. 

"Its supply and demand........if teachers, firefighters, police or others were hard to come by then the pay scale would go up."

How can the pay go up for teachers if the money for education is being cut? All the demand in the world will not cause wages to go up if the money is not there to pay the higher wages.


Hey SM,

If taxes are the lowest they have been in 40 to 60 years adjusted for inflation. Why haven't we seen this big increase in hiring and new jobs, after all it is the whole contention of why the republicians do not want to raise taxes on the super rich. Which they claim will cause less job creation. How do they figure? They have gotten a huge break for years now, how much hiring are they doing?  Just the opposite has happened, massive job loss since Bush the smart Texan lowered taxes. Imagine that. The opposite of what your party preaches has happened. The rich sat on the money and didn't hire a soul, in fact they moved more jobs out and kept even more. So, please explain this tax cut for the super rich and how it creates more jobs on the trickle down effect?
When was the last time this country had a surplus, SM?

Ninja and Sock Puppet:  Clearly you two don't care for one another.  I am going to ask that from now on you take your personal problems to PMs, and ignore one another on the board.  I deleted the posts that were primarily back and forth digs at one another.    

Enough is enough.