For the past week, I've been on vacation and made a concerted effort not to read or watch the news (makes a vacation much more relaxing). But I'm back and in looking at the web found an interesting piece.
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-fire-and-brimstone-world-of-texas-school-propaganda/
"While attending the Texas State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) quarterly meeting to blog on behalf of TexasGOPVote.com, I learned about an example of extreme liberal bias in the form of a handout entitled “Philosophical Differences Between Liberals and Conservatives.” It was passed out by San Antonio Roosevelt High School (NEISD) teacher Barbara Geerdes to her AP U.S. government class. TexasGOPVote was later sent a copy of the handout, and I recognized it as something our community would be greatly concerned about.
According to some parents, Mrs. Geerdes did not allow the students to take the handout out of the classroom. (That charge has since been denied by the school district’s superintendent, as you’ll read in a moment.) However, one brave student grew concerned over the teacher’s repeated politicization of the classroom and managed to get his copy of the document out of the classroom so that he could show his parents at home. According to a source that followed up with the father of the student:
The Dean of Students responded that the teacher admitted that she has been distributing handouts all year without required pre-approval from the head of the social studies department. She has been giving these out to all of her classes, not just the AP class. She has always collected the handouts at the end of the class period and has never allowed the handouts to be taken home. "
Two things pop out at me when I read this. First, the fact that Ms. Geerdes would pass out unapproved handouts and second she would collect them at the end of the class period.
Now the second action could have been because she knew she hadn't gotten them approved and feared the consequences. But I think like many on the left, she didn't want to have her left wing propaganda challenged.
What ever the case, she should be severely reprimanded. Schools should not be indoctrination camps for either the right or the left. The entire purpose of education is to get people to think, not to parrot a particular political philosophy. Now you may assume that I think in a battle of ideas the right would prevail, and you are correct. While the left is a feel good philosophy, it can't stand up when you actually put facts and figures and not just anecdotal examples of injustice. The problem with the left's philosophy is that for it to actually work, you have to change human nature. Short of that, you have to impose strict laws and you strip freedom away when you do that.
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-fire-and-brimstone-world-of-texas-school-propaganda/
"While attending the Texas State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) quarterly meeting to blog on behalf of TexasGOPVote.com, I learned about an example of extreme liberal bias in the form of a handout entitled “Philosophical Differences Between Liberals and Conservatives.” It was passed out by San Antonio Roosevelt High School (NEISD) teacher Barbara Geerdes to her AP U.S. government class. TexasGOPVote was later sent a copy of the handout, and I recognized it as something our community would be greatly concerned about.
According to some parents, Mrs. Geerdes did not allow the students to take the handout out of the classroom. (That charge has since been denied by the school district’s superintendent, as you’ll read in a moment.) However, one brave student grew concerned over the teacher’s repeated politicization of the classroom and managed to get his copy of the document out of the classroom so that he could show his parents at home. According to a source that followed up with the father of the student:
The Dean of Students responded that the teacher admitted that she has been distributing handouts all year without required pre-approval from the head of the social studies department. She has been giving these out to all of her classes, not just the AP class. She has always collected the handouts at the end of the class period and has never allowed the handouts to be taken home. "
Two things pop out at me when I read this. First, the fact that Ms. Geerdes would pass out unapproved handouts and second she would collect them at the end of the class period.
Now the second action could have been because she knew she hadn't gotten them approved and feared the consequences. But I think like many on the left, she didn't want to have her left wing propaganda challenged.
What ever the case, she should be severely reprimanded. Schools should not be indoctrination camps for either the right or the left. The entire purpose of education is to get people to think, not to parrot a particular political philosophy. Now you may assume that I think in a battle of ideas the right would prevail, and you are correct. While the left is a feel good philosophy, it can't stand up when you actually put facts and figures and not just anecdotal examples of injustice. The problem with the left's philosophy is that for it to actually work, you have to change human nature. Short of that, you have to impose strict laws and you strip freedom away when you do that.
Just a quick note. I placed the picture of "the thinker" on the right side of this article since a lot more thinking is done by the right than the left.
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