Parents Sue N.J. School for 'God' Song Ban

[bhallg2k]

Knock on public schools at your own peril. You really don't want to start that argument.

bhallg2k Reviewed by bhallg2k on 05-23-2005. Parents Sue N.J. School for 'God' Song Ban Parents Sue N.J. School for 'God' Song Ban May 20, 2005 10:10 PM EDT NEWARK, N.J. - A public school prohibited a second grader from singing a religious song at a talent show, prompting a lawsuit Friday alleging violation of the girl's constitutional rights. A federal judge declined an emergency request to compel Frenchtown Elementary School to allow 8-year-old Olivia Turton to sing "Awesome God" at the Friday night show, but allowed the lawsuit to go forward. School officials in the Rating: 5

[amsterdam]

let me tell ya,american schools provide a great learning enviroment.american kids are dumb as rocks.they had to make the S.A.T. easier.

private school for my kids.

[Torog]

Knock on public schools at your own peril. You really don't want to start that argument.

Howdy bhall,

Okay,I'll bite..why should we not 'knock on public schools ' ?

I'm not ashamed to admit,that I was publicly schooled,but it was at a time,just before schools started gittin more liberal and agenda-oriented,and they dealt in facts..rather than re-writing history,in order to push an agenda.

Have a good one ....

[amsterdam]

re-writing history is right!!

[bhallg2k]

Howdy bhall,

Okay,I'll bite..why should we not 'knock on public schools ' ?

I'm not ashamed to admit,that I was publicly schooled,but it was at a time,just before schools started gittin more liberal and agenda-oriented,and they dealt in facts..rather than re-writing history,in order to push an agenda.

Have a good one ....

Ok, you're not the best example to use for public education. Your grammar and clerical skills are terrible.

And, honestly, when was the last time you sat in a classroom to discover what is being taught? Do you really know what kids are being exposed to, or do you just believe everything you hear on TV and the radio? It's almost comical all the things you spout off as fact.

First off, there is no "agenda" to a teacher's methods. All a teacher wants is for a kid to pay attention and be respectful. That's it. Not once in my public education did anyone tell me who to vote for, what god to believe in or what politics to subscribe to. In fact, if asked, they wouldn't even talk about it out of the fear of being unduly influential.

Second, how is history being rewritten? If something is taught that doesn't immediately bow down to the party line, is that rewriting history?

America is not a bad place. America is not a bad country. Let me repeat those things again so as not to be accused of hating America: America is not a bad place. America is not a bad country. But...America has done bad things in the past, things that cannot be dismissed. What in the hell is wrong with kids being taught that? Do you want kids to learn or be indoctrinated?

Third, if you want good people to become teachers, try paying them decent money. I've seen the people in my girlfriend's education classes. These are not the people you want teaching your kids. But it's really damn hard to lure good students into education programs because there is so little pay for the extremely hard work that needs to be done. Beyond that, if you're a teacher, you're still gonna have to pay out of pocket for class supplies. When you don't support teachers over a long enough period of time, the people you want to have teaching your kids decide to go into something more lucrative. Republicans, and only Republicans, have been the reason for the cuts in school funds and teachers' pay.

"No Child Left Behind," Bush's incredibly ridiculous misuse of a name. It really should be called "Kids, You Better Fucking Catch Up Now Before All The Money Is Gone." NCLB is draining funds from the schools that need it most. NCLB is forcing teachers, with the threat of losing their job or closing their school, to teach kids ONLY what is being tested on. Music classes? Gone. Art? Gone. Even PE in some states? Gone. Those extra, important things, that studies have shown over and over again to improve math and science scores, are gone. If the federal government isn't testing on it, kids ain't learning it. Here's the kicker: the government isn't even funding their own initiative! How crazy is that? Knowing that state budgets are shrinking because of these wonderful deficits caused by tax cuts for the rich, the feds still haven't given the states the money to carry out this atrocity to its intended purpose.

That's not to say that teachers shouldn't be held accountable. They should. Tenure is an idea whose time has passed. No teacher should be given a blank check, so to speak, just because they've taught for a while. At the same time, you can't motivate students or teachers with a "gun to the head" approach. Even with NCLB being underfunded, if it wasn't going to work, it would've some positive results by now.

Property taxes. What y'all country folk don't realize is that in the cities, where most people live, property taxes still pay for schools like they do for you. But in order to attract businesses to inner city areas in an attempt to revitalize them, city councils cut property taxes, thus cutting public education funding. And with little federal funding, the kids are the ones who lose out. Come to Philly and I'll show you how fucked up this is.

How is a kid expected to learn when he shares a textbook with three other kids? How can a kid get excited about learning when coming to school means sitting in a trailer with little heat or A/C with 35 of his classmates packed in like sardines? How can at-risk kids be given a chance when after school programs, along with healthcare, are the first items to go on the Republican budget chopping block? It makes no sense.

Higher education. Bush and the GOP have cut financial aid for kids to go to college. Student loans and grants have been cut across the board. It goes without saying what this does to the overall education level of our country.

God, that's just the tip of the iceberg. I'm just tired of writing about it. But I don't think any Republican should dare knock the conditions of public schools. Their deterioration, and that of our kids' educations, are entirely your fault. If you choke something long enough, which is what Reagan started, it's going to die.

[amsterdam]

maybe a government controled system would work better?like health care?

[XTC]

Kudos post to Bhall. Awesome post. Nailed the facts down right. I can vouch for these "agendas" not once did any teachers told me what politics were good, whether God existed or not, or anything of that nature. I once asked a science teacher if he believed in God. he told me to drop the conversation. Further more, "No Child Left Behind", was nothing more than a marketing scheme for the Bush Admin to get "voted" in. I use the term Voted loosely.

[bhallg2k]

maybe a government controled system would work better?like health care?

You're only bashing your own kind with that, buddy. NCLB is an attempt at just that.

I have my own solution. No one would ever go for it, but I can guarantee its success. Take 1/3 of the funds allocated for defense and divert them to public education. Not only will you instantly raise teacher salaries to the point where solid high school and college students would consider being a teacher, you give every kid his own textbooks, you eliminate cramped temporary classrooms, you give kids a place to go after school to continue education and stay out of trouble (read: lower crime), you rebuild crumbling inner-city schools, you fund school lunch and breakfast programs, college tuition becomes nearly free for qualifying students (kind of like the Hope scholarships in GA) and you finally put America at par with how much of a percentage of GDP other industrialized nations spend on education. Moreover, in a generation, you raise a group of smarter citizens who probably wouldn't need so much defending.

That's just my take though.

[amsterdam]

you guys got your ass beat on electiopn day,quit fucking crying about it.

elect some real leaders to your party and shut up about it.at this rate you wont have any power for a LONG time.

[bhallg2k]

you guys got your ass beat on electiopn day,quit fucking crying about it.

elect some real leaders to your party and shut up about it.at this rate you wont have any power for a LONG time.

Hey, thanks for participating in the EDUCATION discussion. Is this what you do when you have no comeback?

"We won so suck it!"

Trust me, pal, we ALL LOST. In ten years, that will really become evident.