School Field Trip to Teacher's Lesbian Wedding Sparks Controversy

[Texas Lynn]

you are brave I subscribed to fotf and after awhile got sick of the paranoia.

It's certainly got more shrill lately, I know that is right. But I regard it as a duty to keep up with what they're putting out. What amazes me is how they not only fight sexual-social issues but advocate creationism. It strikes me as the entire progam is based on advocacy of ignorance.

 

[Texas Lynn]

I don't watch much TV so this is new news to me. I am not surprised. One of the area schools by me the teacher was making the AP English kids read Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia.

What is "AP", the brainy kids? That seems appropriate. The tragic story of Roy Cohn certainly puts out appropriate moral lessons for that cohort.

 

[bliz]

Yeah. I think that's true. But very few parents are able to educate their own children the first way, for a wide variety of reasons. I couldn't because my own temperament is not as well-organized and disciplined as a lot of people. And my daughter and I could not emotionally cope with each other 24/7. My son and I might have been able to, but his social development would have suffered. He is such an introvert that he needed the social atmosphere of a school to be in any way prepared for the world.

I'm one of those people who can be very easily pulled off any routine. I tend to be somewhat spontaneous, but even more responsive to a crisis. I'm an excellent consultant, trouble-shooter and crisis counselor. I'm not so good at maintaining day-to-day stability. I think there are very few parents and children who have the mix of temperament, education and skills to do homeschooling really effectively. For the few who can, more power to them!

Which means you made a great choice! I have seen so many families who are into homeschooling. Only problem is, many simply ignore their kids. I remember meeting a high school aged young women who had only been homeschooled. She was one of the angriest young adults I had ever met. She loathed her younger siblings, despised her parents and was none too fond of God.

Could those parents not see the damage they were doing to their daughter? I used to recruit homsechools for a college and run summer programs for them - like upper level science and math classes - I was in charge of all the non-academic stuff. I saw many students like this young lady, who, BTW, went to college, and never came home again. And the parents just carried on, so convinced that they were doing the best thing, so happy with the lovely image of the family gathered round learning together...

I have seen glorious results as well, but if families are choosing homeschooling to keep their children away from anything, they are not doing it for the right reasons.

 

[No Swansong]

What is "AP", the brainy kids? That seems appropriate. The tragic story of Roy Cohn certainly puts out appropriate moral lessons for that cohort.

AP usually stands for Advanced Placement.

 

[EnemyPartyII]

The parents of all attending children signed permision notes for the kids to attend.

Therefore, null issue.

Unless, of course, you wish to challenge a parent's right to allow their kids to attend a same sex wedding.

 

[Texas Lynn]

Liz do you speak as an educator? I belong to a group of homeschooling parents and all of our children have been very successful in their respective schools. My oldest son (who took his first college class at the age of 15) has a high GPA in a well respected secular University studying Business. Two of his friends are very successful in their secular school studying Engineering. We also have parents with children who have completed their undergraduate study and are in Law and Veterinary Medicine schools. (as far as I know none of these students had to take remedial classes) I am confident my youngest son will be well prepared for the Environmental Science discipline that he wants to study upon finishing high school. My experience is that our group is not extraordinary in any way but instead pretty normal amongst homeschooling parents.

What is your motivation for homeschooling? Others here have articulated a motivation toward separating their children from diversity education and learning respect for members of groups which they despise.

 

[No Swansong]

I have seen glorious results as well, but if families are choosing homeschooling to keep their children away from anything, they are not doing it for the right reasons.

I have to disagree with this. To begin with the choice to home school my children was made to keep them away from something; the very real threat of violence that existed not only in the neighborhood but also in the actual schools they were supposed to attend.

Secondly there are a number who choose homeschooling to keep their children away from certain trends in the schools. I know of a wonderful Sikh family who chose homeschooling to keep their children from being held back by the school teaching to the lowest common denominator. Two of their daughters completed degrees in Biology at Ohio State University and are now in graduate studies. I know a Jewish family who felt that the Social Studies curriculum was far too pro-homosexual for their children. It was their feeling that the teaching of sexual morality belonged in the home. I know another nominally Christian family who home schooled because the local high school didn't teach math any higher than Calculus and their children completed it in 9th grade.

Keeping your children out of bad or dangerous schools is not a wrong reason for home schooling.

 

[No Swansong]

What is your motivation for homeschooling? Others here have articulated a motivation toward separating their children from diversity education and learning respect for members of groups which they despise.

The primary reason was to protect them from harm.

 

[Texas Lynn]

Usually field trips are paid for by the school. But even if it wasn't I am sure that the teachers that supervised were on the clock.

But shouldn't we ask ourselves what real damage has been done? What exactly were the educational benefits of such a trip? While my initial response is that the trip was inappropriate (mostly due to age) I am not sure what damage was done by it and can surely see that such a field trip could indeed be used for educational purposes. I would not have allowed my children to attend and would have used the opportunity to discuss same sex relationships with them, but had it been a heterosexual union how much about government, relationships, the proper place of governmental regulation of relationships etc could have been taught?

I have a significant problem with the concept that somehow, perhaps attending a heterosexual wedding would be appropriate but this wasn't. If so it would appear the prime motivation of such a position would be to pass on one's bigotry to the next generation.

 

[Texas Lynn]

Only problem is, many simply ignore their kids. I remember meeting a high school aged young women who had only been homeschooled.

There is the situation of some educationally neglecting their children and calling it homeschooling. That's why those who do it should be subject to scrutiny.

I have seen glorious results as well, but if families are choosing homeschooling to keep their children away from anything, they are not doing it for the right reasons.

Protecting children from diversity does not serve them or society.

 

[No Swansong]

I have a significant problem with the concept that somehow, perhaps attending a heterosexual wedding would be appropriate but this wasn't. If so it would appear the prime motivation of such a position would be to pass on one's bigotry to the next generation.

Did you not notice the "because of age" comment I made? Referring to a heterosexual wedding I was just pointing out that if my children attended there could be much to learn. I had already stated that my children would not have gone had it been a same sex wedding so I was only clarifying that there was much that could be learned from the experience. You should also have noticed that I mentioned that I doubt any damage was done to the children who did attend. Please don't look for an anti-homosexual comment when there isn't one.

 

[Texas Lynn]

I know a Jewish family who felt that the Social Studies curriculum was far too pro-homosexual for their children.

How sad that a member group historically victimized by bigotry made a decision to promote it against another group.

 

[Texas Lynn]

The primary reason was to protect them from harm.

What harm, specifically?

 

[EnemyPartyII]

The primary reason was to protect them from harm.

I would contend that wrapping a child in cotton wool, and shielding them from the diversity and variety of the real world, exposing them only to the parent's idea of what is acceptible or wholesome, in the long run, is far more dangerous and damaging than allowing a child to experience school with a peer group.

*thinks of various horror stories of what happens when an overly sheltered child becomes a young adult and is utterly shocked and unprepared to deal with the real world*

 

[No Swansong]

What harm, specifically?

Shootings and gang related beatings. My youngest son asked to attend the local high school after he finished his 8th grade curriculum, because he wanted to go to JROTC. His first week there, there were 3 gang related shootings just outside the school. Two bystanders were shot and hospitalized, this confirmed that we had made the correct decision regarding homeschooling. He didn't go back.

 

[No Swansong]

I would contend that wrapping a child in cotton wool, and shielding them from the diversity and variety of the real world, exposing them only to the parent's idea of what is acceptible or wholesome, in the long run, is far more dangerous and damaging than allowing a child to experience school with a peer group.

*thinks of various horror stories of what happens when an overly sheltered child becomes a young adult and is utterly shocked and unprepared to deal with the real world*

Pretty large assumptions there wouldn't you say?

 

[Texas Lynn]

Shootings and gang related beatings. My youngest son asked to attend the local high school after he finished his 8th grade curriculum, because he wanted to go to JROTC. His first week there, there were 3 gang related shootings just outside the school. Two bystanders were shot and hospitalized, this confirmed that we had made the correct decision regarding homeschooling. He didn't go back.

The appropriate solution is to improve such things, not withdraw.

 

[EnemyPartyII]

Pretty large assumptions there wouldn't you say?

Well, I don't think so, given the horror stories I mentioned.

I do think its a pretty huge assumption to imagine that your child will be one of the 0.0001% of students killed in a school shooting if you let them attend a school with peers.

I mean, school shootings are a horrible horrible phenomenon, however, lets be honest, your child is far more likely to die crossing the street on the way to the park than they are to die in a school shooting.

I think the benefits of exposure to real world life experience that a school environment gives a child are greater than the risks the child is exposed to.

 

[Texas Lynn]

I would contend that wrapping a child in cotton wool, and shielding them from the diversity and variety of the real world, exposing them only to the parent's idea of what is acceptible or wholesome, in the long run, is far more dangerous and damaging than allowing a child to experience school with a peer group.

*thinks of various horror stories of what happens when an overly sheltered child becomes a young adult and is utterly shocked and unprepared to deal with the real world*

It definitely happens. I've seen kids of this background go overboard in reaction to the sheltering they received as children.

Of course, I've seen how some members of far-right Christian sects are beginning to look at arranging marriages for some of these kids.

 

[No Swansong]

The appropriate solution is to improve such things, not withdraw.

Easy to say when it's not your children in the line of fire.