Parents: are you okay with the school influencing your child's political view?

reply to post by Solarskye


First, this is kind of my point. You have a right to teach and implement things in your children's life as you see fit.

Even if I did not discuss those things with my children, I may have a good reason for doing so and it is my right as the parent to decide what they will or will not learn when it comes to personal values and such.

I do teach them they have a voice and I teach them to question everything and everyone, including me. When they ask me about things, I don't ever give them a definitive answer, but rather ask them first what they think about it and then we discuss it. Things aren't black and white and I don't want them to ever walk away from a conversation with me believing that.

Politics drive adults to the brink of insanity and look at this election... adults are even fearful. I don't think that exposing my children to that prematurely is going to serve them in the future. Let them learn the basics first so that they can decipher the lies from the truth the best they can.

Originally posted by justamomma
reply to post by Solarskye

 

Even if I did not discuss those things with my children, I may have a good reason for doing so and it is my right as the parent to decide what they will or will not learn when it comes to personal values and such.

You are exactly right and I apologize if I insinuated or was telling you how to raise your children. You are the teacher over all teachers of your kids and that was kind of my point. Sometimes I type things the wrong way. Can you forgive me.

To answer your question I think teachers should not influence your children politically but kids are influenced in everything they do and a parent can guide that better than anyone.

reply to post by Solarskye


No need for apologies You were giving your view and it brought up a point w/in your point that should be brought out.

We all have our ideals for raising children and they all differ. Everyone's ideals should not be forced onto all the children... only what the parents of the children deem fit.

There are Christians who will say I am in the wrong for not having my children in church every sunday. They may not be wrong for taking THEIR children, but seeing that I alone am responsible for the upbringing, they are in the wrong for trying to impose guilt on me for not bringing my children up with their ideals.

Same thing could be said about any religion, political view, etc.

I don't shelter my kids from the world, but I filter it to fit what they have learned or haven't learned yet as far as the foundation I am trying to start them off with.

People would think I was insane if I had a vision of a big beautiful house and just immediately began building rooms without laying a foundation first. The foundation is a laying out of what is right and wrong and what is right and wrong for us as an individual may not be what is right and wrong for someone else... finding out what is in you and what values you have as an individual is a learned process and if I throw them out into a world created with adult concepts and ideas before they have learned to navigate it with their own eyes and heart, then I have done MY children an injustice and set them up for the trap that those who want to control them have laid out.

reply to post by justamomma

People would think I was insane if I had a vision of a big beautiful house and just immediately began building rooms without laying a foundation first. The foundation is a laying out of what is right and wrong and what is right and wrong for us as an individual may not be what is right and wrong for someone else... finding out what is in you and what values you have as an individual is a learned process and if I throw them out into a world created with adult concepts and ideas before they have learned to navigate it with their own eyes and heart, then I have done MY children an injustice and set them up for the trap that those who want to control them have laid out.

Those are very wise words. I know that you are a great mother. Too often, in this society, we try to rush children to where they should not be. It is heartbreaking to see so many today that want to shortcut the natural process of growing up. Let's all let children be children. That time will pass all too quickly, believe me, as seniors, my wife and I know.

Originally posted by justamomma
I don't want to bash Obama, particularly since he will be our president and has not proven himself... I am definately willing to see what he can do.

However, a bit off topic but wanted to reply to your post, I am not so sure that he is opposed to the war. How ppl are arriving to this conclusion seems to indicate that the public can easily be duped simply by being vague. Still, this is not the point....

I am fine with adults wanting to vote for him, but I want my children to understand first and foremost that they are not voting for men in and of themselves, but rather they should be voting for the person they see as representing most closely the values this country was founded on.

As I've already stated, I wanted Obama to win.

I don't believe the paper was meant to sway the children's opinion, what good would that have done? It was sent home for any stray, working parents who don't have tons of time to sit around all day on the computer, learning the details of every issue and researching it for themselves.

I have not read every post in this thread, so I apologize if I repeat something someone else has said.


"Implement my family's personal values"

and "Freethinkers"

Isn't this contradictory?

Doesn't a free thinker come up with their own values irrespective of the values that are "implemented" upon them?

Are you afraid that they will come up with their own interpretation and a set of new values that will sully your family line?

Encouraging your kids to be free thinkers is noble, limiting what that free thinking encompasses ... not so much.

Let them ingest opposing viewpoints. If you have raised them correctly, they will come to the correct conclusion. Although, do not be surprised if it is not yours.

reply to post by lellomackin



Considering that one of the values adamently passed down in our family is to always do what we is right for us in our own minds and hearts and to do that requires one to be able to think for themself, no........ I do not see family values as being contrary to being a free thinker.

I didn't say that they had to follow any of the family values passed down, but it is my duty to have our family values and not the values of any old joe taught to my children.

Where are all the posters on this thread?

Pennsylvania teacher's aide told students Obama would be shot

"One of the teacher's aides ... said that Obama was going to be shot and killed," Mara Gilligan told KDKA News. "And that our flag is going to be the KFC [Kentucky Fried Chicken] flag and that the new national anthem will be 'Moving On Up' -- and that all my daughter's beliefs were wrong and her children's lives were going to be ruined because Obama was elected."

Why does one matter to you more than the other? Do we all really believe that this kind of unprofessional behavior really only occurred with democrats?

[edit on 13-11-2008 by Irish M1ck]

reply to post by Irish M1ck



I just heard something along these lines happened, but I am not sure why I would cite this as an example when I only heard through word of mouth.

The point I was making was regardless of who they were "pushing," I would rather it not be pushed on my kids. By the end of the election, I was more annoyed with John McCain than I was Obama, but I don't even want my kids having Ron Paul (my personal favorite) preached to them.

And while we're at it, they also should be leaving god and jesus along with cultural preferences up to the parents as well.