[ExI] focus

[William Flynn Wallace]

I think that the function and structure of the modern public school system
are more ideological and political in a secular way, than in a religious
one. It doesn't encourage critical and independent thinking because it's
not meant to. It's meant to get students to comply and to buy into cultural
(and economic) narratives. I think it serves, generally, to create
"sheep".  ballard

I could not agree more.  And you have to remember that the school boards
were made up of the usual community people and I have to doubt if in most
places an atheist could be a member.  So, in a way, education was
religion-free and at the same time, strongly influenced by the religious
views of the board, who, in fact, are responsible to choosing the books
students get.

You have seen and maybe read in some of the books which attempt to inform
us of the history that was left out in our elementary and high school
classes.  Censorship as bad as any Communist country, I say.

I still love and admire Washington, Jefferson, Franklin - but they were not
perfect (though I cannot find much to say about Franklin in the negative,
and I tend to just disregard Jefferson's personal life).

I still want to know about China and their students.  I repeat from an
earlier post:  they have as many students studying English as we have
people.

On Mon, Aug 27, 2018 at 4:46 PM, SR Ballard <sen.otaku at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> The bee in my bonnet several times in this group has been to decry the
>> absence of teaching thinking in school.  We teach superstitions practically
>> from birth.  Should we wait until college to provide means of disputing
>> superstitions and religions?  Even there I have seen curricula that are
>> very wanting in such, unless the principles are taught in science classes,
>> which I certainly did ab ovo.
>>
>> The reason for the lack of these classes must be the opposition of the
>> superstitious and religious - am I right?  They don't want any opposition
>> to their precious ideas and ways, since these were handed down by God.
>> Hence religion is not taught either.
>>
>> It is a wonder to me that we get as many rational people as we do.  I had
>> one friend tell me that he never believed any of it, starting with Santa
>> Claus.  No one helped him - he just had a good brain and used it.
>>
>> I have to wonder if societies in which religion is actively suppressed,
>> like China, have a larger percentage of young people who can think
>> correctly.  As a libertarian I am opposed to suppression, but the reasons
>> for it are sound.  I wonder about the outcome.
>>
>> bill w
>>
>
> I'm not sure if it can be really all be blamed on religion, though some
> parts of it can.
>
> For example, I believe that it was not legal to teach evolution fully in
> the state where I went to High School. Our teacher covered it in just a few
> sentences, and this is almost exactly what he said, "Now, I can't tell you
> what to think or believe, but some people thinking that evolution is real.
> Evolution is the idea that all species share common ancestors, and the one
> farthest back is thought to be a single cell. Other people don't believe
> this is true." And then we moved on and never spoke of it ever again. That
> was my entire school education on evolution. I've recently been watching a
> series tracing the evolution of humans through time. It's about episode 33
> and we've just barely gotten to true mammals. I think it would have been
> great educational material for High School students. Absolutely any doubts
> I ever had about the system were cleared up, because it is specifically
> designed to address creationist arguments. It's great stuff.  The lack of
> education on evolution in schools is clearly guided by religious beliefs.
>
> Another part of the educational system that suffers due to religious
> beliefs is health education, such as sex education and reporductive health.
> These were basically covered even less than evolution. Except a nice quip
> by our ancient-man health teacher that condoms weren't even effective, so
> it's not better than pulling out. Saying that to teenagers might as well
> count as criminal irresponsibility.
>
> But in general, I think that the function and structure fo the modern
> public school system are more ideological and political in a secular way,
> than in a religious one. It doesn't encourage critical and independent
> thinking because it's not meant to. It's meant to get students to comply
> and to buy into cultural (and economic) narratives. I think it serves,
> generally, to create "sheep". I had the unfortnate experience of switching
> schools in 10th grade and spending a semester in a "regular pace"
> classroom. The class was learning to diagram sentences, and could not
> identify verbs or nouns. I ended up helping my poor teacher by tutoring 1-2
> students while she worked with others. Similarly, the students were just
> now learning the "hamburger method" of writing a paragraph. It might also
> be called the 5 sentence model of the paragraph. I would be so far ahead
> and so bored in my math classes that I the teacher usually let me tutor one
> of the weakest students so that I would not lose my mind. And these are
> kids 1-2 years above me.
>
> Also, many students are well below grade level, and have given up on
> school. they are rowdy and difficult to focus or control. To teach children
> critical thinking in a situation where a teacher barely has control of a
> class and there is often violence and drugs in schools is to invite total
> and complete chaos. I saw heroin in my school. I saw fights. We had kids
> call in bomb threats. One year, the fire alarm was pulled over a dozen
> times, just for fun. There were rats in the ceiling. Teachers had neither
> the time, inclination, or ability to teach critical and independent
> thinking.
>
> So, I think that religion does play a part, but that the poor state of the
> educational system is due more to secular ideological factors, and poor
> overall school conditions.
>
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