http://overruledmovie.com/ "35-minute video... See how the government invades your parental rights. It will blow your mind!"
Watching this video really opens your eyes. Our rights as parents are so important! We need to protect them, especially when dealing with the educational system. Thank you again for posting this information.
Are self help books Language Arts curriculum? After viewing this link about how parental rights have been eroded over time, I didn't expect to actually experiece it first hand at my child's school. Here's what happened. I asked what my child would be reading in LA for the rest of the year. In stead of doing the normal novel 8th graders usually do (The Pigman of even a classic like Animal Farm) they will be doing a counseling self/help book for teens. I did read the book and found that some parts were good but other parts had mixed messages and sterotypes that I didn't agree with. I feel this is inappropriate for a LA teacher to even be teaching. She does not have a degree in Psychology and the kids will be asking questions on this material that she can only answer with her own opinion. This is parenting to me! It's my job not the schools. This book will take 5 weeks to do. I don't see how this is considered LA. I was told it is Non Fiction so it is LA. If I went into a book store or the library I would not find this in the Non Fiction Section, it would be in Self Help. There was a teacher at this school that told the class that when the kids are at school, she was their parent. NO! She might be the authority figure in the class room but she is never my child's parent. These self help books are meant for parents at home to help a troubled child. This should not be curriculum to be graded on. I asked to opt my child out the this material and told the teacher how I felt about it. She said she would opt her out. I thought that was great until I asked what the alternative assignment was. It's another self help book. Same thing just a different author. My child will also have to do some kind of project along with it to do. I called the county to ask how self help books are considered LA. The lady in charge of curriculum had never heard of this in the class room. She checked on it but the final word is that the principal approved it and it would only be 15 minutes of class time a day for the 5 weeks. I was also told that this was to prepare them for High School. So that makes it LA and is okay by them. So the principal can decide how to parent my child and I have no say over it. I am preparing my child for High School all on my own. I don't need the school to do it their way. Now I am not saying that if the school thought a child was being abused in any way that they shouldn't step in, of course someone should. This doesn't have anything to do with that though. I have asked again to have my child opted out of this type of material, asking for a real alternative in work not another self help book. I am waiting for an answer. Whether or not you agree with me that the school should/should not have mandatory counseling and call it Language Arts (and be gradeed on it) or that they should/should not be parenting your child in this way, I really hope that you would agree that I have the right to opt my child out of something that I don't agree with at the school. What has happened to parents having the right to raise their own children. Why does the school have all the rights and the parent very little? Has anyone else ever experienced this with their 8th grader?
Good for you! Children need to read the Classics in Language Arts class because it is an actual study of the art of language! You are NOT going to find that in a self help book. This sounds like a bunch of liberal garbage that is taking away from actual learning time. I would fight this as well. I can't think much more about this or I am going to get steamed. I only have a first grader so I can only imagine what I am going to have to face when he hits 8th grade. :banghead:
Well it takes a village to raise a child right as evidenced by the Clinton's. You as a parent are unworthy and unqualified to teach your child. That is why it is mandatory to submit your child to the Socialist Indoctrination...I mean Public School. There is a war being fought and lost but people do not want to admit it or talk about it. Among one of the many reasons that public school education is failing our children is they no longer study the "classics" instead they are subjected to politically correct socialist leaning pieces.
I love to hear of parents fighting for what is best for their children! :hurray: I hope it all works out for you.
I forgot to mention the name of my child's school. In case you are a parent there and are concerned about this, the school is McGee's Crossroads Middle. Thanks for all the support and replies!
Dang..... I thought the last election cycle we were given Hope & Change. Obviously we did not fight against it hard enough....... Keep your Hope & Change..... In fact Keep your government and public education.
update on self help book in the classroom In case some parents were wondering if I got my child opted out of this counseling material, I am still wondering that myself. I just want a clear reply from the teacher on this (haven't received one). Apparently is it difficult to find a non fiction book to give her. I can't believe the teacger wouldn't have anything that is truly non-fiction to offer my child. It shouldn't be this hard to get proper alternative work. I feel like I am still getting the run around on this.
Should parents be informed, I say yes! After a lot of dancing around, my child has an alternative book to do in LA class to replace this self help book. There was a lot of red tape getting the alternative work but we did it just in time. If I hadn't asked to see what the kids would be doing the rest of the year, I wouldn't have known about this. Her class started the self help book yesterday. She did have to listen to the teacher selling this book to the kids though. Telling the kids that because of this book they would be so confident that they won't get picked on in high school. Wow, this book is a miracle. I don't think any information came home to other parents, I am sure they don't know about it unless they have read this thread. Parents should have been given a choice in this matter. As I said before, I don't want someone without a degree in psychology counseling my child in the classroom and then taking a grade on it. This is parenting to me not LA. They can call it non fiction all they want because this is not a made up story, but it is counseling. I am sure there are parents that don't mind this in the classroom but either way parents should have been informed in case they do mind.
more classroom counseling as LA information For anyone with a child over at McGee's Middle and is concerned about the self help book being used as curriculum. The teacher has been counseling the kids for about a couple of weeks now. This was supposed to just take up 15 minutes of the class time every day for 5 weeks, possibly 6 now. It is now taking up 40 minutes of class time a day. There is about 10-15 minutes of real language arts and the rest is her counseling the kids. I was happy to get my child out of this, but the EOG's are not all that far away and my child (and the rest of the class) isn't getting what she needs because this teacher is trying to parent the class. To get the kids attention she told them to "listen to mom". She needs to understand that she is not mom and just do her job, which is teaching LA.
Wow, when I was in 8th grade we were reading things like Lord of the Flies, Fahrenheit 451, and Of Mice and Men.
Nope. Still reading them. At least my kids did. As for the LA teacher, I would complain to the principal and if that doesn't work, move on up. You should have received a copy of the curriculum at the beginning of the year. If not, request one. There is a defined curriculum that she is supposed to teach, along with goals and objectives that are measurable. If she is not teaching them, then she should be. And I would nip that Mom crap in the bud. :ack: That is inappropriate at any age, but especially 8th grade. :ack::ack: Good luck.
But 2 of the 3 books mentioned were books that others felt you and your children shouldn't be able to read. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_commonly_challenged_books_in_the_United_States
Yeah, well, after going through elementary, middle, and now high school in Johnston County Public Schools, there's not much left to the imagination, if you know what I mean. Just a walk through the hallway or cafeteria educates them far more than any of those books can! :jester: I don't get all cranked up over the specific book as much as my kid not learning what they need to know to be successful in the next course/grade/etc. Teach the curriculum. That's the game that leads to the diploma, degree, hoop of the year. Leave the life lessons and character building up to me.
