"Science" textbook for Christian schools can't even explain electricity

SecretAgentMa'am · 09-23-2011, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by betenoire

ALL of them, though? But what if you're not a Mormon? That's so messy!

If there is a public school in Utah that doesn't have a seminary building, I've never heard of it. Non-Mormon kids just don't get religious instruction during the school day.

betenoire · 09-23-2011, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SecretAgentMa'am

If there is a public school in Utah that doesn't have a seminary building, I've never heard of it. Non-Mormon kids just don't get religious instruction during the school day.

Okay, cool. I must have misunderstood you then. I thought everybody HAD to go. I'm glad to hear that they don't.

SecretAgentMa'am · 09-23-2011, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by betenoire

Okay, cool. I must have misunderstood you then. I thought everybody HAD to go. I'm glad to hear that they don't.

If you register for "release time" then you *have* to go to seminary during that period, but release time is not required, it's an elective.

DapperButch · 09-23-2011, 04:07 PM

dreadgeek,

I kind of jumped the gun, as there has been one or two places where you did make it clear that it was only some private, Christian schools. I apologize. I like the word some for obvious reasons: no group likes sweeping generalizations. That is why we say "some transmen", "some lesbians", "some caucasians", etc. The number of Protestant denominations is quite large and there are some radically different views within them. Subsequently, the Christian schools can be very different from each other, including the curriculum. I am certain that a book written by anyone from Bob Jones University would never make it into my nephews' school(s).

Certainly a parent can look at the curriculum, the average SAT/ATC scores of graduates, the percentage of graduates going to 4 year colleges and which colleges, etc. Parents can alos look at the accreditations various schools have. My older nephew's school has a waiting list a mile long. Since it is an "open" Christian school, there is no expectation that everyone who attends the school hold the same beliefs (or be a "Christian"). My sister does like that her son is exposed to different types of people and different types of thinkers.

One of the concerns that my sister/brother in-law had was that if their kids went to Chrisitian schools that they would get "shell shocked" when they went to college since they would have lived in a cocoon their entire lives up until that point. They had actually planned to send their kids to either a public or private non religious high school (if they were in Christian schools for grades k-8), so that this wouldn't happen to them, as friends had told my sister/her husband that this is what happened to them after being encased in a womb prior to college.

In terms of your concern for the kids not learning what they need to be learning like in the schools in the OP, I hear you. It is a crime really. They are doing a great disservice to the kids if they want to continue their education. They will have to go so far backwards in order to learn what they should have learned to begin with, it will be ridiculous. And how will they ever do well on their SATs?

Cin · 09-23-2011, 04:05 PM

I don't think you have to go to a Christian school to be effected by what is going on in the US right now. Education was never all that educational but it seems like it's getting kind of scary.

I don’t know about now but when I went to school they really had odd maps and taught weird stuff. Granted I really didn’t go that much, but still I managed to soak up some of the stuff. I remember how surprised I was when as an adult I saw a map that showed the actual size of countries. I thought they were all tiny and the U.S. was gigantic.

I remember being told things like Newton discovered gravity when an apple hit him on the head and Columbus’ whole trip was about proving the earth was round. In science I learned that plants get their food directly from soil and water is not a good conductor of electricity (which is technically true but I think further explanation is needed). Also I found out that Ben Franklin flew a kite with a key tied on the end in a lightening storm so he could discover electricity (I remember thinking if he did that he would more likely discover that human flesh smelled like pork).

I could cite more dubious or just plain wrong stuff that they taught in schools back in the day but I suppose it doesn’t matter much because while inaccurate and US-centric it really wasn’t terribly harmful. I think what is going on now is much different. Scary really. Certain political and religious fractions of the country seem to be trying to control the information that is taught in schools.

They have a rather different agenda than the old let’s keep it easy for the kids and tell them the primary colors are red, yellow and blue instead of cyan, yellow and magenta cause really what more do they need to mix with and let’s not get too political and upset the kids with too much reality so we’ll tell them the civil war was about freeing the slaves and other various misinformation with a side order of partial truths. While pretty distressing it’s not as dangerous as what we are seeing at this time in history. Now it’s about teaching completely incorrect information to promote a religious/political agenda.

I read a couple of articles today informing me that an educational program called “Building Fluency Through Practice and Performance” is promoting socialism. It has a section called The Promise of America that breaks down the preamble and interprets it thus

-that people’s basic needs must be met in a country

-that labor laws ensure that people work in safe environments and that they are paid fairly for the work they do

-that needs for housing, education, transportation and health care are overseen by our government system.

I can understand not agreeing with that interpretation of the preamble, but the articles I’ve read make it sound like a terrible crime has been committed. People are horrified that kids are learning to read by saying labor laws ensure that people work in safe environments and that they are paid fairly for the work they do. I mean seriously, is that a horrible thing? Is it controversial? Apparently work safety and fair wages is now the definition of socialism. I guess this is the direction we are heading. It’s okay to teach kids that Columbus’ voyage was about trying to prove the world wasn’t flat when it was pretty common knowledge by 400 BC it was round. But don’t let them think their government should be responsible for protecting its citizens with Marxist ideas like labor laws.

09-23-2011, 04:07 PM	#4
DapperButch Roadster Guy How Do You Identify?: FTM, Stone Butch Preferred Pronoun?: He Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Northeast Posts: 7,745 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 26,545 Thanked 26,811 Times in 5,772 Posts Rep Power: 21474858	dreadgeek, I kind of jumped the gun, as there has been one or two places where you did make it clear that it was only some private, Christian schools. I apologize. I like the word some for obvious reasons: no group likes sweeping generalizations. That is why we say "some transmen", "some lesbians", "some caucasians", etc. The number of Protestant denominations is quite large and there are some radically different views within them. Subsequently, the Christian schools can be very different from each other, including the curriculum. I am certain that a book written by anyone from Bob Jones University would never make it into my nephews' school(s). Certainly a parent can look at the curriculum, the average SAT/ATC scores of graduates, the percentage of graduates going to 4 year colleges and which colleges, etc. Parents can alos look at the accreditations various schools have. My older nephew's school has a waiting list a mile long. Since it is an "open" Christian school, there is no expectation that everyone who attends the school hold the same beliefs (or be a "Christian"). My sister does like that her son is exposed to different types of people and different types of thinkers. One of the concerns that my sister/brother in-law had was that if their kids went to Chrisitian schools that they would get "shell shocked" when they went to college since they would have lived in a cocoon their entire lives up until that point. They had actually planned to send their kids to either a public or private non religious high school (if they were in Christian schools for grades k-8), so that this wouldn't happen to them, as friends had told my sister/her husband that this is what happened to them after being encased in a womb prior to college. In terms of your concern for the kids not learning what they need to be learning like in the schools in the OP, I hear you. It is a crime really. They are doing a great disservice to the kids if they want to continue their education. They will have to go so far backwards in order to learn what they should have learned to begin with, it will be ridiculous. And how will they ever do well on their SATs? __________________ -Dapper Are you educated or indoctrinated?

09-23-2011, 04:05 PM	#5
Cin Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Butch Preferred Pronoun?: she Relationship Status: Truly Madly Deeply Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: In My Head Posts: 2,815 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 6,333 Thanked 10,406 Times in 2,477 Posts Rep Power: 21474852	I don't think you have to go to a Christian school to be effected by what is going on in the US right now. Education was never all that educational but it seems like it's getting kind of scary. I don’t know about now but when I went to school they really had odd maps and taught weird stuff. Granted I really didn’t go that much, but still I managed to soak up some of the stuff. I remember how surprised I was when as an adult I saw a map that showed the actual size of countries. I thought they were all tiny and the U.S. was gigantic. I remember being told things like Newton discovered gravity when an apple hit him on the head and Columbus’ whole trip was about proving the earth was round. In science I learned that plants get their food directly from soil and water is not a good conductor of electricity (which is technically true but I think further explanation is needed). Also I found out that Ben Franklin flew a kite with a key tied on the end in a lightening storm so he could discover electricity (I remember thinking if he did that he would more likely discover that human flesh smelled like pork). I could cite more dubious or just plain wrong stuff that they taught in schools back in the day but I suppose it doesn’t matter much because while inaccurate and US-centric it really wasn’t terribly harmful. I think what is going on now is much different. Scary really. Certain political and religious fractions of the country seem to be trying to control the information that is taught in schools. They have a rather different agenda than the old let’s keep it easy for the kids and tell them the primary colors are red, yellow and blue instead of cyan, yellow and magenta cause really what more do they need to mix with and let’s not get too political and upset the kids with too much reality so we’ll tell them the civil war was about freeing the slaves and other various misinformation with a side order of partial truths. While pretty distressing it’s not as dangerous as what we are seeing at this time in history. Now it’s about teaching completely incorrect information to promote a religious/political agenda. I read a couple of articles today informing me that an educational program called “Building Fluency Through Practice and Performance” is promoting socialism. It has a section called The Promise of America that breaks down the preamble and interprets it thus -that people’s basic needs must be met in a country -that labor laws ensure that people work in safe environments and that they are paid fairly for the work they do -that needs for housing, education, transportation and health care are overseen by our government system. I can understand not agreeing with that interpretation of the preamble, but the articles I’ve read make it sound like a terrible crime has been committed. People are horrified that kids are learning to read by saying labor laws ensure that people work in safe environments and that they are paid fairly for the work they do. I mean seriously, is that a horrible thing? Is it controversial? Apparently work safety and fair wages is now the definition of socialism. I guess this is the direction we are heading. It’s okay to teach kids that Columbus’ voyage was about trying to prove the world wasn’t flat when it was pretty common knowledge by 400 BC it was round. But don’t let them think their government should be responsible for protecting its citizens with Marxist ideas like labor laws. __________________ The reason facts don’t change most people’s opinions is because most people don’t use facts to form their opinions. They use their opinions to form their “facts.” Neil Strauss