Utah's Republic

Posts Tagged ‘John Goodlad’

I suppose this post is long overdue. I continue to hear rumors that go around the Alpine school district concerning how I criticize teachers or similar statements. I am grateful to those of you teachers who have helped defend me because you are able to see the issues as well. It seems that a lot of teachers don’t realize that criticism of the “district” isn’t necessarily criticism of them, in the same vein that criticizing the out-of-control federal government isn’t criticism of all the citizens of the country.

The answer to the question I’ve posed to myself is, yes and no. I will give each answer separately so that those at ASD who wish to pass on to others that I blame teachers can easily pass on the YES answer without the NO. :)  Please understand that there are teachers who fall into EACH category. I’ve never heard of anyone who has EVER lumped all teachers into one boat. There are good and bad in the profession just like everywhere else.

The NO answer: No I don’t blame teachers for our predicament. I blame those educrats in power at all levels who have corrupted the education system over decades of time, dumbed down our children through weak curriculum and revisionist history, and sought to ensure our children get a free education through compulsory means. Saying you’ll force people to learn or do good doesn’t achieve either in the long run and continually dropping test scores and college enrollments show this to be the case. Teachers who are concerned about their jobs but understand the issues have had hard choices to make while they’re trying to do the right thing for our children and I feel for them. I deeply sorrow for the hard working teachers who would rather just teach our children but instead have to play inane games with educrats looking over their shoulders telling them what the latest study says they need to do. If you’re in this category, you have my very sincere gratitude and thanks. Keep up the good work.

The YES answer: Yes I blame teachers who didn’t have a shred of common sense when the district told them to not teach the times tables anymore and they did it. This is just as wrong as a marine who is told by a commanding officer to do something he knows to be wrong but does it because he’s told to do it. I blame teachers who claim to teach the truth to our children about our constitutional republic but have never studied it, or even worse, they’re socialists at heart and teach our children how to embrace socialism. Yes I blame teachers who put more concern for advancement and doing the will of the district over the welfare of the children in their classrooms. Yes I blame teachers who buy into everything they are told by the district or college professors, and never take the time to validate what they are being told. There are no peer reviewed studies that support Investigations, Connected, and Interactive math regardless of what some district educrat tells you.

If you are a teacher, before you believe what is being said about me, please look at the amount of research I and others have done and then question those who tell you they are the “professional” and they know what’s right. As an accountant, I knew Enron was a disaster for the profession but wasn’t afraid to admit it. It’s time more teachers spoke up and displayed the intellectual honesty about the issues that the education profession faces. If you don’t, the education system will turn into the next Enron and when it goes down, it will be too late for you to speak up just like it was for the auditors of Enron. In fact, if you thought NCLB (No Child Left Behind) was bad for you, wait till we get federalized assessments and training to go with the new Common Core standards Utah just adopted. We’ve sold our souls gambling for a little pocket change. The assault on you continues to advance.

Some questions you might start with:

• Why is Bill Ayers the terrorist so interested in teaching democracy in education? (link)
• What is humanist John Goodlad’s Agenda for Education in a Democracy?  (link)
• Did you know these two men are birds of a feather and that Bill Ayers is the keynote speaker at Goodlad’s 2010 NNER conference? (link)
• What kind of beliefs are written in the anti-God Humanist Manifesto? (link)
• Why did BYU just drop their membership in Goodlad’s NNER after being one of the founding members back in 1986? (link)
• Why is the NNER trying to push the homosexual movement into BYU? (link)
• In all of the United States, there are only 30 Goodlad “AED Scholars” (Agenda for Education in a Democracy). Why does Utah have 4 of the 30 at ASD and BYU’s McKay School of Education? (link)

Does any of this trouble you?

Ever read the Humanist Manifesto? If not, here’s a link and a few quotes from it:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/12293/Humanist-Manifesto

“There is great danger of a final, and we believe fatal, identification of the word religion with doctrines and methods which have lost their significance and which are powerless to solve the problem of human living in the Twentieth Century.”

Humanism and science can solve our problems but not God? I guess God’s teachings were OK for the nineteenth century and prior, but not the twentieth century. ;)

Today man’s larger understanding of the universe, his scientific achievements, and deeper appreciation of brotherhood, have created a situation which requires a new statement of the means and purposes of religion. Such a vital, fearless, and frank religion capable of furnishing adequate social goals and personal satisfactions may appear to many people as a complete break with the past. While this age does owe a vast debt to the traditional religions, it is none the less obvious that any religion that can hope to be a synthesizing and dynamic force for today must be shaped for the needs of this age. To establish such a religion is a major necessity of the present. It is a responsibility which rests upon this generation. We therefore affirm the following:

FIRST: Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created

So religion as a term is applied to old outdated doctrines and methods of solving human problems. We owe them thanks, but it’s time to move on to the new religion…secular humanism which celebrates man over God.

FIFTH: Humanism asserts that the nature of the universe depicted by modern science makes unacceptable any supernatural or cosmic guarantees of human values. Obviously humanism does not deny the possibility of realities as yet undiscovered, but it does insist that the way to determine the existence and value of any and all realities is by means of intelligent inquiry and by the assessment of their relations to human needs. Religion must formulate its hopes and plans in the light of the scientific spirit and method.

In other words, eliminate faith, put religions on a 5 senses program, and then religion is OK.

ELEVENTH: Man will learn to face the crises of life in terms of his knowledge of their naturalness and probability. Reasonable and manly attitudes will be fostered by education and supported by custom. We assume that humanism will take the path of social and mental hygiene and discourage sentimental and unreal hopes and wishful thinking.

IE. Stop using that crutch you call religion. Just figure that probabilities exist and you’re going to have to face some crisis without God’s help. Get a grip and get over your silly emotions.

TWELFTH: Believing that religion must work increasingly for joy in living, religious humanists aim to foster the creative in man and to encourage achievements that add to the satisfactions of life.

Now we’ll replace faith-based joy in God’s creations with encouraging man to create things and supplant God as creator.

FOURTEENTH: The humanists are firmly convinced that existing acquisitive and profit-motivated society has shown itself to be inadequate and that a radical change in methods, controls, and motives must be instituted. A socialized and cooperative economic order must be established to the end that the equitable distribution of the means of life be possible. The goal of humanism is a free and universal society in which people voluntarily and intelligently cooperate for the common good. Humanists demand a shared life in a shared world.

Voluntary socialism is an oxymoron. The only way to achieve a United Order or Zion like society is through moral absolutes and an acceptance of God’s commandments. This Utopian dream is nothing more than another counterfeit to God’s plan.

So stand the theses of religious humanism…

Utah state law says that no sectarian religion can be taught in our schools yet we as a state and nation accept it based on the premise that we can’t have God in schools or that’s a violation of the separation of church and state. That falsehood needs turned on its head. The only thing you get when you remove God from schools are schools without God.

The Humanist Manifesto was signed by 34 men including John Dewey and embraced by others including John Goodlad.

An open letter to the teachers of Alpine School District (ASD) – I encourage all parents to forward this email to their children’s teachers and principals, and then to your friends elsewhere so they can be aware of the transformation taking place in our schools.

Thank you for becoming teachers and engaging in the challenging and rewarding work of inspiring the rising generation. Thousands of families hope for your success in reaching their children to help them achieve all they can. I write you to express my concern over a dangerous agenda which is filtering into schools around our country and even into our own school district to an extent. My hope is to simply raise your awareness so that you are not drawn into these philosophies unaware of their intent.

Last year I started the website UtahsRepublic.org after reading the history standards for the state of Utah. I discovered that the word Republic did not appear one time in the K-12 standards. Article 4, section 4 of the U.S. Constitution guarantees us a republican form of government but it seems that all we ever hear about is that we are a Democracy. The short video at this link clearly explains the difference between a republic and a democracy.
http://www.utahsrepublic.org/get-educated/why-a-republic/

The name John Goodlad is well known in the field of education.  His book, “The Moral Dimensions of Teaching” is the source of the statement in the Alpine School District Professional Development Center which says, “Enculturating the Young into a Social and Political Democracy.” When I first encountered that phrase about 6 years ago, I didn’t realize the full ramifications of what it was saying. Only during the past year, with the help of others, were we able to understand what Goodlad meant.

John Goodlad is a follower of John Dewey. Dewey was one of the original signatories on the Humanist Manifesto in the 1930’s. A humanist is one who replaces the worship of God with the worship of man and his “genius.” With no God, there are no absolute truths so all knowledge and morals are relative or as Goodlad says, democratic. This moral relativism is based on evolving majority public opinion and is the core of Goodlad’s belief system. This is why he favors and promotes a constructivist philosophy. It is centered in the notion that the process is more important than the result which he believes may change over time.

Among Goodlad’s beliefs are: (references below)

• “Most youth still hold the same values of their parents… if we do not alter this pattern, if we don’t resocialize, our system will decay.” (1)
• “Parents do not own their children. They have no ‘natural right’ to control their education fully.” (2)
• “The curriculum of the future ‘will be what one might call the humanistic curriculum.’” (3)
• “Enlightened social engineering is required to face situations that demand global action now.” (4)
• “…the state we should strive for is better described in Deweyan terms as a social democracy.” (5)
• “…educators must resist the quest for certainty.  If there were certainty there would be no scientific advancement. So it is with morals and patriotism.” (6)
• “Education is a task for both parents and state. The state, parents, and children all have interests that must be protected.” (7)

Do these statements surprise you as much as they did me?

A “social democracy” is defined by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary as a democratic welfare state or the gradual transition from capitalism to socialism. Goodlad seeks to accomplish this transition by his “enlightened social engineering.” Charlotte Iserbyt (worked in the Department of Education under Reagan) in her book “The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America” wrote that Goodlad is this nations “premier change agent” to take us toward socialism. (www.deliberatedumbingdown.com) In her book she quotes Goodlad as saying:

“The most controversial issues of the twenty-first century will pertain to the ends and means of modifying human behavior and who shall determine them. The first educational question will not be ‘what knowledge is of the most worth?’ but ‘what kinds of human beings do we wish to produce?’ The possibilities virtually defy our imagination.” (pg. 56)

Goodlad espouses centrally planned indoctrination for the modification of human behavior. There is no agency or liberty in Goodlad’s formula for success.

In 1983 John Goodlad came to BYU’s McKay School of Education (MSE) and set up the Public School Partnerships (PSP) which ASD joined (along with Provo, Wasatch, Nebo, and Jordan school districts). In 1986 he established the NNER (National Network for Educational Renewal) and the MSE became a founding member in the hopes of improving education for our children.

In June 2006, during an NNER Executive Board meeting at which Vern Henshaw (ASD Superintendent) was present, Ada Beth Cutler raised concerns that BYU fired an adjunct faculty member for writing an Op-Ed in support of homosexual marriage. Ms. Cutler then shared “her grave concern about BYU’s action and policies that discriminate against homosexuals, given the principles of the Agenda for Education in a Democracy.” You can read more about this and the NNER here:
http://www.utahsrepublic.org/education/daily-herald-what-social-democracy-means-to-utah-county-educators/

As this information spread the last few months, worried parents were happy to hear BYU’s MSE announce at the end of June 2010 that they were dropping their association with the NNER for financial reasons.
http://www.utahsrepublic.org/media-coverage/byu-drops-goodlads-nner/

The story became even more troubling when we discovered the connection between John Goodlad and Bill Ayers. Would you be comfortable with an avowed Marxist revolutionary terrorist teaching your children? Bill Ayers was a founding member of the terrorist group “The Weather Underground” and was involved in activities like bombing the Pentagon and New York Police Department between 1968 and 1975. In 2001 he lamented to a NY Times reporter that he regretted he couldn’t have done more. Ayers realized after the terrorist days that you can’t gain a big following by bombing things. The way to attract followers is to indoctrinate the young into your philosophy. To learn more about his radical philosophy and how he promotes it through teaching democracy to children, please read this page:
http://www.utahsrepublic.org/education/bill-ayers-exposed/

Bill Ayers and John Goodlad are birds-of-a-feather. They have the same fundamental beliefs except Goodlad didn’t blow stuff up. He went straight into education and skipped the violence. If you read the comparison at the link below you will see how similar their philosophies are. Then ask yourself: why has Bill Ayers been invited by John Goodlad to be the KEYNOTE SPEAKER at the 2010 NNER conference this October?
http://www.utahsrepublic.org/education/whats-the-difference-between-john-goodlad-and-bill-ayers/

Both Goodlad and Ayers teach that our form of government is a democracy and push to have it taught in the classroom in order to revolutionize our society. I strongly suggest you read the 2nd link above which lays bare their agenda in their own words. You can read snippets or download the entire Weather Underground manifesto co-written by Ayers. Their Agenda is all laid out just like it is on the NNER website in one of the links above.

I believe Bill Ayers and John Goodlad both to be dangerous men. Goodlad is well respected in education circles and that allows him to promote his philosophy in friendly environments making it difficult for people to separate the good educational practices from the bad social philosophies. I believe that someone who is an atheist/socialist/humanist has no place in our school system, attempting to indoctrinate teachers how and what to teach our children.
http://www.utahsrepublic.org/education/dealing-with-korihor/

I pass this on in the hopes that as you become aware of what is happening here and around our country you can find ways to resist this agenda.  If you would like further information or to join with us in opposing this socialist movement, please contact me through the UtahsRepublic.org website.

Sincerely,

Oak Norton

Quote References

1) John Goodlad, “Report of Task Force C: Strategies for Change,” Schooling for the Future, a report to the President’s Commission on Schools Finance, Issue #9, 1971
2) John Goodlad, Roger Soder & Timothy McMannon, “Developing Democratic Character in the Young”, pg. 164
3) John Goodlad, “Directions of Curriculum Change”, The NEA Journal, March 1966
4) John Goodlad, “Schooling for a Global Age,” pg. xiii
5) John Goodlad, “Developing Democratic Character in the Young”, 2001, pg. 153
6) John Goodlad, Corinne Mantle-Bromley, Stephen John Goodlad, “Education for Everyone: Agenda for Education in a Democracy”, Woods Learning Center, pg. 6
7) John Goodlad, “Developing Democratic Character in the Young”, 2001, pg. 164

In June 1969, Bill Ayers and 9 other members of the terrorist organization “The Weather Underground” (WU) (one of which was, or would become, his wife), wrote “You Don’t Need A Weatherman To Know Which Way The Wind Blows.” This was their manifesto and blueprint for the Marxist revolutionary takeover of America. Download the entire document here (You Don’t Need A Weatherman), or you can read some highlights below.

If you are like me and didn’t grow up studying this stuff, here are a few definitions that will be helpful as you proceed.

• Proletariat: the laboring/working class
• Bourgeoisie: the middle class
• Petit Bourgeoisie: small business people of the middle class (professionals)
• Nationalist peasants: the poor who have national loyalty
• National Bourgeoisie: middle class with national loyalty
• Imperialism is capitalism to the WU and seemingly all authority in and out of country (police, military, politicians, etc…)

This key component from the document stood out to me:

“In the history of some external colonies, such as China and Vietnam, the struggle for self-determination has had two stages: (1) a united front against imperialism and for New Democracy (which is a joint dictatorship of anti-colonial classes led by the proletariat, the content of which is a compromise between the interests of the proletariat and nationalist peasants, petit bourgeoisie and national bourgeoisie); and (2) developing out of the new democratic stage, socialism.“

The essence of the WU blueprint you are about to discover, centers in the need to work toward a new “democracy” (a now very palatable word to the public) and promote class warfare so that the lower and middle classes can reach a compromise with each other forming a majority (essential to a Democracy) and overthrow the free enterprise system and entrepreneurs of the world. This democratic compromise will set the stage for a socialist society. Once the majority overthrows constitutional government and the free enterprise system, the revolutionaries will come to power and bring about a communist dictatorship. This is to be achieved creating discord among the people of the country by heightening race tensions through Black Liberation programs, through the education system teaching the young to hate authority figures such as the police, and to promote the liberation of women taking them out of the home where they are oppressed by their husband. The destruction of the family will help lead to revolution.

Isn’t it curious that Bill Ayers is to be the keynote speaker at the John Goodlad NNER (National Network for Educational Renewal) conference this October? Since we know Goodlad to be a socialist with practically identical public beliefs to Bill Ayers, this is not very surprising.

To read more disturbing clips from the document, continue below which includes commentary from me, otherwise download the whole document at the link above and read it in its entirety.
Read the rest of this entry »

Red Meat Radio Republic Update 7-3-10

(I am at the beginning of this audio clip, but at the 13:48 mark, the Teacher of the year from the Utah online charter school is interviewed)

For those of you that didn’t listen to Red Meat Radio this morning, here’s the audio from it. I discussed BYU’s McKay School of Education leaving the Goodlad NNER (National Network for Educational Renewal) organization as well as two other important issues.

Back in March when I presented our petition to the State School Board I received a letter from Lynne Greenwood indicating the state office would be opening up the 8th and 11th grade history standards to ensure the concept of a republic received appropriate treatment in the standards. Since then I have emailed individuals at the state office twice and haven’t heard anything back from them…

Next, a week and a half ago at the legislature’s education interim meeting, a teacher spoke about civics education in Utah and the need to study original sources. He then presented members of the committee with a handout on various quality resources that contain original sources. The state superintendent, Larry Shumway, then got up and was asked if the textbooks used in Utah show respect toward the Founders. He first began by questioning the term “Founders” and how differently the “Founders” thought about the same issues or principles. He told the committee, and he was backed up by a former history teacher on the committee, that the textbooks used in Utah show respect to the Founders. The topic of the Constitution didn’t really come up. He said that though the Making of America is a good book, it is biased to a certain “Founders’” viewpoint and should be used only as a secondary resource.

When I asked a history teacher in Alpine School District if the textbooks in ASD showed respect to our Founding Fathers, he replied:

“They absolutely do not. In fact the only teaching they even get on history is a packet with questions and little pamphlet books to find answers. There is no teaching of history and certainly not of our Founding Fathers or even our great nation.”

We’ve got a lot of work to do. )

Daily Herald Story Link

It is truly unfortunate that the author of this article spoke with me, and then BYU, and then didn’t tell me any of their reasons for dropping the program. All I heard was they were dropping the program. I can see where some people making comments may think I feel smug just on the way this article is written. I apologize to those of you that think that is the case. It is also unfortunate that Caleb again brings up the “socialist conspiracy” angle like he did a couple months ago. I tried to correct that as widely as I could via my website and emailing people and writing Caleb and the editor of the Herald to make this clear, but it is apparent they want to continue down that road.

Am I grateful BYU has dropped association with the NNER? Absolutely. When I heard was they were dropping the program my comments were based in my belief that many of the people in the McKay School of Education were just ignorant of Goodlad’s more troubling issues and that once they saw what his motives were, they would then see the wisdom in leaving him. I never got a call after Caleb spoke with BYU to learn it was for a financial reason they were leaving the organization so obviously my comments may have been a little different.

This is quite the educational experience dealing with the press and having them insert words in my mouth. This paragraph in particular rehashes what I debunked when Caleb’s previous story came out.

Caleb wrote: “Norton sees BYU and Alpine School District as part of a national conspiracy working to carefully teach the nation’s children to believe that the United States government is based on the power of people, rather than the power of God. This effort, Norton has said, is guided by ‘the motives of those who are trying to change our language and remove the notion that we are a republic with natural rights bestowed upon us by God.’”

No, that’s not what I’ve ever said about ASD or BYU. I’ve never ever said I believe the U.S. Government runs by the power of God. That’s ludicrous. I’ve written that the constitution is divinely inspired, and I wrote that Goodlad’s motives are to transform us into a democracy as a nation and remove moral standards based on God’s law. As an atheist/humanist/socialist, Goodlad believes there is no moral law from God and it’s up to the community to set morals based on democratic methods. This is moral relativism.

If you want to know what type of organization the NNER is, you only have to look at who their Keynote speaker is this at their conference this October…Bill Ayers.  You also need to google the NNER minutes from June 2006 and see that the NNER was trying to push the homosexual movement into BYU. That does not match our community standard.

By Susie Schnell

What is the difference between John Goodlad and Bill Ayers?

Answer: One was a revolutionary terrorist who served time in jail before he realized the best way to revolutionize America is through public schools. The other socialist already knew this.

What is the difference between John Goodlad and Bill Ayers’ Educational Philosophy?

Answer: There is no difference. Bill Ayers’ is the Keynote Speaker at the 2010 John Goodlad NNER Conference in October 2010. (Link)

For those that may never have heard of Bill Ayers, you can look him up on the web and there are a couple of links below the table. He participated in the bombings of the New York City Police Headquarters in 1970, of the Capitol building in 1971, and the Pentagon in 1972. Then he went into hiding and emerged with an intense desire to bring democratic education to students.

Check out this comparison chart:

Which socialist/humanist/atheist radical would you choose as an educational consultant? How about neither.

For more information see these articles:

Bill Ayers and the Subversion of Education

Bill Ayers Scary Plans for Public Schools

The Deseret News published my response “‘Social Democracy’ a Dangerous Idea” to BYU English Professor Brian Jackson’s op-ed piece of a week and a half ago. Please check it out here:

http://www.deseretnews.com/mobile/article/700040067/Social-democracy-a-dangerous-idea.html

Here is the text of my response.

*********

In response to Brian Jackson’s op-ed piece (“Political sentiment is far from reason,” June 2), I would like to respond as one of the chief “McCarthyites” he chastises for taking issue with the Alpine School District’s mission statement, “Enculturating the Young into a Social and Political Democracy.”

This is ironic. Jackson, an English professor at BYU, is defending a man (John Goodlad) who redefined the term social democracy and is apparently completely OK with that. Then Jackson ridicules parents who mentioned a definition for “social democracy” from Wikipedia. Perhaps Jackson would like these similar definitions better from Merriam-Webster’s: “(1) a political movement advocating a gradual and peaceful transition from capitalism to socialism by democratic means. (2) a democratic welfare state that incorporates both capitalist and socialist practices.”

What Goodlad openly espouses is that we should vote on not just candidates for office, but as a society we need to vote on knowledge and morals. In his atheistic view there is no God, so we as a people need to determine what truth is and what morals we should subscribe to based on their relative current value to society. This is called moral relativism.

In 1966, Goodlad wrote in the NEA Journal, “The curriculum of the future ‘will be what one might call the humanistic curriculum.’ ” The Humanist Manifesto was written based on the Communist Manifesto, and John Dewey was one of the original signatories. The Manifesto actually declares itself a “religion” that espouses atheism and moral relativism. I wonder if Jackson would be OK if educators were given LDS, Jewish, or Muslim teachings in their professional development training? No? Then why humanism? It’s simply another religion.

In 2001, Goodlad wrote in “Developing Democratic Character in the Young” that “parents do not own their children. They have no ‘natural right’ to control their education fully.”

From “Education for Everyone: Agenda for Education in a Democracy,” Goodlad says, “In the quest for learning, educators must resist the quest for certainty. If there were certainty there would be no scientific advancement. So it is with morals and patriotism.” This is utterly ridiculous. If we have no certainty then how do we measure and confirm “scientific advancement?” If we have no certainty then we have no basis for measurement.

We have a serious case of affinity fraud in Utah where the public so trusts the people in educational positions of power, they don’t take the time and effort to dig into what’s being taught. If you do, and openly declare it, you are castigated by people who support the power and authority of people who have given us gems such as “investigations math,” where for three straight years children were not taught the times tables or long division in Alpine School District (another “gift” from Goodlad the constructivist).

I encourage you to dig a little deeper into Goodlad and awake to the fact that his organizations, the National Network for Educational Renewal in particular, are an affront to all people who believe in moral absolutes and natural rights that come from God. If you search the Web, you’ll find plenty of troubling things like how his NNER is trying to push the homosexual movement into BYU. His organizations are nothing more than “enculturation” centers for educators, lapping up a dangerous and destructive agenda that when fully realized will overthrow constitutional government and public morality. Do I think it is the intent of the people in Alpine School District and the BYU McKay School of Education to do this? No, I’ve never espoused a conspiracy there. I just think they’re willingly ignorant because Goodlad is such a prominent national education figure. He’s dangerous but well-respected.