I think they are selling life-size bubbles at Home Depot this week. Perhaps you can get one for your child. It might even match yours.

The purpose of taking AP Geography is to pass the examination for college credit. If you don’t like the AP Curriculum, pull your child out of the class. You don’t have to ruin it for everyone else though.

One of my children is in an AP World Geography class in Junior High. This class couldn’t be more distict from the classical education most of us were taught. Rather than learning crucial facts about the nations and peoples of the world, it is barely more than an indoctrination experience in “global governance”, one of the most important goals of the radical progressive agenda.

My daughter, in just the first half of the year, has participated in two Mock U.N. sessions (one an overnight experience away from parents) where they learn first hand how the solutions to the worlds problems are global.
Naturally the solutions which students are guided to require real global power to be enforcable, including global monetary and military power. Human rights are a frequent topic, yet the rights to be enforced are things like food, health care, and birth control granted by government, far from the natural rights spelled out in our Declaration of Independance.

How long can we can bury our heads in the sand and tell ourselves in naivety that this isn’t happening here? As parents we have every right to demand accountability, including that our tax dollars are spent wisely and that our children are taught in ways that reflect the standards of our community.

How much common sense does it take to realize that memorizing something simple like the times tables gives children an incredible opportunity to free their mind to do upper math? If they can’t figure this out and for nearly a decade cite “all the studies support this” when in reality my grama request in 2009 proved they had no studies, I have very little confidence in their ability to exercise common sense. Thank goodness for all the teachers that took the risk in teaching children the times tables when they were under pressure from the district to not do it. I know a legislator who was in a meeting in Orem when ASD told parents back in 2001 when this was introduced, “parents, don’t teach your children the times tables at home or it will mess them up.”

As for citing disagreeable stuff, don’t blame me, it’s front and center on Goodlad’s site. :) I’m just pointing out this is the person we’re associating with. He’s a modern day Korihor. I don’t expect ASD to rush out and pull GLBT stuff in. But I have seen real effects of his dealings in the district. I also disagree that I’ve unfairly demonized anyone. I have stated facts that are concerns. The press has made unfortunate statements, in some cases things I didn’t even say or ever imply which may lead some like yourself to view me as paranoid or irrational. For heavens sake, they said I thought the federal government was run by the power of God. Twice! How anyone could think I would believe that is beyond me. :)

I am not trying to be flippant, rude, or mean. I am trying to demonstrate how absurd the premise is that there is no evidence of socialist thinking within the education system or ASD for that matter. We are asked to believe that these evidences of fact are either innocent or misunderstood as if they were common mistakes or slips of the tongue. These quotes and actions were not done in a vacuum. They replaced long held American values. It is impossible for American values that are so completely unique in the world that they stand out in glaring color to be accidently replaced with socialist thinking. It must come from somewhere and it cannot be by accident, as I have demonstrated.

I hope that we all can see how silly it is to even have to debate this for the the fact is there before us and there is no honest denial of it. Even if you believe that the degradation of American public education and the advancement of social thinking is entirely an innocent mistake that is fine I don’t care, but can we agree that it has gone off course and needs to be course corrected back to what has made America great and for one hundred and fifty years put American education at the top of the world? Or are we going to quibble about what it is and what it isn’t while we watch it slip into mediocrity?

Well said, Corruption_exposed. As with most organizations, there are a couple of reforms that need to take place within the ASD. For example, I believe the variations on Investigation math that the district teaches fall far short of adequately teaching kids basic math skills. I’ve been a vocal critic of the district for its math program. However, the fear and anger Oak and Susie promote are making it very difficult to secure any sort of real change where it’s actually needed. I don’t see how Oak and Susie can possibly “fix” the problems of socialism and humanism seeping into the district because, quite frankly, these “problems” doesn’t exist! This whole issue reminds me of the global warming hysteria, only this is coming from the far right instead of the far left.

Oak does have one thing right: “The old story about the frog in boiling water is true. You feed people a lot of truth and a couple of lies and they start to have some buy in because you’re feeding them so much common sense truth. It masks the deception.” That’s basically what he and Susie have done. They share lots of fiery truths (e.g, Goodlad is a progressive socialist, communism doesn’t work, Bill Ayers is a terrorist, Bill Meyers believes Jesus was a vampire, etc.) and then mix in a couple untruths (e.g., socialists are on the brink of taking over the ASD classrooms). The ASD isn’t being taken over by evil forces just because Goodlad, Ayers, and Meyers, and communists have some crazy beliefs. To assert that the beliefs of a few crazy loons with a VERY loose connection to a couple people in the ASD somehow means socialism is about to befall our children unless we do something is such a stretch in logic that I fail to see how any reasonable person could believe it.

So, are you saying that you distrust district officials in deciding what is common sense stuff we can all agree with and what is not common sense stuff? You continue to cite the most disagreeable things promoted by Goodlad and friends such as the GLBT Students post, but do you really think our district would promote GLBT stuff in our schools? I think the district has done a good job in keeping this garbage out of our schools. I understand the concern for keeping this stuff at bay, but its seems like the school district is being attacked for things it hasn’t even done yet and may never do. It is okay to be fearful and wary, but to not let our fears lead to irrational behaviors and extreme paranoia and the unfair demonization of other human beings. Remember the Star Wars movies and the theme of “fear” and “anger” leading to the Dark Side? I think there is a lot of truth in that.

Jared, a large percentage of what Goodlad and Dewey and others say is common sense stuff that everyone can nod their head in agreement. We’ve published that before. Asking if we want “justice” is silly. Of course we do. What we don’t want is “social justice” which is what Goodlad is pushing. Check it out right now. The home page of his NNER website is advertising the conference for teachers to bring activism toward social justice into the classroom. (https://www.nnerpartnerships.org/)

Do you favor equity? So does Goodlad. So do I. It’s just what we mean by equity where we differ. Glance down Goodlad’s webpage and you’ll find “2010 Expert Panel: GLBT Students Preparing Future Teachers to Ensure Equity”.

The old story about the frog in boiling water is true. You feed people a lot of truth and a couple of lies and they start to have some buy in because you’re feeding them so much common sense truth. It masks the deception. You appear to be LDS from your posts so I’ll refer you to this page: https://www.utahsrepublic.org/education/dealing-with-korihor/.

I’ve never said that because some of his beliefs are false they are all false. I’ve said he’s trouble and we ought to find other educational consultants to work with, and I’ve questioned why we even need any. Teachers went to school and learned how to teach. We don’t need a consultant telling us how to democratize art and music classes.

What part of Goodlad’s methods are “teachers and principals very enamored with”? Are they enamored with his belief that kids should be taught reason? Or how about s belief that kids should be taught ethics? Or what about his argument that kids should be taught justice? Those are the first three tenets of humanism (the philosophy Goodlad embraces), and quite frankly, I’m enamored with all three. Oh, and I’m conservative. Where Goodlad and I disagree, and where I believe nearly all principals and teachers in the district also disagree with him vehemently, is where he teaches that we must reject all supernatural explanations of phenomena. Thankfully, I’ve never heard anyone in the ASD suggest kids’ religious beliefs are false.

You’re making a major logical fallacy by suggesting that because Goodlad espouses some false beliefs, all his beliefs must therefore be false. You extend this logical fallacy by saying that anyone who attends a Goodlad-sponsored conference must therefore be enamored with ALL of Goodlad’s beliefs. Do you see how these are logical fallacies?

I’ll answer your questions about why I believe children need to be better grounded in civics after I receive an answer to the above questions. The response can either be a rebuttal or an acceptance that the argument I’ve laid out above is true. I feel this is a fair request since you basically sidestepped my humanism questions the first time I asked them.

In response to “corruption’s” point that I may also be a victim of the overton window, I wholeheartedly agree. In fact that reaches to my very point and it is this.

This statement by Thomas Jefferson from his bill on religious freedom must be personally accepted before anyone can move forward in intelligent thought. “Well aware that the opinions and belief of men depend not on their own will, but follow involuntarily the evidence proposed to their minds,…” In other words our thinking is no more than the accumulation of that which has been placed in our minds by others, thus following the old adage “garbage in—garbage out.” Some find this offensive and insist that their thoughts are their own creation but history, common sense, and a truthfulness to oneself reveals that it is in fact very very true. One must be willing to challenge his own preconceptions and all that he takes for granted as truth before he can truly know anything with certainty. It is by sad personal experience of being deceived by others and accepting it without challenge that has brought me quaking to my knees and fearing with the greatest fear imaginable to man that has brought me to the point of sober commitment to doing whatever it takes to learn truth and shed deceit. This is no light burden and it prevents me from moving quickly at times but this commitment to eternal truths and grinding studies along with the very gifts of God that without no man can know the truth has opened my eyes to see that which is not seen by others. This great blessing can be a lonely and frustrating place. To see destruction and suffering in the distance, consuming all in its path and rumbling with irresistible force toward my people but because they cannot see it they laugh and point in scorn, causes me great pain and makes it difficult for me to be patient when they treat my warnings with contempt.

I will try to be more patient but I insist on clarity that no one may claim I did not warn them.

Again to “corruption’s” point, I did not come here easily nor do I address this subject lightly or with any pride or arrogance. I have nothing personal to gain. If I am wrong I welcome correction but I do so disdain cutesy misdirection in this debate as if this were some personal game. Others insist that I bring evidence, which I endeavor to do. I ask the same, so please do not bring an attitude that the responsibility is on me to prove to you, allowing you to simply deflect with a haughty response or act as if your neck were too stiff to turn and see. If you are honest, I expect some effort on your part. If you honestly ask questions then that will tell me you are sincere and honest. If you bring deflections that tells me you are not honest or sincere but driven by your own pride. If that is the case, all I can say is repent or suffer the consequences. Unfortunately, what happens to one happens to some extent to all and we must all suffer because of the sloth and arrogance of others.

Okay I now ask feedback from any and all. Was this kinder and gentler yet firm and to the point? How may I have said it better?

Thank you Dougc for correctly stating that we never said or believe there is wide-scale socialist movement in our classrooms. Some have misconstrued our articles or websites to incorrectly assume that we believe a mass conspiracy is happening all over Utah classrooms. That’s media sensationalism and ridiculous rhetoric.

It is a fact that Goodlad/Ayers/Hammond/Dewey and the like are the most liberal Progressives in the nation and their purpose of education is social engineering ‘mingled’ with academics. It is a fact that ASD/MSE get their trainings and books from these educrats, pay dues for their involvement, sponsor them to speak, serve on executive boards with them and spend our tax money on these agendas. It is a fact that these teachings are all over the walls of our schools and being taught in some of the classrooms, perhaps without knowledge of what they are. It is a fact that Utah now ranks 41 in the nation in Education. This is a slow evolution of thought, not a takeover, so the methods are slow and interwoven into assignments and textbooks. Teachers are taught globalism, imperialism, social justice, redistribution of wealth, population control and other Progressive ideas in the universities and some bring these assignments to the kids. I’ve seen it and so have many other parents. Not in every classroom of course, but our main concern is that it is coming through the national, university and district level and our administrators and school board members who are supposed to be the watchmen on the towers are many times allowing and even embracing this instead of analyzing where it will take our children in the long run.

All we’re advocating is that parents stay aware, teach correct principles and that the district doesn’t overreach it’s limited duty to educate, not indoctrinate or take over parental responsibilities. It is a fact that most of these national leaders are humanists and socialists who think that children belong to the state, and that parents have no real right to their children’s education, but that the state knows what is right for their young minds. Why not break off from these national leaders? Can we not rule ourselves with localized control using all the intellect and experience we have in this county? After all, that is what our Constitution calls for. Or if we do want to gain knowledge from national leaders, can we not choose leaders who are more alligned with Constitutional principles and a more Classical approach rather than global governance, democracy and social justice? If indeed our district leaders don’t identify with the radical and progressive agendas which the national teachers unions and Progressive educators push, why are they alligning with them, using all of their programs, using their wording and spending our money on these programs? Why think that merely ‘redefining’ the terms of the national educators is enough to stay safe from the most radical stances? Why say that they can just hand-pick what they like and leave the rest behind when ALL of our money goes to the complete agenda of these socialists who ultimately want revolution of the country? If our local leaders cannot even agree what social democracy is, I don’t trust that they can go to trainings filled with the most worldly philosophies and pick and choose what they want to bring back to our children. Surely the money spent on these radical Progressive trainings, overblown beaurocracies and national programs would be better spent on our local teachers and children.