[vegascowboy]

Just love this one.

One more shining example of the liberal, unionized public education system.

During a Michigan House Education Committee hearing earlier this month, Debbie Squires, director of the Michigan Elementary and Middle Schools Principals Association, told members that while parents may have have the best intentions, they may not know what‘s best for their children’s education.

“[Educators] are the people who know best about how to serve children, that’s not necessarily true of an individual resident,” Squires said. “I‘m not saying they don’t want the best for their children, but they may not know what actually is best from an education standpoint.”

That prompted a retort from Chairman Thomas McMillin: “Wow, parents don‘t know what’s best for their child…”

Squires responded by saying again that parents might want what’s best for their children, but might not have the capability to know.

Read more here.

Given, there are parents out there who probably couldn't point out the difference between chalk and a chalkboard, but to suggest that parents don't know what's best for their own child's education and what should or should not be taught is ridiculous to me.

A Liberal's Guide to What Parents Don't Know

1. how their child should be educated and what they should be learning in the classroom
2. what their child should or should not eat
3. how much exercise their child should get

Care to add to the list?

How about giving parents the benefit of the doubt that they might not, in fact, but complete morons and that they might, in fact, actually know what's best for their own children?

[mighty_duck]

Originally Posted by vegascowboy

Given, there are parents out there who probably couldn't point out the difference between chalk and a chalkboard, but to suggest that parents don't know what's best for their own child's education and what should or should not be taught is ridiculous to me.

Except for saying it's ridiculous, you aren't making much of an argument.

Some parents are idiots, and don't know what's good for their own child. That's all that was said in your quote. You seem to agree with that, but don't much like the implications...

[vegascowboy]

The implications with which I do not agree are those that contend that parents cannot or should not be allowed to parent because someone else (government, public school system, fill in the blank) knows better.

While I've pointed out that there are parents who do not have a clue, I think the vast majority of them do know what's best for their own children and should be allowed to...oh, I don't know...parent.

Look at the bigger picture. There is a growing trend in this nation on the part of government and others to plant themselves firmly in the middle of our kitchen table and dictate what we should or should not do with regard to parenting.

I realize that the example in the OP isn't the forest. It is simply one tree in a large forest of government invasion.

[annabenedetti]

Originally Posted by vegascowboy

Look at the bigger picture. There is a growing trend in this nation on the part of government and others to plant themselves firmly in the middle of our kitchen table and dictate what we should or should not do with regard to parenting.

Agree 100%, VC.

Here's another in a long line:

The Carolina Journal reports on this thrill-packed adventure of the Food Police:
A preschooler at West Hoke Elementary School ate three chicken nuggets for lunch Jan. 30 because a state employee told her the lunch her mother packed was not nutritious.

The girl’s turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips, and apple juice did not meet U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines, according to the interpretation of the agent who was inspecting all lunch boxes in her More at Four classroom that day.

Read more:

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=49543

[woopah]

why whould a parent who couldn't tell the difference between a chalk and the chalkboard know what is best for their child better than a highly qualified and experience teacher? whilst it should be the parents decision to decide what school their child attends I would say that the advice of professionals can be highly useful

[annabenedetti]

Originally Posted by woopah

why whould a parent who couldn't tell the difference between a chalk and the chalkboard know what is best for their child better than a highly qualified and experience teacher? whilst it should be the parents decision to decide what school their child attends I would say that the advice of professionals can be highly useful

Are you a parent?

[vegascowboy]

Originally Posted by woopah

why whould a parent who couldn't tell the difference between a chalk and the chalkboard know what is best for their child better than a highly qualified and experience teacher?

Please try reading through what I wrote one more time.

whilst it should be the parents decision to decide what school their child attends I would say that the advice of professionals can be highly useful

And if it remained advice, then so be it. Advice is freely given and should be taken only by choice.

I know it seems like this example as well as that posted by annabenedetti above seem...harmless. We're simply overreacting in a hysterical way, right?

The problem is that big problems in this country as well as others have started out as seemingly harmless things, just like these.

If you give a mouse a cookie...

[annabenedetti]

Originally Posted by vegascowboy

The problem is that big problems in this country as well as others have started out as seemingly harmless things, just like these.

It's creeping regulatory tyranny by the alphabet agencies...HHR, FDA, EPA, etc.

Instead of going through the legislative process, just mandate another regulation. They slide under the radar, and often no one notices until it affects them personally.

If you give a mouse a cookie...

....the nanny state will take it away.

[The Horn]

The fact is that not all parents know what is best for their children's education. There are so many home-schooling evangelical Christian parents who think that the best education for their children is teaching them that creationism, the young earth theory and the literal interpretation of Genesis is the absolute truth, as well as indoctrinating their kids to be intolerant of homoseuxals and homosexuality, and to be obsessed with what other people do in private.
They teach their children that any one who is not a heterosexual is a"deviant", a "pervert", and evil, and that homosexuals are a threat to them and society as a whole.
They teach their children to be suspicious of and hostile to any one who does not share their religious beliefs.
They bring evangelical Christianity into ever aspect of their children's home schooling. They teach them to be as ignorant, narrow-minded, intolerant and self-righteous as they are.
Anmd you think public schools are "indoctrinating" and "brainwashing" kids?
Of course, by no means ALL home schooling parents fit this description . But too many do.

[Tico]

Originally Posted by woopah

why whould a parent who couldn't tell the difference between a chalk and the chalkboard know what is best for their child better than a highly qualified and experience teacher? whilst it should be the parents decision to decide what school their child attends I would say that the advice of professionals can be highly useful

Chalk is so 80s. Ever heard of a white-marker board?

While we are at it, "whilst" is so 18th century.

Unfortunately, however, government telling parents how to educate their kids is very 2012.

[vegascowboy]

Originally Posted by The Horn

The fact is that not all parents know what is best for their children's education. There are so many home-schooling evangelical Christian parents who think that the best education for their children is teaching them that creationism, the young earth theory and the literal interpretation of Genesis is the absolute truth, as well as indoctrinating their kids to be intolerant of homoseuxals and homosexuality, and to be obsessed with what other people do in private.
They teach their children that any one who is not a heterosexual is a"deviant", a "pervert", and evil, and that homosexuals are a threat to them and society as a whole.
They teach their children to be suspicious of and hostile to any one who does not share their religious beliefs.
They bring evangelical Christianity into ever aspect of their children's home schooling. They teach them to be as ignorant, narrow-minded, intolerant and self-righteous as they are.
Anmd you think public schools are "indoctrinating" and "brainwashing" kids?
Of course, by no means ALL home schooling parents fit this description . But too many do.

Simple question:

Do you believe parents should be given the benefit of the doubt that they know what's best for their own children?

Why not simply take babies away the moment they are born and let the State raise them? Surely they would know best what that baby should be eating, wearing, learning, and believing...right?

Of course we could always just abort all the babies as you so often advocate and turn our attention to minorities on crack instead.

[Tico]

Originally Posted by vegascowboy

Simple question:

Do you believe parents should be given the benefit of the doubt that they know what's best for their own children?

Why not simply take babies away the moment they are born and let the State raise them? Surely they would know best what that baby should be eating, wearing, learning, and believing...right?

Of course we could always just abort all the babies as you so often advocate and turn our attention to minorities on crack instead.

I think The Horn would prefer that they are aborted before they can eat, wear, learn or believe anything.

[vegascowboy]

Originally Posted by Tico

Chalk is so 80s. Ever heard of a white-marker board?

I had this very conversation with my own children a fortnight ago! (It may not have been a fortnight, but I wanted to use that word.) I was quite devestated to learn that there isn't a single chalkboard in the whole of their school! It's a shame, really. How are you supposed to chase the girls with the eraser to get chalk dust all over them?!

While we are at it, "whilst" is so 18th century.

Dear sir, you keep your English and I shall keep mine. Nevertheless, if you choose to use "while" at the expense of "whilst," I shan't hold it against you!

Unfortunately, however, government telling parents how to educate their kids is very 2012.

Sad, but true.

[mighty_duck]

Originally Posted by vegascowboy

The implications with which I do not agree are those that contend that parents cannot or should not be allowed to parent because someone else (government, public school system, fill in the blank) knows better.

But the implication weren't spelled out. Indeed, there are many ways to "fix" this problem, or we can decide that all of the cures are worse than the original disease, and not do anything.

Recognizing facts should be first:
Some parents don't know what is best for their children.

Now we should ask:
"What, if anything, should be done about it?"

[ebenz47037]

Originally Posted by mighty_duck

But the implication weren't spelled out. Indeed, there are many ways to "fix" this problem, or we can decide that all of the cures are worse than the original disease, and not do anything.

Recognizing facts should be first:
Some parents don't know what is best for their children.

Now we should ask:
"What, if anything, should be done about it?"

But, the reason this "professional educator" said that parents shouldn't have a say in what school their children go to is because she's afraid that public schools will lose funding because parents are choosing to enroll their children in private schools or to home school them. Public schools get paid for the bodies on their roles.

But, if parents aren't qualified to choose what's best for their children's educations, why stop there? Why are parents given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to raising their children up until school age (five years old in most states)?