More California School Issues

Almost everyone within hearing or viewing of a television, computer, or newspaper is aware that California is having massive troubles with education.

Most people are focusing on the budget deficits that are causing tremendous teacher layoffs. However, even in times of economic turmoil, there are other issues that are being quietly slipped into the education agenda that are equally troubling, if not MORE SO.

I already posted about the Koran/Quran being taught and prayed in some California public schools, which no one seems to care about.

Now there is another agenda that is being foisted on students and parents, in the Alameda Unified School District (located just north of San Francisco), called “Safe Schools”.

What a GREAT name for a curriculum program, Yes? We all want Safe Schools, do we not?

Well, lets look a little deeper:

What does “Safe Schools” entail?

Let me share what Sonja Eddings Brown, former Los Angeles School Board President and Education Reform advocate has to say about it:

” . . . if you live in Alameda County in California, which encompasses the East Bay area of Oakland, Fremont, notorious Berkeley, and some of the poorest neighborhoods of the state, your kindergartners, 1st graders, and on up, are going to begin to learn about gay parenting and sexual orientation, ostensibly to keep the children from becoming bullies.”

” Political and gay activists are playing with dynamite by trying to force teaching about gay sexuality into public schools. Even voters who supported gay marriage in California oppose bringing the subject into the schools. Most people just don’t feel that any kind of sexuality — gay or straight — should be part of school instruction, and legally, schools must wait until 5th grade to even discuss maturation.”

” Several years ago California State Senator Sheila Kuehl, an openly gay legislator, wrote and pushed through the “Safe Schools” curriculum. The name is a misnomer. Perhaps because Senator Kuehl couldn’t ensure that gay curriculum would be approved for public schools by calling it “gay curriculum,” she dressed the legislation up in a disguise called “Safe Schools.” The concept is to introduce gay sexuality “as early as possible” so that gay students don’t endure mistreatment in school environments. Who would oppose that goal? The glory of Kuehl’s invention is that parents don’t have to be consulted, or informed, or have a voice in “bullying” curriculum. Usually, school lessons having to do with sexual curriculum must have parental consent and/or students may opt out if preferred.”

“Parents are now discovering that it is not legal to opt out of “Safe Schools” curriculum.” (emphasis added)

And it is extremely important to note that this curriculum is being implemented, despite the protests of 500 parents who showed up at board meetings to oppose it.

What does “Safe Schools” curriculum include?

So you can judge for yourself whether you feel this is appropriate for children this young, I went to the Alameda Unified School District site, to study the curriculum which is so proudly displayed. Here it is:

Revised Lesson Plans
• Grade K Welcoming
• Grade K Welcoming Lesson

(includes picture book about welcoming people who are different from us – very worthy)

• Grade 1 Who’s In a Family
• Grade 1 Who’s In a Family Lesson
• (includes picture book about different family types, including obviously lesbian couples)

• Grade 2 And Tango Makes Three
• Grade 2 And Tango Makes Three Lesson

(book written about two male penguins who formed a couple and adopted a penguin chick)

• Grade 3 Talking About Families
• Grade 3 Talking About Families Lesson

(including film promoting “diversity” and same sex couples – has been banned in several states)

• Grade 4 Becoming an Ally
• Grade 4 Becoming an Ally Lesson

(emphasis on empathy and “Robert’s story” [see below] – How do you think Robert feels when he hears people say
things like, “this is gay” or “You’re so gay?”)

• Grade 5 Stereotypes 1
• Grade 5 Stereotypes lesson

(utilizing stereotype diagram – see below)

And this is Kindergarten to 5th grade, in a state where “legally, schools must wait until 5th grade to even discuss maturation”.

Study Materials Included in “School Safety”

• Famous Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People ( LGBT )
• Vocabulary Words (for a complete list, go to: Page One and Two PDF.
• Handout Article by Robert (about a letter allegedly written by the child of lesbian parents)
• Diagram (worksheet about stereotypes)

What is GOING ON?

I do NOT see this as a comprehensive anti-bullying program. It is very clear what the agenda is here.

As Sonja Eddings Brown says in her article,

. . . other states also have anti-bullying curricula. The mission? To teach public school children to be kind and tolerant of everyone . It’s as simple as that: Be kind to everyone.”

When our students are already failing miserably, with escalating drop-out rates, minimal reading and math skills, and even the Koran being taught and prayed from in public schools that won’t allow prayer, the Bible, or any discussion of Christianity, when will we decide to speak up?

Perhaps Barack Obama is correct and “We are not a Christian nation”.

This curriculum sounds pretty “secular” to me.

I know I’ll get hate mail again, just like I always do when this topic is written about on this site, but I’m not going to stay quiet any longer.

I have grandchildren in California schools and I think what is happening there is horrendous.

What do you think?

Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools

P.S. Check this link for a video that shows the pledge cards given to 5-year olds in poor neighborhoods, where the parents don’t speak English yet, where the children were asked to sign their names as supporters of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and “questioning” people, as happened last fall in an Alameda School District kindergarten. See one of the pledge cards for yourself. Pledge cards on video

Tweet This Post 

• 

smoke and mirrors in education

I think I’m going to scream!

As you may know, I’m on the mailing lists of LOTS of education sites and I follow what’s happening in education VERY closely.

As grandparents, and great-grandparents, we are committed to improving public schools for our children and ALL the children across the nation.

That’s one of the reasons I’m so spitting mad!

At last, something that works!

My beloved husband Don has PROVEN a plan for drastically improving public schools that is so workable and so easy to implement NATIONWIDE, that he actually wrote a book about it. “Set Our Teachers FREE!” tells the entire story about how “The Kingsland Plan” was developed and PROVEN over and over again, with GUARANTEED student success.

But first, everyone was committed to the farce that No Child Left Behind (NCLB) became.

When people finally realized what a failure that program was, how widespread the cheating for federal funds became, and how drastically public schools continued in their downward spiral, all of a sudden some people admitted that NCLB wasn’t the answer.

Something we’d been saying all along.

So EDin08.com/Strong American Schools came into existence. This organization claimed a mission of bringing the need for Education Reform into the Presidential campaign and had BILLIONS of dollars behind it. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was just ONE of the supporters.

We contacted the Gates Foundation, to offer the plan as a workable solution to improving public schools, and got a “Thanks, but No Thanks!”

Apparently bringing the information about failing schools to the candidates attention was MORE IMPORTANT than fixing the problems, because NOW EDin08 is disbanding, claiming a victory for their efforts.

In one respect, they are correct! President Obama has made Education Reform a big issue of his administration and is throwing BILLIONS of dollars at the problems. But, even after BILLIONS of dollars already spent, the right solutions have not been found.

In fact, almost everyone Barack Obama and Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, are counting on to fix schools HAVE NO BACKGROUND IN WHAT WORKS IN PUBLIC EDUCATION!

The Education Equality Project or EEP

Now that EDin08/Strong American Schools have accomplished their purpose (oh, really?), they are now disbanding and joining forces with Al Sharpton’s Education Equality Project!

Everybody and their brother is jumping on the bandwagon to close the achievement gap in our public schools. And there truly IS a big problem with the achievement gap between Caucasians/Asians and African-Americans/Hispanics.

But this COMPLETELY IGNORES the BIG PICTURE!

NOBODY is being educated adequately. NONE of our students are achieving levels of global competitiveness. Our best and brightest come in 12th to 24th in international competition!

We need to straighten-out our entire public education system!

Instead, billions of dollars and political clout is being vested in special interests ONLY!

I want EVERY CHILD IN AMERICA to have the opportunity to achieve academic excellence and success in their life!

We need to stop putting all our resources (including money) into helping only one segment of our population.

It’s time to STRAIGHTEN-OUT all the schools our children attend!

Read “Set Our Teachers FREE!” and learn how “The Kingsland Plan” can help ALL our children.

Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools

Tweet This Post 

Sir Ken Robinson has a highly entertaining way of explaining things.

This video is from the 2006 TED meeting and well worth watching and enjoying.

What do you think?

Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools

Tweet This Post 

“X marks the states”

According to Michele McNeil, of EdWeek.org,

“Forty-six states—representing 80 percent of the nation’s K-12 student population—have formally agreed to join forces to create common academic standards in math and English language arts through an effort led by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.”

Living as I do in South Carolina, it does not surprise me that South Carolina is one of the four states that hasn’t gotten on board. The level of education here is horrendous even when schools can set their own low-level standards.

Texas, Alaska, Missouri and, the aforementioned South Carolina, are the only four states that haven’t signed up for the program.

During the disastrous No Child Left Behind (NCLB) tenure, schools were able to slip through the cracks by setting standards in their own states. Numerous reports demonstrated wide-spread cheating by schools, especially since federal funds were linked to results.

The only way to really discover at what level schools, and students, are performing is to have equal standards across the board.

“This is a giant step,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who has been pushing states to adopt common, rigorous standards.

While I definitely disagree with Mr. Duncan’s attempts to politicize the education process, by making Mayors in charge of schools (already a proven educational disaster everywhere it has been implemented), I am wholeheartedly in agreement that common standards must be adopted if we are to have nationwide progress.

Fortunately, there is still ample time for the four remaining states to join the team.

Perhaps if concerned parents contact their local governor’s and chief education officer’s offices, these states will make a good decision for their students.

Maybe even South Carolina will get with the program.

Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools

Tweet This Post 

Rev. Al Sharpton, NYC Mayor Bloomberg & Republican former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich

Things must really be as bad on the education front, as I’ve been saying for the last couple of years. What! You don’t think being ranked 24th globally is too bad? Well . . .

With the current administration throwing BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars at the problem, an unlikely trio met with the Prez and his Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, on Thursday at the White House.

Believe it or not, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Rev. Al Sharpton, and the Republican former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, actually joined forces to work on solving the terrible education problems in the USA.

All three men are members of Sharpton’s nonprofit Education Equality Project and are calling the crisis in education “the nation’s #1 concern”.

The combination of politicos from both parties is astounding, but points out how serious education problems are across the entire country.

As Gingrich was quoted as saying he’s willing to work with anyone who commits to “putting children first, putting learning first and getting the job done in the next two or three years.”

Think I’ll contact his office about the REAL answer!

Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools

Tweet This Post 

“Father’s response to teen sexting”

Today I want to share a comment I received from a father of two daughters. His insight into the problem of teen “sexting” comes from first-hand experience.

This type of discussion needs to be brought into public awareness.

Randy Boise writes:

Do parents realize that sexting can be the next step toward having sex? Both of my daughters received naked pics from boyfriends as a way of testing them to get a reaction. If they sent one back of themselves, sex was closer at hand. If they reject it, the boys seemed to move on. Sexting can be innocent, yes, but it is also what predators do to test for future advancement of grooming the next victim. Teens say that it’s innocent fun, okay, but the one sending it ALWAYS has ulterior motives, and sex is at the top of the list (or why send it naked)!!! Anyone that finds this the least bit ‘’innocent’’ is part of the problem…. Teens now waste an EXTREME amount of time on cell phones. A Sprint official stated that cell phones issued to teens average 1,200 test messages per month (not even counting sending naked pictures [which the cell phone company can see by the way!]).

Teens are pulling quite the con to get parents to think it’s just a hobby or fad, try convincing a prosecutor of that. Sending teen porn is illegal and they should get a record for doing it (unless stealing, robbing banks, and shoplifting is now legal for teens). Would you allow another teen to keep waving a bottle full of wine at your teen and expect it NOT to go to the next level sooner or later; drinking it.

Parents and prosecutors must realize that sexting is sending porn and illegal at the state and federal level, and must be enforced – or the rapes, molestings, and bad happenings are going to multiply so fast that they won’t have enough counselors and jails for it all.

Both of my daughters are in their 20’s now, and say they have been trading naked pics for ten years on camera phones, laughing at adults (and me) that parents are so naive. Plus, it does no good to check your child’s phone, as files can now be encrypted so that you never find them, let alone get them open!

SEXTING IS A CRIME AND GROOMING FOR PREDATORS, and if you don’t think that that lovable boyfriend is not looking for sex – I got a bridge to sell you! There are ten of thousands of men and women in prisons in the U.S. for making porn, what makes a teen think they can make it legally? There are hundreds of thousands of men and women in U.S. prisons for sending and/or receiving teen porn. Why should teens be able to send it with impunity?! It should be legal for all – or illegal for all. PERIOD!

SEXTING: BIGGEST CON JOB EVER PULLED ON AMERICAN ADULTS.
We are not talking about sending dirty messages, (that is true sexting), we are talking about sending naked pictures of teens – PORNOGRAPHY. Hundreds of thousands of adults are in prisons for doing exactly that, so welcome aboard teens! Teens cannot act dumb and say they didn’t know. Most teens are smarter technically than adults in this area. They have been sending porn for as long as cameras have been in cell phones, 10 years. Society cannot throw away an adult for innocently looking at porn on their home computer screen, then say ’silly teen’ to a minor and let them go free for exactly the same act on a cell phone. Many of the naked teen pictures that adults are going to prison for now where created by willing teens sending them! They get caught…and suddenly it’s called sexting.

Very few adults that look at porn at home go out and commit a crime, in fact, it’s more likely that a teen looking at a naked picture on a cell phone or home computer will commit a sex crime because they do not have the restraints that an adult does (hopefully).

Teens have been doing this for ten years (at least), and sending them to all U.S. states and around the world – catch on, they are breaking the law, no excuses, or make it legal for all to do. And what if a child in another state where it’s legal sends one to a child in Texas? All states should be legal, or none. Home computers have been sending porn (to and from minors) for 20 years, the cell phone just got cameras 10 years ago, now they send porn on cell phones – no difference, they just changed the name out of denial.

I felt Randy’s comment deserves to be shared with as many parents as possible.

My response

Randy,

Thank you for the valuable and practical insights.

Most parents are not even AWARE that this is going on, and wouldn’t know how to check for it if they did.

While I disagree that sexting is ever “innocent”,I definitely agree that sexting should NOT be legalized; I just don’t believe that teens should be convicted as felons just because they’re still STOOPID!

You are so right! This is all about S-E-X and it has only recently been brought to the public’s attention. Many of the published pictures being circulated on the internet are ABSOLUTELY GROSS!

Time to stop being ignorant and become informed.

Prosecute teens, fair and square, equally in every state. BUT DON”T CHARGE THEM AS FELONS!

How do you feel about this issue?

Do you know how to learn if your child is involved, or being exposed to this?

Let me know what you think,
Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools

Tweet This Post 

• 

“Teen Sexting Picture Published by NBCActionNews”

We’ve been getting lots of responses on both sites to the Teen Sexting article. I thought I’d share just a couple of them with you and ask for your opinion.

I tried to pick a picture from Google Images that was as modest as possible and that had already been shown nationwide. There are far more graphic pictures listed there, just in case you thought this was just an innocent fad.

To me, it is interesting that the second commenter here listed themselves as Anonymous, with no way listed to reply to them directly.

What do you think?

Comment #1

JeffZ April 23rd, 2009 at 6:30 pm (Edit)

The problem with US “child” pornography laws is that they make no distinction between of young children being horrifically abused on film or in photographs and young adults as old as 17 engaged in completely normal healthy consensual sexual behavior that just happens to be filmed or photographed even by the participants for private use. Not that young adults under 18 should be allowed to be professional adult entertainment models, but a distinction needs to be made so that the US laws are brought in line with the generally accepted definition and in line with reality.

Response to Comment #1

Dear JeffZ,

I agree with you. We need to protect young people NOT make them felons.

I’m not in favor of legalizing “sexting”, primarily because it allows for such wide distribution and so many abuses.

Thank you for your comment,
Brennan

Comment #2

Anon April 29th, 2009 at 6:44 pm (Edit)

Honestly, this is bull s*** that they would consider this child pornography. I really don’t think it should be a misdemeanor either. Not legalized, per se, but definitely decriminalized. It’s not inherently bad…

But really, child porn possession is a crap charge anyways. It is basically the same as being arrested for having pictures of a murder on your phone.

Regardless of this, there are many other victims. I.e. school officials that investigate the claims of sexting can get fired, given the same felonies. This is unjust and criminal to say the least.

Response to Comment #2

Dear Anon,

While I agree this should not be a felony, we disagree that “it’s not inherently bad”.

I feel in my heart that this is an unfortunate “titillation” that can have devastating consequences, especially for a young man or woman who does not have the knowledge or experience to understand how widespread those images CAN become.

I guess I’m just too old but I was raised to believe that exposing one’s body and private parts to another person was something that should be done in a bedroom or, if a bedroom is not available, in the back seat of a car – with the windows steamed-up so no one could pruriently spy on you.

I definitely disagree that child porn possession is a “crap charge”. There is NO EXCUSE FOR IT, because child porn must be deliberately sought out, and is only done by those who are pedophiles or engaged in selling the material to pedophiles.

I DO AGREE with your final statement! School officials must be very judicious in how they handle ANY complaints/instances of a sexual nature because they are under severe scrutiny from the public.

As the spouse of a retired teacher, I’m aware that school officials are in a double-bind: They are hesitant to involve the police because of the harm they might needlessly do to a student. But investigating on their own can be seen as prurient interest and be legally liable.

As I say, it’s a double-bind.

Tell me please, how do you feel about this subject.

Thanks,
Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools

Tweet This Post