Thursday, November 13, 2008

Kids are dumb. Right?

Apparently you can be hostile to a child, you can say things that make it obvious you think they are stupid, but it's ok, you are really letting them make their own choice. Because they are really that dumb. Right?



I don't know about other kids, but mine are very smart. I have to work sometimes NOT to influence them. Obviously, as a mother, it is my job to teach them things, and to influence their minds to a certain extent. I want them to learn what is moral, what is right and what is wrong. But I also want them to learn to think on their own. I do my best to explain why something isn't a good idea, or why it is, although I admit I'm sure I've made them feel stupid in the past. But I really don't want that.

Apparently this teacher doesn't feel the same way. What, a child that age isn't going to understand that they are saying something "bad" if an adult repeats it and adds "Oh Lord!! Oh Jesus!!" Because kids are stupid, right? Or we just want to make them feel that way? I don't know how this little girls parents reacted to this, but I would have been furious. No teacher should DARE to humiliate my child in a classroom setting like that. If they are misbehaving, sure, they should get in trouble. But does a personal choice like this rank as misbehavior? I guess so. That tone of voice sure is doing it's best to let Kathy know that her decision is "bad".

Our kids need to learn about the voting process. But obviously they don't have the right to a private opinion until they reach their majority. And the schools don't really want to let us know about it...I never heard a word about voting in my sons school till the day he came home with an "I voted" sticker. Why is that? Why, when they send home seven million pieces of paper every day, do they fail to mention that they will be discussing an important election, and having my kiddo vote? Maybe this kind of behavior is why.

3 comments:

steverevealed said...

It's crazy that while you were posting this, I was writing on our public education systems, too. We need to look seriously at our options. It's only going to get worse.

Annie said...

It's why my Marine went to parochial school; MarineWannabe went to public school but luckily was influenced by his big bro.

I saw the video of this "teacher" earlier in the week, and was infuriated by what I saw. It's one thing to discipline a child; it's another to publicly humiliate them for their beliefs.

Tangerine said...

We've talked about this, and you know that parochial school is what I really want. I'm looking into it, and am going to discuss it with the school I wanted to send him to, but it's too far. I'm hoping they might have some recommendations.