There are only so many hours in a school day for students, and TIME for teaching the classic core curriculum has been sacrificed to allow for TIME to teach the social engineering stuff.

Culture diversity, by the way, is best learned by studying and learning foreign languages and travel, and for the most part, our nation does ZIP for teaching foreign language before age 10 when kids' minds hear and absorb it best.

"Tolerance" does not need direct teaching about certain groups. Tolerance is learned from parents and teachers' and administrators' role modeling. If everyone is treated the same by the adults in charge, there is no need to teach "tolerance" in a classroom and textbook method. If the adult in charge does not show tolerance, they are pulled from duty.

The teacher in Mt. Dora who stated dislike for gay marriage on his personal Facebook page, on his personal computer and personal time, is an example of how swiftly "tolerance" is imposed. In the end, I doubt many student minds were changed by that incident, except that there's a lesson in it that censorship of your personal life is alive and well.

I do understand what you are saying about time constraints in schools for teaching the usual subjects as well as "social engineering" subjects. That is a valid point.

You do also make a good point about teaching tolerance toward others but that does not always work out if the parents themselves are intolerant of others. In my belief, that is one area that needs more addressing in schools.

Learning foreign language before age 10 has been tried through many immersion programs. It is a very interesting concept but difficult to continue.

Thanks for your viewpoints.

What if the best man is a woman?

LOL, My wife, my two daughters and my two grand-daughters will love ya for that. I try to watch my chauvinism, but it will come through if I let my guard down. :bigbow:

My hubby is having lunch with you on Tuesday...

No and further even if I did it's pretty clear that its all one sided. Further most of this ought to be left to parents whose obligation are to install core values. Take sex education as an example. So many schools hand out condoms obviously to promote save sex and reduce preganancy. Yet they don't place any or little value on restrain, respect for themselves and their bodies, and the potential for remorse because of acting so impulsively.

Why is virginity so badly debased in schools in movies on tv sit coms, etc.

To set such a goal takes determination courage, a clear view/vsion restraint individualism and a great self respect for oneself. But it isn't celebrated.
In fact romance is equated with immediate gratification with sex.

I feel so sorry for the last 3-4 generations whom many never had the opportunity to know the pure process of courting and the evolving of true love and friendship. Believe me it is a difficult process for young healthy teens but the end result has never ending benefits.

As for many of the other issues such as saving the rain forest, the environment etc they can be included in corse sciene courses, etc.

The fact is our society has subordinated parents responsibilities to schools. Schools by the way where we are now seeing more and more teachers who seem to have breach their trust and so many other infractions..

Then we can expect the Democratic party to give her the same level of support afforded Hillary.:icon_wink:

Rubicon,

You are spot on that environmental science should (as is) being included in the core science classes in school.

As to the sex education being left to parents - we have all seen how that works. Even a strict "family values" person like Sarah Palin has a daughter that got pregnant - in her parent's home. You say it is the parent's obligation to instill core values in their children. If a person such as Sarah Palin cannot properly teach core values and control of teenage urges to her daughter, what chances do other parent have? If Bristol and Levi had a school-issued condom, the preganancy might have been avoided.

I do agree with you 100% about the sexually charged programs on television and in the movies not stressing love.

We're talking politics here for crying out load not sex education get with it. This is the problem stay on course. Suppose you are going to twist that

Yes, we should all throw our values out the door because someone's daughter got pregnant. Your logic is suspect at best.

Sex education?-NOResponsibility of the family to teach their version of value attached to intimate personal relationships. As far as having your daughter (and son, I might add) be part of an unwed, unplanned pregnancy-you can lead a horse to water, but the choice to drink is his!
Tolerance in schools?-ABSOLUTELYSelf control and respect of yourself and others. Blind obedience to allowing yourself to be abused and others exalted at your expense, NO Accept mindset that it is your fault that others have bought the victim mindset, NO
Save the rainforest? NO There are plenty of "save the______" issues out there that should be chosen on an individual basis. What right does the public school have to use tax dollars to promote one over the other.
Cultural Diversity? NOAll people are different. All people have traits that are very similar too. Why not focus on those traits and practices that unite us instead of those that divide? Or at least equal time for both...Ever heard the saying "divide and conquer"?
Environmental science? SURE But the foundations of scientific method needs to be emphasized and theories need to be put to those tests, no just blindly believed because told to.
Excellent responses also were posted by rubicon, ilovetv, and villagegolfer also. There is only so much time for the education process to take place. It needs to be restricted to the 3 R's-Reading, (w)riting, and (a)rithmetic. After that people need to be taught to think for themselves with the information that they can gather and make rational, informed and proven conclusions. Not enough of that going on in schools for ages. Which is better, someone who can spit out the requested information or someone who can think on their own and invent and discover and make improvements in this world?

Katz and others:

Katz says, "Sex education?-NO - Responsibility of the family to teach their version of value attached to intimate personal relationships."

Once again, I have to bring up, "As to the sex education being left to parents - we have all seen how that works. Even a strict "family values" person like Sarah Palin has a daughter that got pregnant - in her parent's home. You say it is the parent's obligation to instill core values in their children. If a person such as Sarah Palin cannot properly teach core values and control of teenage urges to her daughter, what chances do other parent have? If Bristol and Levi had a school-issued condom, the preganancy might have been avoided.

If the FAMILY VALUES governor of a state can have an unmarried teenage daughter have a baby, it certainly shows that home sex education did not work.

1. we must teach our children that everybody in America is treated equally under the law. We are after all a nation of laws and not one of morals.

2. If you are of the Judeo-Christian culture may teach her children that homosexuality is a perversion in the eyes of God.

I see nothing wrong with that as long as you referred to 1 above.

Do we have our teachers teach our children that their religion is false? Do we teach them that their parents are wrong to follow the word of God? Should our teachers be telling our students/children which religion is the correct one?

Cultural diversity or the lack thereof should be taught at home. Cultural diversity has never helped any culture. Like a culturally diverse Europe. Cultural diversity has not been helping them very much.

In my personal opinion which may or may not meet with your approval is that as long as we teach number 1 above and live by it, we will be free to have teachers educate our children in more qualified things such as reading and writing and arithmetic.

Just an opinion you may accept or reject it at any time.

I have many wonderful friends with strong family values who have had great success with the abstinence based sex education they taught their children. Their kids are all now young adults who value their virginity. On the other hand, had Miss Palin not gotten pregnant, we would never have been able to witness the loving acceptance of the child and his father into the Palin family. I would say that they walk the talk. Kudos to the Palin's. No abortion necessary, love is the answer, Bristol is now speaking out against pre-marital sex...I could go on...We all make mistakes. None of us is perfect, but it is certainly nice to know that there are places where we are forgiven. I think that is the ultimate value lesson!