“Here
are your desk
numbers…Can you find yours!?” Ms. Tyrone
threw on a chipper, oh-this-will-be-so-much fun smile. Confusion
covered the children’s faces. The parents who clustered in the back of
the room
were equally confused.
Finally smart 32 # raised
her hand, bold and brave.
“Mrs. Tyrone…why
do we all have just numbers?
And why are
the numbers followed by #, % or *?
And, why are we all wearing these tee-shirts of “purple penguins”? And why…”
Ms. Tyrone held up her
hand. “I am to be called ‘Ms. Tyrone’
since that will not indicate whether or not I am married…er… 32 # . The Purple Penguins shows all that
being a girl or boy or one who is not sure, we all are exactly the same.”
Oh those parents are not happy, not happy at all.
Ms. Tyrone continued,
sweat covering her face. “Having a
number completely eliminates having your own name, which invariably would
indicate that you are a girl or boy or one who is not sure.”
Dear Lord, I hate this, I hate this…
"And then finally, 32 #, we have these symbols--- # or a * or %--- next to your number. These will help me call you up by groups, to work
especially with you or to arrange the desks.”
I wonder how long that will last…
Some parents snickered,
some looked confused, and a good number looked angry.
“Well, then! 26 % , will you please read the rules on the
board, and we’ll get down to all the wonderful new history we will be learning this year."
I think I am going to vomit…” which
she did, on 32 #.
"Purple
Penguins" is also a computer game in which children can play with other
children in a protected site and monitored by the parent. That is all I
know. I'll ask my gr-kids.
For further information on this issue in education, please go to these sites:
This
is a huge issue in education, and will increase. If you want to know
more, access Google where both sides will be presented. The above sites
are a mixture.
And, now....
# * %... These are entirely my idea, maybe my projection into a time where this will become reality. A bit of 1984 thrown in, followed with Attica, The Giver, Hunger Games, and with Animal Farm on the side.
Now,
"Common Core" is radically changing education. Please research this
and come to your own conclusions. And the Purple Penguins say, "Hi!"
Twenty years ago in a staff meeting, the
Principal informed us that there were some big changes in education
coming in 15-20 years. The NEA (National Education Association, one of
the most powerful unions in California, if not all of the USA), along
with many lobbyist and special interest groups, were promoting changes
in the curriculum that would drastically change education to reflect new
approaches, all of which would require revisionist viewpoints.
I asked what-if questions: What
if the changes conflict in the teacher's beliefs? What if the changes
eliminate or rewrite important elements of education ? He told me (all
of us), "Those are good questions."
As a teacher and a parent, I believe that
math should be taught as math, not with an agenda. Reading and writing
should promote improved reading and writing skills, not a chance to
indoctrinate. History should reflect the history of our nation and
world, including every single person in those events.
I also believe that any student who bullies another student should receive severe consequences. Anti-bullying should become part of instruction in the classroom and at home. Every child should have a safe classroom.
What is deemed to meet these standards should be approved by independent educators, not special interest groups.
Parents should be given back the power they once had, and teach standards at home. They must make the decisions that were/should be theirs to make.
So here we are, and he was right. I am retired.
This was written in 2019, predicting what was coming in education. What Christian teachers do? Stand up for beliefs, get fired by the District school board.
