Reader Mail - I got

Reader Mail - I got this one yesterday:

I'm compelled to write to you after reading your piece on
'Indoctrination' because of the part where you say you 'plan on' talking to your daughter's teacher. I know, it was facetious... It amazes and appalls me at the same time when I read stories such as yours, that as a parent you don't take your daughter's education seriously.

Go back and read the original story.

Who was the kid - the only kid - that pushed back at the teacher and the Hamline students who were discussing the demonstration?

My daughter. My eleven year old girl was the one that brought up the fact that Iraq has misled the inspectors, that they've hidden weapons of mass destruction, and so on.

I'd say I've taken her education pretty seriously, actually.

Apathy abounds for most kids parents, and it's quite sad, I think. If I had a child in school today, and was told A.N.S.W.E.R. stopped by my kid's school, along with the disrespectful statements about our president coming from a 'public' institution, I would have called the school district superintendent, your daughter's principal, the media, you name it!

Been there, done all that.

And you know what? They'll be running into this through their entire lives. Someday they'll go to college, and things'll be worse, no matter where they go, and they'll be adults and it won't be my job, then.

So the way I see it, there are three options:

• Homeschooling. I could do it now, but once I get a job...well, I'm a single parent, and there are only 24 hours in a day.
• Private school. I can't afford this now. It may be an option soon.
• Teaching my kids to be critical consumers of education. As long as they're stuck in the public system (and for the moment they are), I want them to be as equipped as possible to think critically about what they're being told.

To credit my daughter, she's gotten her teacher to back off the George W. Bush jokes, and has pushed back on a number of other things. To me, that's a lot more important than making sure the public schools' indoctrination is acceptable to me.

I can't believe what you parents let these schools get away with! Let alone someone like yourself who is informed. I sincerely hope all of you wake up and smell the coffee, instead of some of the stench being shoved down your kids throats.

If these kids fail to know the difference when they grow up, I will harshly tell you you have only yourself to blame. It shouldn't be just a wink wink, nod nod, to the child. Do something!

Enh. I've been a fly in all my kids' schools' ointments for years. None of my kids have been found protesting at the capitol!

But most of all - yes, they do know the difference. I teach them a lot, too. How many kids celebrate Reagan' s Birthday at home?

Thanks for the letter.

Posted by Mitch at March 1, 2003 08:06 AM