ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA!
I don't know if that's right or not, but I heartell that's what the prisoners at Attica were yelling while demanding their rights so- ATTICA!!!!
The Reason for the quiet revolution? Not toilet paper, but education of children!
The Scenario: Parents pulling their children out of school because some high schools in Montreal have added 'Ethics and Global Religion Studies' as a mandatory hour and a half course, once a week. Schools have responded by enforcing their rules and suspending truant children, even if their parents provide permission to skip because a) it is not 'Chirstian', 'Jewish' or 'Muslim' class, it is GLOBAL (i.e- all-inclusive, nobody left behind, everything-but-Satanism-and-cannibalism-is-taught-here) Religion and Ethics class and b)it is ILLEGAL to deny a child under the age of 16 their education in Quebec and proper procedures must be followed to prevent total anarchy. Especially when it's not the kids but the PARENTS pulling their child out of school because they don't like the curriculum.
Parents say: It's a violation of their free choice of Religion to make their kids learn about other people and cultures beyond their own. Suspending their children for skipping is unfair and cruel because they gave permission.
School says: Parents are penalizing their children, not making a point by pulling them out of school once a week for one stinkin' class. The school chooses the curriculum and being that this is GLOBAL Religious Studies and not Catechism or otherwise, they have every right to teach it in public schools and parents are denying their children the right to education by pulling them out of this course. They are not acting unfairly by suspending truant children despite parental consent because if they give in to this unjustified pressure tactic, they would have to give in to any other public outcry that came after. Solidarite! Unite!
The Point: Kids these days lack understanding of the world around them. They think 'Jewish' is a language, not a religion. They think 'Muslim' is a race and believe all brown people are Arab. By teaching them about the world around them, they can make more informed descisions and we can prevent racism, predjudice and other bigoted behaviour by encouraging them to open their minds to other cultures. It doesn't mean we are denying their right to freedom of religion, it means we are encouraging diversity and acceptance in our society instead of breeding ignorance.
My POV: While I understand the concern of protecting your own religion and thoughts, learning about other people and places doesn't take away your roots. Pulling your teen out of school because you're so desperate to keep the world away from them is, frankly, retarded. In the original sense of the word, which is French for 'late' or 'slow to catch up'. Saying religious education is denying your child the right to freedom of religion is like saying gym class denies fat kids the right to equal treatment regardless of creed, colour or race. And what about the handicapped? The mentally disabled? Is math denying them the right to learn at the same pace as other kids? Are the stairs at the school denying them mobility and the right to freedom, period?
Does English class deny the French kids their own culture and heritage? Is Art discriminating against the colourblind?! And LOOK! The cafeteria is encouraging CONSUMERISM!! They SELL lunches there, you know, and Javier, Mohammed, Vescita and Paul can't afford to buy their lunches. It makes them feel terrible watching their friends eat fries and pizza when all they get is PB&J. DISCRIMINATION!
And I mean, forget about RECESS! Jimmy's in a wheelchair, Patty's on crutches and Tommy has Autism- they can't run outside, why should the healthy kids?! That's denying them the freedom to feel normal! And, so you know, my Vegan-Hippie friend Kathy thinks stepping on the grass and climbing that tree is killing innocent plants. Fact, she thinks the entire school building is built on sacred Mother Earth and that it's murder. Her religion hates the entire concept of modern stuctures. We should stop building things so her freedom can be protected.
OH! And let's not forget organ donors! Jehova's witnesses think that's not what God would want so we should ALL stop- I mean, my kidney transplant is totally discrimination against those poor people.
And don't even get me started on Mcdonald's, Harvey's and all the other fast-food joints- I'm HINDU! COWS ARE SACRED IN MY COUNTRY!!
I think that about proves what I'm getting at here... There's a reson the law is called REASONABLE accomodation- we can't make everyone happy but we try and compromise. Same with our schools- teaching children about the world and GLOBAL religion and Ethics isn't violating anyone's choice, we're just opening their eyes so they don't embarass themselves by calling a black man a heathen without realising that he's Catholic, just like you. I mean if you need any more proof, just look at the last US president- how many human rights did HE deny and nobody said a damned thing? What, because they're Arab those people don't desrve the freedom of religion? The right to a safe home, clean water and stable food supplies?
Maybe if North America had been taught better people could have made better descisions and NOT voted him back into office after he EPICALLY FAILED the first term. If people were taught about the world, they would know that when any politician quotes the Bible in an effort to win the Bible belt's approval, they often misquote the Gospel of John; 3:36 when they mean to say John 3:16.
If we knew what it meant, we'd see that the first is a line about those who don't believe in God will perish and the REAL quote they were aiming for is about Jesus dying so we can all have a better world. But I don't know that because I'm Muslim and I don't read the same Bible and hey, nobody taught me how to inform myself so I can check this candidate out before I vote him into office. Not because Christianity matters but because, hey, if you're gonna use the Bible to lie, at least do it right. If I have the knowledge to catch that mistake then I can catch you on other, more relevant lies such as 'Government spending will be visible to the public when I go into office so the people know what we're wasting money on. Really, I swear.' Way to be transparent Canadian PM.
If our kids were exposed to other cultures, they wouldn't be influenced by ignorance and things like Prop.8 (violation of UN human rights charter, by the way- 'matters of human rights shall not be voted on by the people, under any circumstances' and gay marriage is easily classified under the categories of religious, marital and social freedoms. Really, look it up.) or the forcing of English immigrants into the French school system without so much as a class on French might be thought through better.
If we were educated, my sister wouldn't say things like 'these immigrants should just be like us'. They ARE like us, you just haven't been taught about them yet.
And you know what parents? Some example you're setting! I'll bet you money if you learned about Muslim, Jewish and other traditions than your own you would know that, really- it's all the same with different words. Take it from a University level Religion student- Allah believes that angels showed Mohammed the Truth, just like Angels told Mary baby Jesus was The Lord and angels told Moses to lead the people out of Egypt and to Israel. All of these religions began more or less in the Middle-East and they all preach love and peace towards mankind. If kids understood this, maybe they would be so quick to beat each other to death because someone's wearing a burka or a kipa to school.
It's not taking away your right to be a bigot, but allow them the freedom to choose because in any charter of rights, the First Amendment is Freedom. Of Speech, of Religion, of Belief and of Self. Denying your child the right to an education because you've got your head up your ass is rediculous and as a future teacher, I agree with the Board for once.
Your child is either present for all curriculum-issued classes or you GTFO of my school. Send them to private school if you're trembling Christian values are so threatened by global religion and Ethics.
And now I feel a bit better, even though I know that was a really poorly constructed argument- but hey, it's my right to write what I feel no matter how ill-organized and your equal right not to read the long entry ^.^
The Reason for the quiet revolution? Not toilet paper, but education of children!
The Scenario: Parents pulling their children out of school because some high schools in Montreal have added 'Ethics and Global Religion Studies' as a mandatory hour and a half course, once a week. Schools have responded by enforcing their rules and suspending truant children, even if their parents provide permission to skip because a) it is not 'Chirstian', 'Jewish' or 'Muslim' class, it is GLOBAL (i.e- all-inclusive, nobody left behind, everything-but-Satanism-and-cannibalism-is-taught-here) Religion and Ethics class and b)it is ILLEGAL to deny a child under the age of 16 their education in Quebec and proper procedures must be followed to prevent total anarchy. Especially when it's not the kids but the PARENTS pulling their child out of school because they don't like the curriculum.
Parents say: It's a violation of their free choice of Religion to make their kids learn about other people and cultures beyond their own. Suspending their children for skipping is unfair and cruel because they gave permission.
School says: Parents are penalizing their children, not making a point by pulling them out of school once a week for one stinkin' class. The school chooses the curriculum and being that this is GLOBAL Religious Studies and not Catechism or otherwise, they have every right to teach it in public schools and parents are denying their children the right to education by pulling them out of this course. They are not acting unfairly by suspending truant children despite parental consent because if they give in to this unjustified pressure tactic, they would have to give in to any other public outcry that came after. Solidarite! Unite!
The Point: Kids these days lack understanding of the world around them. They think 'Jewish' is a language, not a religion. They think 'Muslim' is a race and believe all brown people are Arab. By teaching them about the world around them, they can make more informed descisions and we can prevent racism, predjudice and other bigoted behaviour by encouraging them to open their minds to other cultures. It doesn't mean we are denying their right to freedom of religion, it means we are encouraging diversity and acceptance in our society instead of breeding ignorance.
My POV: While I understand the concern of protecting your own religion and thoughts, learning about other people and places doesn't take away your roots. Pulling your teen out of school because you're so desperate to keep the world away from them is, frankly, retarded. In the original sense of the word, which is French for 'late' or 'slow to catch up'. Saying religious education is denying your child the right to freedom of religion is like saying gym class denies fat kids the right to equal treatment regardless of creed, colour or race. And what about the handicapped? The mentally disabled? Is math denying them the right to learn at the same pace as other kids? Are the stairs at the school denying them mobility and the right to freedom, period?
Does English class deny the French kids their own culture and heritage? Is Art discriminating against the colourblind?! And LOOK! The cafeteria is encouraging CONSUMERISM!! They SELL lunches there, you know, and Javier, Mohammed, Vescita and Paul can't afford to buy their lunches. It makes them feel terrible watching their friends eat fries and pizza when all they get is PB&J. DISCRIMINATION!
And I mean, forget about RECESS! Jimmy's in a wheelchair, Patty's on crutches and Tommy has Autism- they can't run outside, why should the healthy kids?! That's denying them the freedom to feel normal! And, so you know, my Vegan-Hippie friend Kathy thinks stepping on the grass and climbing that tree is killing innocent plants. Fact, she thinks the entire school building is built on sacred Mother Earth and that it's murder. Her religion hates the entire concept of modern stuctures. We should stop building things so her freedom can be protected.
OH! And let's not forget organ donors! Jehova's witnesses think that's not what God would want so we should ALL stop- I mean, my kidney transplant is totally discrimination against those poor people.
And don't even get me started on Mcdonald's, Harvey's and all the other fast-food joints- I'm HINDU! COWS ARE SACRED IN MY COUNTRY!!
I think that about proves what I'm getting at here... There's a reson the law is called REASONABLE accomodation- we can't make everyone happy but we try and compromise. Same with our schools- teaching children about the world and GLOBAL religion and Ethics isn't violating anyone's choice, we're just opening their eyes so they don't embarass themselves by calling a black man a heathen without realising that he's Catholic, just like you. I mean if you need any more proof, just look at the last US president- how many human rights did HE deny and nobody said a damned thing? What, because they're Arab those people don't desrve the freedom of religion? The right to a safe home, clean water and stable food supplies?
Maybe if North America had been taught better people could have made better descisions and NOT voted him back into office after he EPICALLY FAILED the first term. If people were taught about the world, they would know that when any politician quotes the Bible in an effort to win the Bible belt's approval, they often misquote the Gospel of John; 3:36 when they mean to say John 3:16.
If we knew what it meant, we'd see that the first is a line about those who don't believe in God will perish and the REAL quote they were aiming for is about Jesus dying so we can all have a better world. But I don't know that because I'm Muslim and I don't read the same Bible and hey, nobody taught me how to inform myself so I can check this candidate out before I vote him into office. Not because Christianity matters but because, hey, if you're gonna use the Bible to lie, at least do it right. If I have the knowledge to catch that mistake then I can catch you on other, more relevant lies such as 'Government spending will be visible to the public when I go into office so the people know what we're wasting money on. Really, I swear.' Way to be transparent Canadian PM.
If our kids were exposed to other cultures, they wouldn't be influenced by ignorance and things like Prop.8 (violation of UN human rights charter, by the way- 'matters of human rights shall not be voted on by the people, under any circumstances' and gay marriage is easily classified under the categories of religious, marital and social freedoms. Really, look it up.) or the forcing of English immigrants into the French school system without so much as a class on French might be thought through better.
If we were educated, my sister wouldn't say things like 'these immigrants should just be like us'. They ARE like us, you just haven't been taught about them yet.
And you know what parents? Some example you're setting! I'll bet you money if you learned about Muslim, Jewish and other traditions than your own you would know that, really- it's all the same with different words. Take it from a University level Religion student- Allah believes that angels showed Mohammed the Truth, just like Angels told Mary baby Jesus was The Lord and angels told Moses to lead the people out of Egypt and to Israel. All of these religions began more or less in the Middle-East and they all preach love and peace towards mankind. If kids understood this, maybe they would be so quick to beat each other to death because someone's wearing a burka or a kipa to school.
It's not taking away your right to be a bigot, but allow them the freedom to choose because in any charter of rights, the First Amendment is Freedom. Of Speech, of Religion, of Belief and of Self. Denying your child the right to an education because you've got your head up your ass is rediculous and as a future teacher, I agree with the Board for once.
Your child is either present for all curriculum-issued classes or you GTFO of my school. Send them to private school if you're trembling Christian values are so threatened by global religion and Ethics.
And now I feel a bit better, even though I know that was a really poorly constructed argument- but hey, it's my right to write what I feel no matter how ill-organized and your equal right not to read the long entry ^.^