Hello,
I just have a discussion with a friend whether the parents have the right to for example; disagree on some subject in schools like teaching sex, or choosing certain kind of school to let their kids there such as someone would choose a religious school? Do they have this right to choose/ prevent something in education?
legally, yes - until the kid is 18.
Ethically, I don't think a parent should ever deny their child education, regardless of what they wished to be educated in. If, for example, a child of Christian parents wanted to learn about Islam, I don't think the parents should stop him/her (although many would).
I wrote a poem on a leaf and it blew away...
I agree absolutely. My life has been to argue for this position. Since I matured, I realized that children must mature with as much knowledge of different cultures as they could possibly wish, regardless of the culture and the dangers of the knowledge. And you are right. Many wouldn't let a child explore and discover many many ways and truths.Originally Posted by Charles Darnay
Thank you both
but if the child is young (6-14) ethically, do the parents have the right to decide for them? to prevent them from learning about for example sex subjects in school?
In a government school, my children were forced to colour in pictures of santa and the easter bunny and play dress up to celebrate them - while real life subjects and theories were excluded. Why does the education system deem it ethically correct to propagate myths and fairytales as part of its curriculum but shy away from topics that children will invariably need to address in their lives? That isn't the way to prepare or teach a child. If nothing else, promoting lies is a betrayal of their trust and we have the audacity to command their respect.
Before sunlight can shine through a window, the blinds must be raised - American Proverb
Who else? Someone has to decide what the child will learn. Nobody other than the parent can have that right, and the parents have not just a right, but an obligation to be involved in their children's education.
You must be the change you wish to see in the world. -- Mahatma Gandhi
Of course, they must make them color in Santa and Bunny, etc., for they must learn those aspects of their culture. But they have no right to deprive them of a real, scientific, sex education. Although often they take that faked right and betray their children.
Correct to a limited extent. But a parent can't prevent a child from obtaining the minimum educational requirements mandated by the State. If a parent tries to deny their child those minimal requirements by keeping them out of school, the Department of Children and Families will go knocking on their door. If the parents are adamant that their kid is not going to school, the state could consider it child abuse and try to take the child away from them.
Kids who aren't educated about sex tend to do it wrong, and in most first world countries STDS, pregnancies, and the occasional comical erotic mishap are paid for by taxpayers. You could argue your point from that angle; state funded education is less expensive than state funded damage control.
Last edited by JuniperWoolf; 07-15-2013 at 12:41 AM.
__________________
"Personal note: When I was a little kid my mother told me not to stare into the sun. So once when I was six, I did. At first the brightness was overwhelming, but I had seen that before. I kept looking, forcing myself not to blink, and then the brightness began to dissolve. My pupils shrunk to pinholes and everything came into focus and for a moment I understood. The doctors didn't know if my eyes would ever heal."
-Pi
Yes but it's rather sad when a child is reprimanded in the classroom for dispelling myths and speaking plain fact.
Before sunlight can shine through a window, the blinds must be raised - American Proverb
Correct. That's it. That's precisely what won Obama's campaign. Excellent point.
Delta. What you are saying is true. But if you are sensical enough to teach your children to disregard BS, you should also be tolerant enough to put up with it.
There are plenty of stories that show children's gullibility in this regard. Take the case of a child who has a father who's somewhat medieval. I've seen this in Argentina, where January 6 is the day the magi come and live presents for children during the night. The father in this case bought a bicycle with 26" wheels for his 5-year-old. Too big for the kid, but manageable by placing his leg through the frame. However, the child woke up in the morning and was in an explosion of excitement because he thought the magi had brought a bicycle for his dad. So he ran into his parents bedroom and cried, "hey daddy, look a what the magi brought you."
There are lots of stories like this that actually happened. Many children are ruled by belief rather than sense. So, if you are fortunate enough to be otherwise, you need to be tolerant toward these situations. Why not? Nobody can take away what you are.
We had sex education in the 5th grade back in my small N. California town and again in the 8th grade. It had a population of only 100,000, but I honestly don't remember anyone in my particular high school getting pregnant. If they did--in a graduating class of over 400--it was a tiny percentage.
No child, (or any being for that matter) is going to be taught how to have sex by learning about it; they're going to be more educated re: its consequences and responsibilities.
Better to inform, I think, than to ban sex edu anywhere.
Last edited by amuse; 07-15-2013 at 01:26 PM. Reason: i edit a lot
shh!!!
the air and water have been here a long time, and they are telling stories.
Not just the right, a responsibility. Certainly, a child's wishes should be taken into account, but the decision is made by parents.
I have a 14 yo asleep in the next room, and she is no more capable of making life choices than her 4 yo brother asleep in the room after that.
I disagree.
I'd much rather my kids were colouring in pictures than having their teachers try to address life skills in the classroom. Again, that is the parents' responsibility. The last thing I'd ever want is some clown in a classroom trying to give my kids lessons on morality, for instance. Study how morality works in the world by all means, but if you give teachers half a chance, they promote their own.
Within current curriculum, my kids get "values" lessons and all sorts of other baloney thrust at them, while our achievements in maths & English have been demonstrated to be falling. Teachers can STFU and teach, for my tax dollars. The three Rs and PE.
Go to work, get married, have some kids, pay your taxes, pay your bills, watch your tv, follow fashion, act normal, obey the law and repeat after me: "I am free."
Anon
Most parents don't bother deciding this, they just send them to the nearest school, the easiest option, and they get taught what they get taught. I quite like this, it leads to a free & easy & broad education.
Why should parents decide everything that the kids should learn? The kids live in society, so shouldn't the whole of society have a say?
Parents have a responsibility to provide their children with a good education, and if their children develop an interest in something, to support that interest and make sure they are able to explore it. It should in no way be forced upon them, but guidance is definitely needed for small children. Society is also a good teacher and will teach them life lessons too.
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