09-22-2009
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Indoctrination
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Subject: It's Never Too Early To Indoctrinate
Today we look at how the idea of national service has infiltrated our
schools. Soon it will be impossible to get an education anywhere
without being forced to submit to a mandatory service requirement.
And since education is also mandatory, the requirement for national
service will have been imposed through this back door, instead of
by a direct legislative act which would have faced scrutiny and
vocal opposition by the public.
Let's start with a look at our friends at
ACORN. Were you aware that some of your
tax dollars were being given to this organization so that it could,
in partnership with the New York City Department of Education, create
two (and possibly three) high schools with a "community service"
orientation?
The first of these is the
ACORN Community High
School which has the goal of "Developing Tomorrow's
Leaders". This is done, in part, with Social Studies programs
that "teach them the critical thinking skills necessary to
challenge inequity and injustice." Nothing very specific there,
but it does get you thinking about just how "inequity and
injustice" might be defined by ACORN? While I was unable to
locate any detailed descriptions of the various academic courses
being offered, there was a very complete overview of the
service program and its requirements.
"Community Service
'Give Your Best, Be the Best' The ACORN Community Service Program
(ACSP) offers ACORN students experiences that cultivate leadership
skills while they contribute services to their communities.
Through placement in various agencies and service providers, ACSP
encourages students to apply what they learned in and out of the
classroom to solve real-life problems. In the process students
learn efficient work habits, teamwork and self-confidence. They
also learn about democracy, budgets and the benefits of active
citizenship. Further, students in ACSP acquire technical and
communication skills that are essential in critical thinking for
designing and implementing solutions that build proud and
prosperous communities. Participation in ACSP instills an ethic
of lifelong community service where students are inspired to
build proud and prosperous communities."
Aah yes, there it is in the last sentence — the real purpose of
the program: "instills an ethic of lifelong community
service". The community is the social unit of concern, with
people as lifelong servants to its needs. And to prepare for this
subservient position:
"Each student must complete 50 ACSP points per year with a
total of 200 ACSP points [i.e., 200 hours of service] by
the end of the Senior year."
Unfortunately, babysitting will only earn you 0.5 ACSP points per
hour. :-( Probably because it take more work to acquire
"communication skills" when talking to babies!
The second ACORN school let's you know where it's heading right in
its title: ACORN High School for Social Justice.
From their mission statement:
"The school offers an opportunity for students to engage in a
comprehensive academic program and to participate in citywide
campaigns dealing with issues of social injustice which affect
the Bushwick Community and the larger Brooklyn community. ACORN
High School for Social Justice's mixture of academic and community
involvement helps the students to become lifelong learners."
And what makes this school special? Selecting a few key bullet points:
- We also include an additional course in Social Justice
[...]
- International Teachers Programs. We now also have a
partnership with Columbia University as a site for Peace
Corp Fellows to complete their teaching internships.
- Implementation of an excellent library program that will
bring community members, actors, singers, and leaders into
the building to speak with students and to participate in
events such as Black History Month, Hispanic History Month,
Poetry Month and Women's History Month.
- A diverse after school program, in collaboration with our
Community Based Organization, Acorn, comprised of
academics, sports, the arts, and community service
experiences for our students.
This mixing of ACORN's political activism with education is
appalling, and marks a new level of brazenness in the social
indoctrination of children. That the New York City Department of
Education engages in and promotes this sort of activity indicates
that it is corrupt.
But this movement is not confined to ACORN and New York City. This
Falls City
Herald News article
discusses how the Tiverton, RI high school has imposed a mandatory
"Community Service-Learning" graduation requirement upon all
of its students.
"For the past 13 years, Tiverton High School has had a community
service requirement for graduation. Students must complete 75
hours prior to the end of their senior year. Since the inception
of the program, students have worked on a wide range of activities
to complete their volunteer hours, everything from working
at an animal shelter to serving as a mentor to an elementary school
student."
[emphasis added]
You simply have to admire the audacity of people who can use the
word "volunteer" in describing an activity that is being
forced upon every student. Community service coordinator Rebecca
Elwell acknowledges:
"while some students find their niche very easily, others
struggle to find a suitable volunteer opportunity."
Remember, these students are not actually being asked to volunteer.
They are not being persuaded to engage in actions of their own
choosing, for reasons that they personally judge to be worthwhile.
They are being required to perform these services in order to
be allowed to progress with their lives. I wonder if it ever crosses
the minds of these "educators" that one source of struggle for some
of these high school students might be an internal one. Possibly the
demand—the act of being forced—to
participate in this, or any other type of activity, is the source of
their struggle, as they attempt, as most adolescents do, to assert
their independence in thought, action and spirit at this critical
phase of their development. The potential psychological damage being
done to certain types of individuals is enormous.
But is this phenomenon of community service limited to high school
students. No! A report,
once again from our friends at ACORN, tells us:
Riverside students learn value of community service
"Riverside School's third grade class will hold its third
annual Community Service Day on Wednesday, Sept. 23. The event,
which lasts from 9 to 10:30 a.m., introduces the students to
people who help their community and ties in with the class
civics unit.
[...]
Connected to this event, the students will be doing a community
service project to help children at Kids in Crisis."
High school may be too late. By that time, some of these kids may
have already developed thoughts of their own that could interfere with
our "training", allowing them to rebel against the authority of their
masters, The Community or The State. But if we can get
them younger, say when they are only eight or nine, then fewer will
have a chance to develop that independent, anti-social streak of
learning to think for themselves. We must get to them early
so that we can insure that they meet the goals that Barack Obama has
laid out. They must be made to understand that it is their
sacred responsibility to "not let their Country down!"
It's enough to make you sick.
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