14 Wacky "Facts" Kids Will Learn in Louisiana's Voucher Schools
 

Thanks to a new law privatizing public education in Louisiana, Bible-based curriculum can now indoctrinate young, pliant minds with the good news of the Lord—all on the state taxpayers' dime.

Under Gov. Bobby Jindal's voucher program, considered the most sweeping in the country, Louisiana is poised to spend tens of millions of dollars to help poor and middle-class students from the state's notoriously terrible public schools receive a private education. While the governor's plan sounds great in the glittery parlance of the state's PR machine, the program is rife with accountability problems that actually haven't been solved by the new standards the Louisiana Department of Education adopted two weeks ago.

For one, of the 119 (mostly Christian) participating schools, Zack Kopplin, a gutsy college sophomore who's taken to Change.org to stonewall the program, has identified at least 19 that teach or champion creationist non-science, and will rake in nearly $4 million in public funding from the initial round of voucher designations.

Many of these schools, Kopplin notes, rely on Pensacola-based A Beka Book curriculum or Bob Jones University Press textbooks to teach their pupils Bible-based "facts," such as the existence of Nessie the Loch Ness Monster and all sorts of pseudoscience that researcher Rachel Tabachnick and writer Thomas Vinciguerra have thankfully pored over so the rest of world doesn't have to.

Here are some of my favorite lessons:

1. Dinosaurs and humans probably hung out: "Bible-believing Christians cannot accept any evolutionary interpretation. Dinosaurs and humans were definitely on the earth at the same time and may have even lived side by side within the past few thousand years." - Life Science, 3rd ed. Bob Jones University Press, 2007

2. Dragons were totally real: "[Is] it possible that a fire-breathing animal really existed? Today some scientists are saying yes. They have found large chambers in certain dinosaur skulls...The large skull chambers could have contained special chemical-producing glands. When the animal forced the chemicals out of its mouth or nose, these substances may have combined and produced fire and smoke." - Life Science, 3rd ed. Bob Jones University Press, 2007

3. "God used the Trail of Tears to bring many Indians to Christ." - America: Land That I Love, Teacher ed. A Beka Book, 1994

4. Africa needs religion: "Africa is a continent with many needs. It is still in need of the gospel...Only about ten percent of Africans can read and write. In some areas the mission schools have been shut down by Communists who have taken over the government." - Old World History and Geography in Christian Perspective, 3rd ed. A Beka Book, 2004

5. Slave masters were nice guys: "A few slave holders were undeniably cruel. Examples of slaves beaten to death were not common, neither were they unknown. The majority of slave holders treated their slaves well." - United States History for Christian Schools, 2nd ed. Bob Jones University Press, 1991

6. The KKK was A-OK: "[The Ku Klux] Klan in some areas of the country tried to be a means of reform, fighting the decline in morality and using the symbol of the cross. Klan targets were bootleggers, wife-beaters, and immoral movies. In some communities it achieved a certain respectability as it worked with politicians." - United States History for Christian Schools, 3rd ed. Bob Jones University Press, 2001

7. The Great Depression wasn't as bad as the liberals made it sound: "Perhaps the best known work of propaganda to come from the Depression was John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath... Other forms of propaganda included rumors of mortgage foreclosures, mass evictions, and hunger riots and exaggerated statistics representing the number of unemployed and homeless people in America. - United States History: Heritage of Freedom, 2nd ed. A Beka Book, 1996

8. SCOTUS enslaved fetuses: "Ignoring 3,500 years of Judeo-Christian civilization, religion, morality, and law, the Burger Court held that an unborn child was not a living person but rather the "property" of the mother (much like slaves were considered property in the 1857 case of Dred Scott v. Sandford)."- American Government in Christian Perspective, 2nd ed. A Beka Book, 1997

9. The Red Scare isn't over yet: "It is no wonder that Satan hates the family and has hurled his venom against it in the form of Communism." - American Government in Christian Perspective, 2nd ed. A Beka Book, 1997

10. Mark Twain and Emily Dicksinson were a couple of hacks: "[Mark] Twain's outlook was both self-centered and ultimately hopeless....Twain's skepticism was clearly not the honest questioning of a seeker of truth but the deliberate defiance of a confessed rebel." - Elements of Literature for Christian Schools, Bob Jones University, 2001

"Several of [Emily Dickinson's] poems show a presumptuous attitude concerning her eternal destiny and a veiled disrespect for authority in general. Throughout her life she viewed salvation as a gamble, not a certainty. Although she did view the Bible as a source of poetic inspiration, she never accepted it as an inerrant guide to life." - Elements of Literature for Christian Schools, Bob Jones University, 2001

11. Abstract algebra is too dang complicated: "Unlike the "modern math" theorists, who believe that mathematics is a creation of man and thus arbitrary and relative, A Beka Book teaches that the laws of mathematics are a creation of God and thus absolute....A Beka Book provides attractive, legible, and workable traditional mathematics texts that are not burdened with modern theories such as set theory." - ABeka.com

12. Gay people "have no more claims to special rights than child molesters or rapists." - Teacher's Resource Guide to Current Events for Christian Schools, 1998-1999. Bob Jones University Press, 1998

13. "Global environmentalists have said and written enough to leave no doubt that their goal is to destroy the prosperous economies of the world's richest nations." - Economics: Work and Prosperity in Christian Perspective, 2nd ed. A Beka Book, 1999

14. Globalization is a precursor to rapture: "But instead of this world unification ushering in an age of prosperity and peace, as most globalists believe it will, it will be a time of unimaginable human suffering as recorded in God's Word. The Anti-christ will tightly regulate who may buy and sell." - Economics: Work and Prosperity in Christian Perspective, 2nd ed. A Beka Book, 1999

Whew! Seems extreme. But perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised. Gov. Jindal, you remember, once tried to perform an exorcism on a college gal pal.

14 Wacky "Facts" Kids Will Learn in Louisiana's Voucher Schools | Mother Jones

First sentence.... there it goes again. More Anti-christian stuff. :rolleyes:

Seems that the public schools are failing, parents are still paying taxes, and they want the choice where to send their kids for better education. What's so damn hard to understand about that?

And this differs, in intellectual substance, exactly how from the current situation? Wherein young pliable minds are taught (if anything) that history is to be revised, people that lived 200 years ago should be judged by the standards of today, all religions except Christianity are to be accomodated, and the one true calling is to be another minion in the Louisiana Teacher's Association union mill? Again all on the taxpayer's dime.

As opposed to the rest of the state which uses a math curriculum that has, in the past, included questions like:

"If math were a color, it would probably be ______ because ________."

:iagree:

Let's not forget all the Multiculturalism, Diversity, Sex ed and other feel good bullshit that adds no value to their education.


NAEP Studies - 2006461: Comparing Private Schools and Public Schools Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling
EXCERPT


Apparently Phil is against what WORKS vs whats good for the NEA union goons.

Based on my personal private school experience I have a hard time recommending private schools. I send my daughter to a public school and it would take quite a bit to get me to look towards private schools as an option for her.

And if I did you can be sure I would be scrutinizing their curriculum and how they treat students who may have a faith that doesn't exactly match the school.

That said, public schools are failing too many of the youth of America, especially in the poorest areas.

What is your solution?

Throwing more money at the problem has failed.
Adding endless layers of administration has failed.
Removing discipline from the schools has failed.
No Child Left Behind has failed.
Centralized (federal) administration has failed.
Giving the teacher's unions more power has failed.

Unless you are going to deal with the actual problems in the failing schools and districts the only opportunity many of our youth have is the opportunity to attend a better school. Are they all better? No. Are they perfect? Nope. But do they give the student a chance? Yes

They'll also enjoy the WACKY benefits of decent education, higher test scores, better grades, better college admissions, more scholarship money, and higher life-time earnings.

FYI despite going to Catholic school I understand the concept of evolution. In exchange for tolerating a small portion of religious instruction every day day I received a vastly superior education in mathematics, history, English, and science while there instead of public school. My personal anecdotal experience, and many others, are supported by national and local statistical analysis.

Congrats on being against choice and demanding minorities stay in their place and continue to receive inferior education. :cert: Don't worry, Democrats from 200 years ago through today agree. :cert:

This is true.
My great aunt had a cross burned in her front yard in the early 40's because she was sleeping with a married man.

My ex, liberal as hell spoiled Fed.gov worker that she was, pulled our kids outta one of the very BEST rated skool sistems in the kuntry, and so because by time later elementary school was in play, she realized they didn't know shit, so she put them into home schooling with tutor and so my son works as a auto mechanic with his useless degree in Political theory or some such shit, which he got in 3 years due to being bored.....my daughter got her masters' in Psych/Social work, and so works for the state.gov......what else??

both in hock up their asses and praying for nobam to bail out their shitty loans....

BUT the point here IS, if they not been home schooled, they would have done nothing, AS I recall being in the elementary school with various PTA oriented crap and commenting negatively to the EX who was condemning ME for the negativity....shit, all I had to DO was listen to the folks in 'charge'.....

so we divorced, and then all the shit hit the fan between her and the public schools.....

To the OP, JC, I disagree with maybe 2? of the points, the rest are fine by me.....at least at a MINIMUM, the kids can actually make change at Home Despot or MD's and not go into a blank STARE with totally vacant wide eyes....

comes to 1.81, I hand over 2 bux.....uh oh.....I had one call the manager over on that.....as have every other one of us that ever signed a paycheck on the front side.....


:lol::lol::cert:

The Catholic church has excepted evolution since 1950.

Having stated that, are you not appalled at the fact that the creationist nonsense - along with the rest of this - can be taught at the government expense?

I'm appalled at the low quality education the government is providing and forcing the tax payers to fund.

nope! You have no more a shred of evidence of the big bang, as you do the creationist belief. I believe they should both be taught and discussed. Even in public schools. Not one theory over the other, just this is what is believed and why.

But, but, but... somebody might make up their own mind and make a decision for him/herself. That can't be allowed.

I find it annoying, appalling, etc. Yes. It's stupid.

But I find the current state of the public school system in our poorest neighborhoods far worse.

In a word, no.

We have posters on this forum from LA. Isn't that argument enough for the voucher system? :toetap:

:leaving:

I'm more concerned that you take up our time with your hate of anything Christian.


But I don't expect anything less from heathens myself so carry on.

Yet public schools spend their ime teaching "Self Esteam" WWTF is that? Feeling good about being a dunder head is a good thing?

The facts are PRIVATE schools better prepare kids for the world. Public schools have failed. Fix the public schools by :
1) Ending Tenure
2) Spend teaching time on Math, Science, Finance, History and other subjects need to compete and end the Bullshit feel good crap the left has foisted on us.
3) If a kids mother is on welfare dock her one days pay for each day the kids misses school without a doctors note.
4) Remove the massive layers of administration that is sucking the money out of the school system and ling the pockets of Politicians and Union bosses
5) Stop "Special Ed" of all kinds in school. If the kid has a real problem let them go to a school designed to help them.
6) Reward teachers on the performance of their students over time.

But the left will not allow that. So the schools keep failing

You know the typical leftist argument that those who are the most homophobic are those with gay tendencies themselves but just too afraid to admit it? I think the same is true here. joecoool doth protest just a bit too much.

What we have is clearly a closet Christian who is simply afraid of what his liberal friends would think if he were to declare his true love of the Lord.

It's ok joecoool. It's safe here.