Some public schools try to turn children against their parents with scary classroom stories or lessons about child abuse. Public school authorities have increasingly decided that they are children's first line of defense against child abuse. This new attitude falls under what is now known as "protective behavior curriculum."
The assumptions behind this curriculum are that every child needs to be warned about and prepared for possible dangers of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse because allegedly every child is a potential victim, not only of strangers but of his or her own family.
Increasingly, school authorities instruct teachers to ask children questions about their parents' behavior and actions toward them at home. The questions amount to asking kids to spy on their parents and report incidents that make them feel "uncomfortable." Some school authorities use such tales by children to investigate or file charges of child abuse against parents who often did no more than yell at their children or spank them lightly.
In effect, to allegedly protect children, some school authorities now consider all parents as potential abusers, use children to invade parents' privacy, or make kids afraid of their parents. Often, children are disturbed and emotionally traumatized by the insinuations school authorities put into their heads.
The following incident described by Charles J. Sykes, in his book "Dumbing Down Our Kids," illustrates this disturbing anti-parent campaign by many public schools across the country:
"I first became aware of the protective behaviors curriculum when a mother called me to tell me of an experience she had with her daughter. Her child, an elementary schoolgirl, had come home in tears. When she saw that her mother was home and waiting for her, she rushed to her in relief. AI wasn't sure you'd be here, she told her mother. Her mother reassured her that she would always be there for her. In school that day, her daughter told her, her class had discussed "bad" touching including spanking.
"In the course of the discussion, children had been encouraged to share with the teachers and classmates whether they had ever been touched in that way and the girl had said that her mother had spanked her. The children were also told that people who engaged in bad touching would be taken away and put in jail. For the rest of the school day the girl was terrified that her mother who had spanked her would now be taken away and locked up for her bad touching."
Parents, it might be wise to periodically ask your children if their teachers ask them personal questions about your family or how you discipline your children. Turning children into spies against their parents or making them afraid of their parents is not what parents pay school taxes for.
Joel Turtel is an education policy analyst, and author of "Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie To Parents and Betray Our Children." Contact Information: Website: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com, Email: lbooksusa@aol.com, Phone: 718-447-7348. Article Copyrighted © 2005 by Joel Turtel. NOTE: You may post this Article on another website only if you set up a hyperlink to Joel Turtel's email address and website URL, http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com.
Article based on a friend's experienceI just wanted to share... Read More
1. Diapers (5 -7 is a fairly safe supply)2. Wipes3.... Read More
Did you know that you are the most important person... Read More
How should one look upon Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)... Read More
When choosing the perfect jogging stroller, a very important question... Read More
Being a parent is a role that requires a large... Read More
Here are fourteen spontaneous time-outs, specially designed to help you... Read More
Is it hard to communicate with your teenager about issues... Read More
I will never forget the day that my daughter's sixth... Read More
On a recent Saturday evening, I noticed a young teen-age... Read More
IntroductionChildren are the gifts of God to parents. That young... Read More
Parents are always looking for ways to open up the... Read More
It is hard to believe that summer is coming to... Read More
You send your child to school and the teachers teach... Read More
Something happened the other day that made me feel uneasy.... Read More
Often, the struggle at dinnertime with your picky eater is... Read More
Our children are growing up bilingual in the French part... Read More
Courage means doing the right thing when it is hard,... Read More
Dear Camille,As I thumb through the photographs that I carry... Read More
Until about the age of six, children do not generally... Read More
"Not another meeting!"That tends to be the reaction from many... Read More
If your child has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder then at... Read More
It was a hot summer day in august and The... Read More
One of the challenges for parents with a gifted child... Read More
Although many children are picky eaters at some stage in... Read More
Homework. It doesn't have to be a daily battle of... Read More
As the flurry of Back to School activities subside, parents... Read More
One fantastic way to get your children involved in what... Read More
Here's the scene of communication with your child: your three-year-old... Read More
Did you know that many people retire broke?It's true. After... Read More
The human brain never actually stops developing. Beginning formation in... Read More
Q. With the school year just beginning, what can we... Read More
Former students would probably attest to the fact that few... Read More
LOS ANGELES (May 19, 2005) - With Memorial Day weekend,... Read More
For any of you Moms out there that are doing... Read More
What do you do when your child begins talking to... Read More
Many public schools not only fail to educate our children,... Read More
Dining in a restaurant with kids can be very enervating... Read More
Research published by University of Rochester neuroscientists C. Shawn Green... Read More
When David was nine and Laura was twelve, the battles... Read More
If there are any parents reading this who are thinking... Read More
Early childhood educators have called play "children's work". Many parents... Read More
You know that children can get into trouble. The older... Read More
Pool safety should be on the minds of every parent... Read More
Even if your teenagers do not use drugs, you still... Read More
First there were Yuppies (Young Urban Professionals). Then came the... Read More
Using 14 "at" Flashcards To Teach Reading:This exercise helps your... Read More
What are the easiest things citizens can do to prevent... Read More
Here are some things that you can do to help... Read More
Being a parent is a role that requires a large... Read More
Studies have shown that:1 out of 4 children were sent... Read More
1) It's not my (pot, beer, cigarettes, etc.), I'm just... Read More
Adderall is a stimulant medication used in the treatment of... Read More
Our back-to-school buying habits do not help kids succeed in... Read More
Search for Assurance: The Power of BelongingThe job hunt is... Read More
From the time the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock in... Read More
Very often, new parents rely on a parenting tip or... Read More
Until about the age of six, children do not generally... Read More
Winnie the Pooh is the classic picture of Inattentive ADHD.... Read More
In school, kids are encouraged to create, draw, color, paint... Read More
"There is nothing new under the sun," states Ecclesiastes 1:9.... Read More
If You're Having Twins..is it double the headache, or double... Read More
What's new and effective in the treatment of Attention problems?... Read More
Many people consider plush toys great for children. They say... Read More
Remember when cash was a tangible commodity in all of... Read More
Back in college, I wrote for a five-day-a-week, award-winning campus... Read More
Parenting |