Call for Exit Strategy From Public Schools Gaining Momentum

The schools in the area are representative of what the public expects. The public high school I went to expected a lot. Typically I had between three and four hours of homework each night. We had a great academic and athletic program. If you went to an open house most everyone was there. If you went to a football game about 3,000 in a town of 5,000 were there. They had strong discipline and high expectations. 3.0 was considered the honor roll.

You may think that I advocate poor schools. If you were in my classes you would not say that. When I taught high school I had developed one of the best programs in America. The state paid me a visit and modelled their curriculum after my program. Every year my students won a number of competitions. I had never heard any students who complained about winning the competitions and how hard they had to work. The only time I ever had a student complain was when a pastor's daughter told me I was mean. I told her I was mean when students played hookey. She did not like it when I talked with her parents. She started coming to class everyday. She came in during brunch and lunch to make up her work. At the end she had a different opinion. However every year I had complaints from parents who thought I gave too much homework and required too much. They thought school should be fun. I often told parents that school was not meant to be fun. Learning is work and what the student learns is rewarding. My classes were always full. In a number of classes I had more students than I had spaces but I made it work so that students could take my classes.

Now that I am at a university, I require my students to work about 3 hours outside of class for every hour in class. Next week another professor and my self will take some students to a competition among 34 universities. I am not a believer in patting students on the back for time in class. It is my resonsibility to ensure that students are well prepared. That includes more than just academics. Students respect professors who expect a lot but do not waste their time.

When I was a student at SWBTS one of the professors received criticism because the administration thougt he should be easier so more students would take him. He did not yield. His students are the proof of his teaching. The vast majority of students who were in the Ph.D. program had that professor. They were well prepared because of his demands and preparation.

 

Sounds like you are a great parent.

What I would wonder is where were the local Christians in all of this?

When I was pastoring there was a lady who informed me about what a teacher was doing at a local high school. We spoke to the appropriate school officials and got no response. So we went to a school board meeting and was placed on the agenda and spoke about what we knew for a fact. Still nothing was done that night. So we called the local TV station in San Antonio and got an immediate response. Before we started the action I contacted several pastors in the area and not one of them would stand with us. I got many different excuses from pastors. I think that says something even worse about pastors and the churches they pastor.

Some people stand for righteousness and others stand for nothing. I do not believe that I should leave the scene until all avenues are exhausted to solve the problem.

When I taught high school very few from the public ever showed up to any school board meetings. Often the peole who show are those are wanting to run their own agenda.

The Bible says,"The righteous are bold as a lion." To say we are weak is to say we are standing for unrighteousness.

Some years ago Vista, CA made the news when the local Christians stood together and put some Christians on the school board. At the time my mom lived in Vista and even the local RCC was active in that as well.

If the churches would not shrink from declaring the truth and stand for righteousness the unrighteous would have a much harder time.

My brother in law who became a Christian a few years ago is now a retired police officer. When he became a Christian he told me that he could lose his job for witnessing to people. His response was, "I don't care." The fact is that people came to Christ while he was a policeman.

 

If we think much about it what we are seeing, is the world and its godlessness. We should expect the world to act unwisely and ungodly. That is who they are. They do not know anything else.

There is another way to look at things. When the people get more godless the Christians become more united and godly. That is the great part. I have lived in areas where Christians were viewed much like you said. When we left an area like that, we moved to another area and saw such weakness among those who called themselves Christians we were saddened. The Christians were comfortable and complacent. Things they viewd as harsh and problems, we saw as almost nothing because we had come from an area where to live the Christian life meant you had to be strong. The fact is, in the tough areas is where I have personally had a greater impact. I think it is much easier to deal with people who are cold or hot than those who are lukewarm and comfortable.
What I am most saddened by is when churches spend their time fighting amongst each other rather than introducing people to Christ and gaining in credibilty by loving them. Few people do not respond to love. When we love them them they might listen to our message. As I am sure you know to win people in areas like where you live often takes years. It takes prayer and a steadfastness but it builds.

Let me encourage you by saying that when I attended the funeral of my grandmother in 2004 I looked around and most of my relatives are Christians today. I was the first and God has given me many opportunities to share Christ. Many saw it as a fad for me but not any more. I have been praying for them for years. Now when we get together it is a celebration not for them to drink and smoke, but to rejoice and talk about what God is doing. Their kids have also become Christians. Some of them as recent as the past few years. It is great to see the grandchildren growing up in Christ centered homes.

Keep praying and rejoicing at what God is doing.

 

I make no guarantees about anything. But I do understand that teaching my son the Bible and a love for God is my responsibility, not that of the public school. It is the Public School's job to educate my son. If I find one that will hold high academic and disciplinary standards and has a safe environment, then I will send my son there. If not, he will have other options. That's all.

Joseph Botwinick

 

All of this is very nice to hear. It is also totally irellevant to the conversation. Anecdotal evidence is not very good for making a generalization or predicting what things might be like at the local public schools where my son might go.

Joseph Botwinick

 

When I clicked on http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/657961228.html I was sent to this site:

http://contentblock.edmc.edu/

 

It's about time they did something. Instead of complaining and doing nothing.

During my time in Texas pastoring a church a lady came to me from another chrurh and said that she could not get any help in standing against a school problem. My first thought was that she was probably crazy. She wasn't crazy. She just wanted a problem solved and asked for some help from the churches. When we as a church decided to stand against a teacher at the local high school who was requiring a book to be read which contained vulgar language I contacted a number of local pastors. When we tried to get some pastors to join with us not one of them would stand with us. Everyone of them has some kind of excuse. One told me he did not think it would do any good and only give us a bad name. With passion like that there is no need for boldness by those who want to do their own thing. The school did nothing so we got put on the agenda at the school board meeting. Still nothing happened, until we got on the everning news on TV. The problem was taken care of immediately.

When I taught high school the complaints I got each years were from parents who told me I was to demanding. However, the students stopped any complaining when they won their first competition. Every year I still got complaints and every year I just ignored them.

The schools are a reflection of the community. If the community does not care then most likely they will not keep good teachers.

 

Sometime you should read the book "The World Is Flat" by Tom Friedman. It will open your eyes about how Americans view the schools and how foreigners view schools here. By comparison American parents expect laziness and fun for their kids.


It's very relevant because too many babies are raising babies. Too many parents complain to good teachers that the teacher expects the kid to do too much homework and that teachers are supposed to make school fun. Good schools require a lot from their students. School is hard work. Even though I had one of the top programs, I still had complaints about the idea I was too hard and should be easier. Never had one child ever complain but I sure had my share of parents who did. If I had a problem with a student then most of the time I had an even worse problem with a parent.

Remember the kid who was caned in Malaysia for painting some cars? Americans and the kids parents spoke against such punishment. The kid came back and got in trouble here.

There was a time when a teacher could wear out a kid's rear. Later, it was the American parents who threatened to sue the schools if they did though. I remember the days if I got in trouble at school I got it worse at home. No we have parents who are afraid of their kids to discipline them. Just a few years ago I was pastoring a church and two parents asked for my help in knowing how to discipline their child. The child was truant from school and had been in trouble with the local police. One day that boy tore up some things in the church. When I found out I told him I wanted him to pay for the things he broke. I had arranged with a local farmer for the boy to work it off.. I could not believe what happened next. The parents came against me and told the deacons how hard I was on their son because they were embarrassed. I knew then exactly what the problem was. Babies were raising babies. They were not being parents but just spectators.

There was a time when Sunday School teachers gave grades in Sunday School. Where did that go?

I am not here to be a Starbuck’s teacher but rather to help students be prepared for life. I am here to help students be successful, not make it easy on them.

 

I don't have to read a book to know what the differences are between American and foreign parents are in education. I have been teaching their kids for almost 10 years now. This is still not relevant to the conversation as it does not offer an acurate picture of how every school will be run. Some are good, some are aweful. If there is a good one in the public schools, I will send my son there. If not, I won't.

The kid was caned in Singapore, and I totally agreed with it. I would like to see us do it here. But, I am not in charge here. The liberals on the SC are. Too bad for discipline.

Joseph Botwinick

 

Jesus taught in parables.

So you want perfect schools? Let me know when you find a perfect church first. Tha might be easier.

Give us some of the facts about how schools are run and how you will make a difference so they are the best in the world.

I am not a prefect teacher so I still choose to take a look at what others are doing that is working. That is the reason why I choose to read. I realize there are some pastors who give watery mesages on Sunday because they do not read and teachers who teach history when they are asssigned to teach current issues.

You response reminds me of a conversation I had with a superintendent about his daughter. He told me that his daughter would have no trouble getting into the school she wanted because she had a 4.0 GPA. When I asked what school she wanted to go to, he told me. I explicitly told him that she would not be accepted and why. He did not listen and by the time his daughter graduated she was not accepted at any university and was not able to get any scholarships. She went to a junior college first and then was accepetd at the university she wanted to originally attend.

You are wrong about the book. Someone did not tell you about any reviews. It is amazing how many university professors I know who have read the book. Somehow you think it is not important.

You are not teaching the students I am talking about unless you can be at many places at the same time. Those kids are in other countries. Do you even have a clue what they are doing in India, Nepal and Japan? Those kids will have your child's job if your child is not equipped. That is some of what Friedman mentions in his book. If you are going to run a race shouldn't you know something about the race? For your students the information begins with you.

Certainly you would know why the highest ranked southern state is South Carolina at 23 and that numbers 1-22 are northern states. Why?

http://www.morganquitno.com/edrank.htm

So if you want to talk about what works then lets do it.

 

It is really very simple no matter how much you want to muddy the waters. If I find a public school that is suitable for my son (strict discipline, high academic standards, and a safe learning environment), I will happily send my son there. If not, then I will have the option to send my son to a private school which does.

Joseph Botwinick

 

As for me teaching kids from other parts of the world, I have taught kids from all over the world. Perhaps, where you come from is very backwards and not very diverse, but where I teach, I get kids from America, Mexico, Jordan, Iran, Israel, Korea and all points in between. I know the difference in the values of the parents. I don't need your book to figure it out.

Joseph Botwinick

 

The book is not about education. It is a book on the reality of what is happening today.

It was a book that was recommended to me. I reluctantly read it. Frankly, I was shocked. It opened my eyes at what is already happening around me.

It talks a lot about what is happening globally. It should be required reading for every student and especially educators.

I'll make you a great deal. I have no monetary interest in this at all. You buy the book from amazon.com and read it. If you do not like the book, send it to me and I will pay you for the postage and the cost of the book.

How is that for a deal?

You can order it at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0374292795/?tag=baptis04-20