Comments on Citizens for Quality Education: Are Parents Really Still Concerned?

I'm on the side of being disgusted at some of thin...

2007-10-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

I'm on the side of being disgusted at some of things that are taught. Some thoughts (not in any particular order):

- Kids are impressionable. How does exposing them to crap help them? Sure, we all see it as we grow up, but some of the students take a certain percentage of it and assume the subject matter is being supported. And why wouldn't they? With all sorts of things happily being suppressed, the students will think that what is left (and, hopefully the 3 R's) are supported. So that's why it's better for the schools to choose books, etc that support good behavior.

- Some people complain about most people posting anonymously here, but there is a reason: the reason is people are AFRAID of retribution by the teachers. This is the 2000's, not the old days when more teachers had standards. Maybe a better way to say it is there are more teachers who don't have standards and therefore won't have the slightest problem taking out their idealogical anger out on our kids. (And yes, it happened years ago, but this lack of standards seems to part of many more people now-a-days. It's the same way some people treat Bush: the name calling and baseless attacks are appalling.) Whatever you believe, the fact that so many parents are afraid of retribution clearly demonstrates that there are big problems.

- Take a look at http://www.thechampion.org/ for detailed salary information. Remember, these teachers and administrators work short years. The average 214 teacher makes about $80k and the average 214 administrator makes $125k. (Btw, New Trier is at $138k.) It's funny, but I've seen comparisons made between administrators and business people and superintendents and CEO's. The difference is business people pay taxes and have competition. These school people live in protective bubble and they have lot of control over the students and their parents.

- The reason the schools are more than willing to push crap on the kids is because more and more educators are Modern Liberals. It's the same reason more and more kids movies have so much more crap in them. Find some quiet time and please watch this talk by a guy named Evan Sayet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaE98w1KZ-c
It's a phenomenal description and explanation of what he calls Modern Liberals - as opposed to the old time Liberal who was more in line with the Founders. I'd watch it, let iut soak in and watch it again. The patterns of this Modern Liberalism are all around us.

Whoever wrote this post..."No matter how "enlighte...

2006-09-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

Whoever wrote this post...

"No matter how "enlightened" some of you outraged HS students think you are, the fact remains that you are still children, and your ability for critical thinking (just as your ability to safely operate an automobile) is not fully developed (read it all over the Daily Herald). You are the pawns of a very crafty group and are being used to promote a political agenda that most of your taxpayer parents find objectionable. Woe to the board members!
Just remember who is paying the bills over there! "

…should be informed of something. We are not idiot children. We're not. We can drive, vote, and get jobs, so if you are that misguided on how stupid we are, than you had better rework your ideas on the nation's young adult population. If you think the operation of a motor vehicle is the single criterion for showing an individual's maturity, than I guess you'd better examine this fact: Do you know (probably not) how many "children" DON'T get in automobile accidents? The vast majority! Don't think for one second that we are but putty, just waiting to be molded into some abhorred shape.

On another note, I would like to make an analogy to how you believe the "political agenda" is being handled. You believe that at d214 teachers are pushing a political agenda to push the students into the left end of the political spectrum. Well, the analogy is this. You inerrantist pigs wrongly accuse homosexuals of learning their behavior, on the basis of the nurture/nature argument. Similarly, you believe that a certain political standpoint can be taught, just as mathematics or science can be. In both cases, IT CANNOT BE TAUGHT. Homosexuality is not a choice, for all you dogs out there who discriminate because the bible tells you it is bad. Similarly, a political standpoint is based on a person's values, and a person's values are gained from experience and life lessons, not from these "radical missionaries" that you identify the teachers with. I have been through two years at a d214 school, and never had I had a political agenda pressed upon me at any time. Trust me, they were very, very liberal, and there were some staunch conservative students in that class that had an engaging learning experience, never having a political agenda imprinted into them at any point. In both of my years, the teachers have engaged the political ideals of teach student, and had them come closer to their own political standpoint. I can say the same for any of the students that accompanied me in the entire class, nobody was upset in any way that any teacher of any sort tried to chance the way they thought AT ALL. It never happened once. So I highly advise anyone who has any underlying feelings of a hidden agenda to banish that rubbish at once. Though there may be a majority of liberal teachers in the district, that doesn't mean that they are all witchdoctors beating students' skulls in with liberal propaganda. In summation, it hasn't happened, it doesn't happen, and it won't happen- ever.

Finally, I would like to point out a few lines above here the word, "students'". Take a good look at it. Notice that it has correct grammar. Notice the spelling is correct. Notice, most of all, that there is no reason to go pointing fingers because of a few spelling errors. Nobody is perfect. I'm sure all you perfectionists that analyze all these posts will find a few typos, a few grammatical mistakes, some bric-a-brac here and there. There's probably some in this post right now. But is it really necessary to accuse people of being uneducated because they have spelling errors? Let's see a few examples:

-“Note to Randy J... about your last sentence, since you are referring to people, the proper grammar is "who" not "that."”

-“…but also used language of the lowest common denominator (another unhappy cultural phenomena). Your points were not only not made in elegant, persuasive speech but were instead sprinkled with grammatical errors. Your presentation does not speak well for the system you defend.”

-“No one said beastiality (learn to spell it first before you use it) was a COURSE at school, but it was one of several questionable topics in a required reading book recently approved.”

-“You criticize Kathleen of JHHS for misspelling a word, then you misspell it yourself. Is this a feeble joke or misplaced arrogance?”

-“Perhaps these English teachers should get back to teaching basic/foundation English so our young people don't sound so ignorant with wrong verb tenses and spellings.”

Come on! This is implausibly disgraceful! We are just hacking at everybody else's posts, trying to find minute faults so that we can puncture their message and render it useless. And to the person who said the English teachers should go back to the basics, let me procure to you this point; if everybody's English was perfect, there'd be a hell of a lot of 36's on the ACT every spring, now wouldn't there be? The average ACT in d214 is in the mid 20's. Thus, it can be shown that everybody is not perfect. Get a clue.

This brings me to my point. This blog has been impregnated with many a good point, but the majority of posts here (both liberal and conservative) are accusatory of ridiculous things, such as fascists running the organization and teachers trying to control the minds of the students. It all boils down to this. CQE was created because of some controversial material in the reading list in d214. Now, some of us may not agree with it, and most of us don't, but the fact of the matter is that it's merely an opinion. I am a flaming liberal, and I would support abortion to my last dying breath. One of my closest friends, who has a major tie into this organization, is a conservative. She gave up talking for one day to represent all the aborted fetuses that were silenced. We have exceptionally differing political opinions in just about every category, but we still can get along. So for this blog's sake, everybody just stop fighting tooth and nail, and post what you want to say, not what you want to be true.

Does anyone else wonder why comments are subject t...

2006-09-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else wonder why comments are subject to "blog owner approval" on here, if not to censor?

Getting back to the original post: I agree there i...

2006-09-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

Getting back to the original post: I agree there is an "ugly underbelly" here , but it is not in the classrooms of District 214, but rather here in this orginization. It should be obvious to all that CQE is a political orginization with a conservative christian agenda. Did anyone notice the hightlighting of which boardmembers are next up for re-election? Now go back and read CQE's "About Us" and "Why We Care" manifestos. This is a political orginization folks with an agenda that is far scarier for a free society than what they are railing against. I will guarantee we will see a CQE slate of candidates running for election next spring with the primary purpose of unseating the current board, so they can attempt to turn Dist 214 into "Our Lady of the Censored Education". Jokes aside, this is serious stuff going on here in the guise of their "rights" as taxpayers to a sanitized education. Hello!! You have no "rights" as taxpayers to deny the things you rail against to the majority, any more than you do to say you don't want your tax dollars used for war, highways where people might drive drunk and speed, or fireworks on the 4th of July. If this organization was totally above board there would be a listing of it's members or governing board, but there isn't. Also, who is funding this orginization and why is it kept a secret? There is way to much anonymity going on here folks, even from those who claim to be afraid of reprisals against their children in the classroom. Come on, are you serious? The Flaming Homosexual Liberal Teacher is going to give your Hitler-Youth a lower grade because of her mommies fascist rant on this website? If someone wants to be afraid, be afraid of the social/political agenda of CGE. Thankfuly this is still Illinois, and not some backwater like Arkansas or Utah, so I have confidence that come next spring the CQE slate will be soundly defeated back to the stone age where they live. I am, in spite of my rant against it, also staying anonymous as well. Like my posting name "be afraid"... I am afraid, but not for my childs grades. I am more afraid of having my house or car vandelized, or worse. It is my experience that the sort of people who are in favor of this web sites facist thinking, are also usually in favor of concealed carry firearms laws. Thank you to the District 214 board and educators for continuing to provide one of the best districts in the state! Have a nice day:) Oh, I also understand there is still plenty of room at Christian Liberty Academy for those of you who want creationism taught at school instead of science.

No matter how "enlightened" some of you outraged H...

2006-09-25T10:54:00.000-07:00

No matter how "enlightened" some of you outraged HS students think you are, the fact remains that you are still children, and your ability for critical thinking (just as your ability to safely operate an automobile) is not fully developed (read it all over the Daily Herald). You are the pawns of a very crafty group and are being used to promote a political agenda that most of your taxpayer parents find objectionable. Woe to the board members!
Just remember who is paying the bills over there!

srzarogvWhy is freedom of speech OK for those push...

2006-09-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

srzarogvWhy is freedom of speech OK for those pushing these books, but when the citizens for quality iobblnheducation try to make a point, they are called names and chastised for it? Perhaps these English teachers should get back to teaching basic/foundation English so our young people don't sound so ignorant with wrong verb tenses and spellings.

You know what's funny about this site? The parent...

2006-09-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

You know what's funny about this site? The parents that come on here think that their teenagers don't have a brain. This may be a shocker to some of the parents that come on here but, we do read the newspaper from time to time. My teachers didn't have to tell me about this organization. I found this site on my own.

I thought communism was over. 18 year olds can go...

2006-09-25T03:30:00.000-07:00

I thought communism was over. 18 year olds can go to war and vote, these kids are not much younger. Trust them and they will make the right decisions, parents need only steer the ship at times and not run their kids lives. Censor this stuff and your kids will grow to not know reality. If you want your kid to grow up thinking mommy and daddy will be there to protect them from the big bad wolf all the time then they will have a harsh reality strike upon them when faced with the actual happenings of life.

Hey, Anonymous poster of 9/20, 8:42 p.m.,You criti...

2006-09-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

Hey, Anonymous poster of 9/20, 8:42 p.m.,

You criticize Kathleen of JHHS for misspelling a word, then you misspell it yourself. Is this a feeble joke or misplaced arrogance?

You ask why so many Hersey students know about this website. Aren't they supposed to know? After all, don't you folks want to spread your message? I could give you the answer you are hoping for and tell you that because of the CAT course and others like it, plus the naughty books, Hersey students are tainted and damaged and are now the devil incarnate. Instead, I'll give you the truth - you are a running joke at Hersey High. The more people find out about you, the more you become the butt of their jokes. You use secrecy and stealth to try to promote your agenda (i.e. mind control for all, pseudo-religiosity in a public school setting), knowing that if you were up front with your viewpoints, you'd be shot down point blank.

Now, come out of the closet (oops, did I just warp some malleable minds?)and tell us who you are and what you offer that makes you so proud.

"Anonymous said... I'm curious how Hersey students...

2006-09-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

"Anonymous said...
I'm curious how Hersey students are finding this website . . . perhaps a teacher passing out extra credit for blasting the site? No one said beastiality (learn to spell it first before you use it) was a COURSE at school, but it was one of several questionable topics in a required reading book recently approved. You are welcome to read that stuff on your own time, not on my
taxpayor dollars. "

I told like 4000 people, because I do not belive that what you are doing is beneficial. I heard about it last year at the book-banning thing, from this orginization itself.

Teachers know I posted above, and as much as I would love extra credit... I didn't get any. I'm sure you don't actually think that people will get extra credit for stating their opinions.

It's not really fair to make statements like that when you can't back it up.

Dear Goody Amynetter,In response to my: What is yo...

2006-09-23T18:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Goody Amynetter,

In response to my: What is your perverse obssession with women in peril?

You stated: You're joking, right-- seeing as how YOU noticed it, sounds like its your obsession! I guess if the shoe fits!

Ahhh...so perversion is in the eye of the beholder. What does that say about the good people of CQE and their reaction to the reading material offered, not required, by District 214?

PS You might want to proofread your Witch Hunt Form. There's an obvious typographical error.

Prayer is always a wonderful way to lift up our co...

2006-09-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

Prayer is always a wonderful way to lift up our concerns and ask for guidance. However, we are also called to be "doers" and that means, action. Our school system was designed in such a way that there should be accountability to the districts they represent. However, parents have become very complacent over the years in their level of involvement in their childrens' educations, assuming that the "professionals" know what they are doing. District 214 is a wonderful school system, with incredibly talented and dedicated teachers. However, we parents still need to be involved, to voice our concerns, to have a say in how our children are being educated. It's not wrong for us to ask teachers what their educational goals are and how they are to accomplish those goals. I consider that a priviledge and a duty as a parent. It's also ok to ask about the standards that are being used by the teachers to guide their lesson plans. I don't get the impression this group is trying to tell the schools what to do - it sounds more like they are just encouraging us parents to get up off our seats and get involved and ASK QUESTIONS. . . respectfully and thoughfully AND prayerfully.

Prayer is the answer. Kindly leave our school syst...

2006-09-22T21:42:00.000-07:00

Prayer is the answer. Kindly leave our school system to the professionals. They are accountable, to the peers, and in the board's case, the voters. Who are you? And who holds you accountable?

I'm curious how Hersey students are finding this w...

2006-09-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

I'm curious how Hersey students are finding this website . . . perhaps a teacher passing out extra credit for blasting the site? No one said beastiality (learn to spell it first before you use it) was a COURSE at school, but it was one of several questionable topics in a required reading book recently approved. You are welcome to read that stuff on your own time, not on my taxpayor dollars.

If you really want me to get a quality education.....

2006-09-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

If you really want me to get a quality education...LEAVE MY SCHOOL ALONE!!!...
To all you parents out there that believe in this load of crap...YOU CANT HOLD YOUR KID'S HAND FOREVER..
Who ever said that our school teaching beastialty is a nut job!
No where on our list of courses does it say that.
Take a look in the mirror think about what you people are saying!
IT'S CRAZY!!!
Shut UP...go away...
LEAVE MY EDUCATION ALONE!!!!
You people arent citizens for quality education..your citizens for conservatve close minded education..
YOU ARE RUINING OUR FUTURES!!!!!

Anonymous at 9/19/2006 08:15:17 PM said... What is...

2006-09-19T22:37:00.000-07:00

Anonymous at 9/19/2006 08:15:17 PM said... What is your perverse obssession with women in peril?
-------------
You're joking, right-- seeing as how YOU noticed it, sounds like its your obsession! I guess if the shoe fits! BTW--- looks like this person's late for class :<))

amynetter

I noticed you snatched the photo of the tightly sk...

2006-09-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

I noticed you snatched the photo of the tightly skirted woman off your site without explaining why it was there in the first place. Unfortunately, you replaced it with yet another running (escaping?) female. What is your perverse obssession with women in peril?

Could it be that (gasp!) even the good people of CQE need to be taught decency and respect?

As a parent I have struggled with how to handle si...

2006-09-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

As a parent I have struggled with how to handle situations when I have had a problem with a teacher and my child does not want me to address the teacher. I think this group could be a forum to raise some of my concerns without fear of reprisals against my child (or most likely just huge embarrassment on my child's part). I am not sure that the teachers realize how the kids react to being singled out or the prospect of being singled out. My son recently told me about something said in class that upset me. (This has happened before with my daughter.) My children literally began to cry when I said that I wanted to talk to the teacher about it. Consequently, I have not followed up with conversations with the teachers because it caused my kids so much trauma.

Apparently there are some very confident kids who believe they could stand up to any teacher. On the other hand, there are my kids. I would guess that most kids are like mine and not that confident and don't want to be singled out.

I am very much interested in an educational system that encourages thoughtful debate. I hope CQE can keep encouraging parents that feel that they have not had a voice.

Please explain the connection between your use of ...

2006-09-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

Please explain the connection between your use of the Corbis photo of a tightly skirted woman with shapely legs and your cause. Is objectification of women part of your christian agenda? Is this something you would like added to the District 214 academic curriculum?

I'm disappointed the media never ran a story after...

2006-09-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

I'm disappointed the media never ran a story after the infamous May board meeting that let the public know that all the previous articles mentioning D214's "opt-out" policy were inaccurate. I wonder how many parents even today realize that D214 does not have an opt-out policy? I wonder how many reporters, parents, or students have taken a look at the District's Controversial Issues Policy and realizes that if a parent or student objects to controversial material the teacher is required to ... do NOTHING! Thank you, CQE, for keeping us informed.

I'm wondering why our D214 students have such a po...

2006-09-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

I'm wondering why our D214 students have such a poor understanding of what is meant by free speech. Don't they learn about the Constitution in our schools? It's interesting to read the rants where you can almost hear the poster screaming "Leave my free speech alone!!!" and it's followed up with "So shut up, CQE!" I hope the students reading and posting on this blog appreciate the irony someday.

Anonymous said on 9/18...If we had wanted our daug...

2006-09-19T15:48:00.000-07:00

Anonymous said on 9/18...

If we had wanted our daughter to have a faith based education, we would have sent her to a faith based school.... American public education is the backbone of this country.
---------
Who's said anything about faith based education here? My opinion is this about COMMUNITY STANDARDS and DECENCY.

How about an INDECENCY FREE ZONE in our schools?

I went to a public school too, and none of my teachers had to muck around with Perks of the Wallflower to get students motivated.

Just because its all "out there" doesn't mean we teach DOWN to that level, and embrace an MTV curriculum? How about shooting a lot higher in our standards, expecting better of all involved...

I'm truly perplexed, WHY would some teachers want, or feel the need, to expose this junk to our students... there's no lack of it in movies, MTV, and others areas where they already have access...

So, District 214, why do you feel the need to REINFORCE this gutter stuff in the classroom?

My teachers of the past, wanted to provide the highest caliber of material that engendered the best, not the worst. What happened to that notion?

I'm a taxpayer too, and why should my taxes go for this crass stuff couched as "progressive, award winning or college-required." That's just bogus arguments.

JLee

There was a comment earlier about victoria's secre...

2006-09-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

There was a comment earlier about victoria's secret and the janet jackson slideshow. I was in your class! I remember the teacher's interpretations of them, and I was disgusted. This organization should leave that class alone, though. Even though it was a bit out of place, I learned so much in that class. I would reccomend it to anyone.

Leave CAT alone, CQE

here's my question: why is everybody on this site ...

2006-09-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

here's my question: why is everybody on this site attacking certain peoples' comments? sure, they're hotly written, but do you really need to stoop to the level of assailing their grammar? i think that is pathetic. You people are just posting on this site discussing how bad other peoople's posts are, and you really don't state your opinion on what this blog was started for. you are completely ignoring the point of why this blog was created in the first place. If you free speech haters are going to plague this blog with messages on how some people are poor writers, then you should start your own blog on that. Leave this blog alone.

I'd like to comment on a previous post that implie...

2006-09-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

I'd like to comment on a previous post that implied that the effort to provide high quality, decent education in D214 would somehow undermine the ability to teach critial thinking skills to the students. No one is expecting the schools to teach only one side of any issue, or for that matter, to avoid certain "hot topic" issues of our day. The real debate is how those issues are being presented. Do kids need to read the exact details of an act of beastiality or of a rape in order to understand the issue? Does an R movie need to be shown to make some kind of educational point, or is there alternative material that will also cover the issue? I think I can carry on quite an intelligent discussion of these and other controversial issues without having to read a book that invades my mind with graphic descriptions, some of which even our newspapers cannot print. I am all for our kids learning about the issues of our times so that they know how to engage in the culture and learn critical thinking skills at the same time. But, let's follow some basic standards of decency that have been followed by our educational system in the past and, believe it or not, are still held by the majority of the taxpaying adults in our district.