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Talk:Public school culture (view source)
Revision as of 18:08, January 1, 2013
, 18:08, January 1, 2013→A few observations and reservations I have about the content of this article: new section
Okay, to all of these people who insist on protesting here: please Google "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." If you have a differing opinion, okay, but stop trying to force it on Conservapedia and her editors. [[User:DMorris|DMorris]] 15:02, 17 February 2010 (EST)
Okay, to all of these people who insist on protesting here: please Google "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." If you have a differing opinion, okay, but stop trying to force it on Conservapedia and her editors. [[User:DMorris|DMorris]] 15:02, 17 February 2010 (EST)
== A few observations and reservations I have about the content of this article ==
I believe many of the claims in this article are erroneous and need correction, first because I myself have attended public schools, and because I know those who have attended public schools, and many of the claims need correction for reasons I shall state below:
*complete [[censorship]] of any [[classroom prayer]]
** Not entirely true. I have attended and know others who have gone to schools that allow for a "moment of silence" at the beginning of the school day when a student may quietly pray, and during eating or break periods no particular rules were ever placed on myself or others praying for their meals. I also liked to read the Bible occasionally, and the book was available (alongside other religious texts) in the school library, and while proselytizing was not encouraged, the reading of the Bible when I did not have an assignment for private enjoyment was never in conflict with school policy.
* fashion that includes all black clothing ([[Goth (subculture)|Goth]]), teens dressed like prostitutes
** This was discouraged, at least in my school experiences. No "uniform" policy had ever been issued, but many types of indecent or gang affiliated clothes were not permissible to be worn by students, and while the exact specifics can vary between school systems, many have similar policies, especially in the more conservative school districts (which I have attended)
* facial piercings and rings, [[tattoo]]s, and male earrings
** These were completely discouraged in my experience, again this varies between school districts, but they are usually not permitted in most public schools as a distracting or indecent fashion statement.
* [[depressed]] demeanor (a so-called "emo" culture amongst some teens)
** Some public schools usually have poor counseling services or can be cripplingly lax in noticing troubled students, so while I agree this can be problematic, this varies by school district.
* an absence of objective [[morality]]; instead, a principal will say someone "made the wrong choice"
** I disagree. Most school issue handbooks detailing their policies, and concretely immoral actions such as sex on school grounds, vandalism, arson, or other criminal mischief is dealt with as such and identified as wrong. The exact nature of how it is dealt with varies by school district, but my own experience is that there is not an abscen of objective morality.
* a sense of hopelessness
** I'm not sure what this refers to, seems more like an opinion with no basis in fact, though public schools do have students who may feel this way, but the school environment may not be the reason for this state of being or may not be the only determining factor.
* a lack of [[critical thinking]] about [[liberal]] [[Indoctrinate|indoctrination]]
** This is dependent on the school district. I had the good fortune to attend schools that had conservative values, but for the most part I found my school experience largely apolitical.
* [[compulsive profanity]]
** This can be problematic, despite the fact every public school usually has rules against this.
* general inability to look someone in the eye
** This seems like baseless opinion. I've never heard of (or attended) a public school where you were encouraged not to pay attention to the teacher (which included proper eye contact)
* lewd behavior euphemistically referred to as "PDA" or "Public Display of Affection"
** Every school I attended had strict rules prohibiting such displays, the exact specifics can vary from school district to school district.
* racial discrimination resulting from set cliques of racially homogeneous students
** Racism is generally not tolerated in every public school which I am aware, though this does little to stop the private opinions on the subject held by individual students.
* tolerance of homosexuality due to school-supported and funded groups
** I primarily went to schools in conservative school districts, so I never encountered this, but this could vary depending on the political slant of the school district.
* extreme [[anxiety]]
** Public schools are like any public situation in which stress can occur, this seems to be over generalizing.
* feeling that it is funny to be dumb
** This was not tolerated by the administrations of the schools I attended, and most public schools tend to punish encouraging this harshly in my experience.
* disruptive yelling
** This was also not tolerated in my experience, and frequently punished.
* lack of supervision, class cutting
** Class cutting can be a problem, but that's usually more of a case of the student choosing delinquency, and not an endemic fault of the school system itself, though some can be lax in making sure this does not occur.
* lack of awareness that [[prayer]] is censored in [[public schools]] and that teachers' [[Labor union|unions]] are very [[liberal]]
** The first is not true in my experience, cannot speak to the matter of teacher unions, though I don't understand why most students would even care about teacher's unions.
* smoking, [[alcohol]] and [[drug abuse]]
** Were explicitly prohibited in my experiences, most public schools have similar policies.
* drug testing
** This was practiced in sports programs in the schools I have attended for legal reasons, the exact requirements may vary depending on school district
* disrespect for teachers, taking advantage of substitute teachers
** Generally prohibited and punished in my experience, how problematic this is may vary by school district
* [[bullying]], [[hazing]], public humiliation
** Generally prohibited and punished in my experience, how problematic this is may vary by school district
* [[gang]] activity weapon detectors, locker searches
** Gang activity was prohibited and suppressed in my experience, occasional locker searches were not unheard of in my experience, exact specifics vary depending on school district
* lack of proper etiquette and manners
** These are generally enforced via the school rules of conduct, though how well they are enforced depends on the school district
* glorification of certain groups such as athletic teams and outcast of others
** Public schools do tend to encourage cliquish behavior, so I can actually agree with this
* bitter hate for rival schools and their students
** Never encountered this in my experiences, though this may vary between school districts
* corrupt and abusive teachers and school administrators
** The severity of this problem varies between school districts
* censorship of conservative sources of news and information
** Not true in my experience (I found my own school experience was rather apolitical), but this may vary depending on the politics of the school district
* violence and [[Columbine High School|school shootings]]
** Can be problematic, varies depending on the school district
* excessive [[network abuse]]
** Can be problematic, varies depending on the school district
* complete lack of awareness or involvement by parents
** This is more dependent on the parents of the students, not the school, though laxness on the school part to duly inform the parents on how their children are doing can be a problem in certain school districts.
* rampant cheating by students
** Generally prohibited and punished harshly in my experiences, may vary depending on school district
* cross-dressing - in schools plays, boys wearing girl jeans, powder puff sports, etc.
** Was not encouraged in my experience, cannot speak for all school districts, as their policies may vary
* special concessions for certain ethnic groups and religions while Christianity is ignored
** Completely untrue in my experiences, though this may be true in certain school districts.
* allowing students to opt-out of saying the [[Pledge of Allegiance]]
** This is true in my experience, and personally, I do not believe any student should be forced to say anything against their will (as it violates the First Amendment). In fact, those who did not wish to say the Pledge in my experience were given the option to remain silent.
* pregnant students being accepted by school officials, and sometimes even pregnancy pacts
** Generally non permitted in my experience, may vary depending on school district.
* acceptance and sometimes even encouragement of [[abortion]] and [[birth control]]
** Not true in my experience. While they were discussed in our school's sexual education programs, virtually all of the teachers who gave the classes admitted the only perfectly effective method of preventing STD's and pregnancy was abstinence. This may vary by school district in other cases.
* a lack of respect for public property and other people's personal property, as seen by vandalism (e.g. defacing and/or inscribing obscenities into desks, lockers, etc.) and high rates of theft
** Can be problematic, varies by school district, though this was not an overly large problem in my experiences.
* disruptive pranks like false fire alarms have caused many schools to implement detection mechanisms such as surveillance cameras and tamper dyes.
** This is, sadly, true in most cases.
* disrespect for authority figures and high-ranking elected public officials
** Can be problematic, depending on school district, though in my experience this is more a lack of self control on the part of the student(s) in question.
[[User:PatrickMarion|PatrickMarion]] 13:08, 1 January 2013 (EST)PatrickMarion