GilfordGrok

My kids are out of the school system, so why should I care about what goes in it now?  Some might say "why bother?", it's over!  No worries, right?

Wrong.

I do care because I do see a breakdown of what the educational system, nationwide, is producing as its product - knowledgeable kids ready to compete globally.  Studies have shown that US students are not meeting the challenge; I hardly believe that our children are absorbing stupid pills without our knowing about it.

Rather, it is partly a lack of high expections, high standards, "educational mismanagement', an instant gratification society (results without the effort), parents not always demanding more from their kids and not support teachers, and teachers not having the disciplinary tools to "make it stick".

We as a society, wanting only the best for our children, always seems to be looking for that next "magic" bullet.  Looking to provide that "next better" environment, we are willing to accept the next message from the educational experts. 

We all want better, but I agree with Margo Weeks at the last School Board meeting, that yet another program is not going to be that "next better" thing (Daily Sun). 

However, Weeks remained skeptical. She noted that despite a number of initiatives to boost test scores, “they have remained the same” and asked “how will another layer of programs, expectations and requirements improve performance? If you can’t manage what we have,” she continued, “what is another program going to do for us?” 

All educational programs have a philosophy, stated or not; IB is no different (in fact, Dr. DiMinico has said as such (paraphrasing) "AP is a set of classes, IB is a philosophy - and not one that is that is friendly to America, our traditions, or our values.  After doing some no small amount of research, it is not (as Arthur Pontes of the Sturgis School said over and over and over again) an American philosophy.

Kurt Webber got it wrong during the meeting when a number of the public spoke against the IB - his rant missed the point:

When the discussion returned to the board, Kurt Webber described suspicion of the “I word, international” as “outdated thinking. The ugly American is alive and well.” He said the board should have “no problem with a curriculum that would expose students to the idea that they live in a world where 5.8 billion people live in different countries.” A graduate of the United States Military Academy, he emphasized that West Point has added a signifi cant international dimension to its curriculum and training. “The I of IB doesn’t scare me at all and it doesn’t scare the U.S. Army,” he proclaimed. “And I don’t see why it should scare people in Gilford.”

To set the stage straight, it is NOT that we need to shut our minds towards the world at large - we do need to know and understand other cultures.  That does not, however, mean that we subsume our culture to anyone else's, that we take what has made this country great and throw it under the bus for the sake of Multiculturalism.  I dare say that what is taught at West Point is not from an international foundation, but from an American one.

And it is that very point that causes concern - the IB program, if followed to the letter and spirit, teaches not from an American perspective but from an other-than-American one.  Learn about other nations, cultures, languages - sure!  But not by bringing in a philosophy that does not hold up American ideals.

From EdWatch, a good summary (bolded emphasis mine):

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free,"

- Ronald Reagan.

Patriotic Americans view our American system of rights, government and freedom, although imperfect, as the best system. Many scoff at those who believe our citizens will willingly accept global government.  If the education establishment continues its agenda of undermining the American system through programs like the International Baccalaureate (IB), our young people will have no objection to global governance.

IB's support of global governance and promotion of world citizenship over U.S.  citizenship is made clear by the words of its directors.  "International Baccalaureate school curriculum remains committed to changing children's values so they think globally, rather than in parochial national terms from their own country's viewpoint", retired IB director-general George Walker said. {The Washington Times, George Archibald, 1-18-04}.

Changing childrens' values?  And what if they run counter to that of their parents?   "Parochial" - a nice way of callously putting aside the ideals of our Declaration and Constitution. Sorry, but I want our children to be proud of this country, its history, and the ideas that still has legal immigrants coming here from all over the world to live and have a better life. 

This fall Monique Siefried, the current director said, "We should not be seen as an organization steeped predominately in Western Culture." {IB website}