As I am temporarily living outside of Abbotsford I had mistakenly thought that this issue was dead. Apparently it isn’t.
The website http://www.parents4democracyineducation.org/Welcome.html is currently advertising on one of the local newspaper’s websites; and the letter writing war seems to be continuing in all local papers.
I agree with the Parents for Democracy in Education Society on one thing. The name. I believe strongly in a parents role in raising their children. I also believe strongly in democratic education. And I believe strongly in democracy in education.
Now I should probably define these.
Parents are the biggest teachers of their children. A teacher can explain, lecture, rant, or preach, and if the parents have done their job then their teaching will hold truer. That doesn’t mean that the teacher isn’t doing their job, I’m sure that the students are learning Math, English, Social Studies, etc, but if a teacher thinks that their moral concepts or system of belief is going to be passed on to the student, they are dead wrong. Teachers, peers, the media, and parents are all major influences on children. But regardless of how you arrange it, a parent’s influence will always be greater than the teachers.
Teaching students how to be proper citizens is a major part of education. The ability to think and reason is essential in a democracy. How can students choose between two or three or five choices if they don’t know enough to decide which is closest to their personal moral and political beliefs (which, by the way, are mostly shaped by parents). Democratic education is education aimed at preparing students to take part in Democracy.
The third part is the one where I seem to diverge from PFDE (wow, no wonder they don’t use an acronym).
They define Democracy in Education as the beliefs of the majority determining what may be taught in school. This is shown by their “directive” and their attempt to stop an elective class from being taught.
I define Democracy in Education as the ability to chose what you (or your child) may take in school, and what school they go to. In the case of Social Justice 12 this means that if you don’t want your children to take the class, don’t sign them up for it.
Democracy should not be the majority choosing for the minority (shades of colonialism), but rather should be each and every person being given the freedom to express their opinion (yes, the PFDE should be allowed to express their opinion too) and the right to choose not to do something (within the law).
In the school system this happens many ways. First, there is no law that says you must attend public school. You are free to home school your children, or enrol them at an independent school. If attending a public school, it is expected that your student takes certain courses. The same courses are expected to be taught at home school or in an independent school. However, it isn’t the required courses that the PFDE have an issue with.
Social Justice 12 is an elective. It is not required, it doesn’t help you get into university, or to get a job. It’s just an extra four credits. If you don’t like the course, don’t sign up for it, no one’s forcing you. If not enough people sign up for the course then it won’t be offered. It’s called voting with your feet. But why should your not liking the class stop someone else from taking it? High schools routinely offer elective classes that people don’t like. Religious Studies class is one. Would you like it if an atheist wanted to stop your child from taking a Religious Studies class on the basis that he didn’t want his son to take it?
As a Christian I find it hard to understand those who would try to impose their morality on others. Christianity went through it’s early period attempting to stop others from imposing their morality on us, why should we now turn around and impose ours on others? Morality doesn’t get you into heaven, especially morality which is forced. Christians should be working to change hearts, and this fight over Social Justice 12 is a step in the wrong direction.
