Unfortunately, in the past there has been hostility towards our men and women in uniform in some pubic schools around the nation.
But, that isn’t the case in the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer’s reader area. This recent article (subscription) lists a host of activities that are scheduled in Owensboro area schools to honor veterans as Veterans Day approaches.
To that, we can only add our thanks to the many Kentucky vets who served us all proudly and add a “Well Done!” for the area schools that are helping their students learn more about those sacrifices.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Well Done!
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6 comments:
Should we be forcing students to participate in such activities during time they should be learning? I'm all for celebrating veterans on veterans day and not on veterans day as well, but please, give students the day off and allow parents to take their kids to such celebrations. Host celebrations at the school, but don't force students to put on the presentations, let parents have the choice to take their children to the school on that day.
As an Austrian libertarian, I'm a bit confused as to why an excellent institution for libertarianism such as this blog is advocating such policies.
Yes, hostility to veterans from public schools is unacceptable. But when did not hosting such events and not forcing students to attend become hostility?
John,
First of all, welcome to the blog.
Now, on to your questions.
You express concern that veteran's activities in schools can detract from education. Actually, when properly done, school-hosted veterans activities fit very well with social studies and history classes, which we value here in the 'states' (you indicate you are from Austria).
In fact, it is probably far more beneficial for students to have this sort of interactive experience as opposed to just passively watching a bunch of older guys and gals go marching by in a parade.
So far as your second comment, which seems to relate to my remarks about schools being hostile to men and women in uniform, there was a time when many US schools attempted to block military recruiters from the school campus.
That was back before the terror attacks in 2001 woke us up with a brutal, modern day social studies lesson no American who was of sensate age at the time will ever forget.
No, sorry I should have specified, I'm from the Austrian school of thought (Mises, Hayek, etc.), I am from Alabama and have lived here for the past 5 years. I don't want to have college recruiters on high school campuses and I definitely don't want army recruiters on campuses. If that is hostility towards veterans than I guess you can label me as hostile.
I agree that the activities could have benefits in the areas of social science, history... but just because something has a benefit doesn't mean we should force people to partake in them (isn't that what being a libertarian is all about?). When I have children, I will bring them to activities honoring our veterans, but I don't want a certain teacher's or administrator's ideas about the military being shoved at my children when they are not around me. My children are in school to accumulate knowledge as well as skills that will help them along their journey. I would like to help them gather information about the armed services and the sacrifices that are made, as well as benefits of service to your country.
Now on to the military recruiters, schools are not only allowing them on campus, but they are forced to provide recruiters with the names, phone numbers, and addresses if they receive money from No Child Left Behind. This should definitely not be occurring, but as to recruiters on campus, I don't want to see any recruiters of any kind, be it army, job, college, any kind on the campus of a public high school. The furthest I would go is to allow recruiters to hang up posters and give information pamphlets to advisers if kids asked about military service, and again I have to say that I'm surprised that a libertarian would go further than that. In fact I would expect you to argue that fliers and pamphlets are too much!
John,
I understand your perspective in this conversation. I do take issue with your point about "...but I don't want a certain teacher's or administrator's ideas about the military being shoved at my children when they are not around me"
Too late. This is happening already. Kids are exposed to the political thoughts and preferences of instructors already.
@ Anon: very true, but I would like to limit it as much as possible.
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