Teachers alarmed by state’s infusing religion, downplaying race in civics training

This seems to be the direction DeSantis and others like him want to drive things. Its more "divide and conquer" style politics where politicians calculate there are more people in their State who will support it and less who will strongly oppose it, so it helps them stay in power. Either way its just more divisive politics which is tearing the country apart. Another salvo in the culture wars which DeSantis is fully focused on. Never mind the housing crises and other issues Floridians are struggling with.

Teachers alarmed by state’s infusing religion, downplaying race in civics training
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article262941378.html
Several South Florida high school educators are alarmed that a new state civics initiative designed to prepare students to be “virtuous citizens” is infused with a Christian and conservative ideology after a three-day training session in Broward County last week.

Teachers who spoke to the Herald/Times said they don’t object to the state’s new standards for civics, but they do take issue with how the state wants them to be taught.

“It was very skewed,” said Barbara Segal, a 12th-grade government teacher at Fort Lauderdale High School. “There was a very strong Christian fundamentalist way toward analyzing different quotes and different documents. That was concerning.”

The civics training, which is part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Civics Literacy Excellence Initiative, underscores the tension that has been building around education and how classrooms have become battlegrounds for politically contentious issues. In Florida, DeSantis and the Republican-led Legislature have pushed policies that limit what schools can teach about race, gender identity and certain aspects of history.

 

Being a good citizen has nothing to do with any religion, what's the problem?

 

OPINION piece. Unless the curriculum and slides are available, it's just an opinion. and FWIW, a little history for you


In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c.


Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.


In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, King James of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini, 1620.

AND ALSO


When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator..........


Whether you like it or not, the above is the foundation of this nation

 

I believe that's the OP's position as well. Do you read it in the other direction, Buri?

 

Not really. It seems that a couple of the teachers said, which is useless since there's no context, that there was a strong fundamentalist way of analyzing quotes. There are no quote where any religious statements are made, just an idea of good citizenship. Seems like a couple of teachers are being quoted for quotes' sake.

 

Thanks for expounding. I understand your position better.

I think the main problem with all of it is our parents and grandparents watched "the news" in the evening and one time a day. Now, we are being inundated with it from every direction all day and night. There's only a finite amount of "new" news so they have to keep repeating stuff and making up fun new ways to say the same thing. No wonder today's kids all have ADD. LOL That was a joke. Not all of them have ADD but there does seem to more apathy in younger generations and I wonder how much of that is because they just have to shut off all the constant negative chatter.

 

From my perspective, the culture war is paramount. I hate the way the left is destroying the culture and replacing it with ideology.

 

So it is better to replace it with made up religious ideology? Strange how teaching people to be tolerant of others is extreme but teaching a fairytale as fact is preferred to you people.

 

And therein is the basis of the culture war. We shall never understand each other.

Not that you can teach people to be tolerant. Your side has an extremely defective idea about what it means to be human.

 

Tolerance is absolutely teachable, as is hate.

I find it ironic that you believe unproven belief is the supernatural makes one human but not being a piece of **** to others is defective.

 

No, I have the proven belief that evolution makes humans racist and bigoted.

 

An excellent post, calling out the common liberal circular logic, i.e., use of liberal opinions to prove their opinions. Of course opinions have value, but perhaps belong in the opinion section of PF and not used to spam the Currents Events section.

 

I probably share your views regarding an invisible man in the sky. But, that being said, I understand that religion, albeit a manmade moral and ethical construct, presents lessons that were learned over time by mankind that benefit society and civilization. Tossing aside this knowledge will be the death of Western civilization. And the death of Western Civilization means the devaluing of human life. Ask anyone who has served in the military overseas how human life is valued in non-Western cultures. So to me, religion in general provides a better general framework for both culture and government, than the Marxist ideology worshipped by the left.

 

Literally everything is political. The rate at which bananas turn ripe is now political.

Something about everyone only having landline phones made the world go around.

 

100%. I would even go as far as to say religion should be taught in school — especially major religions but minor ones as well. They do have good lessons but also evil ones. The issue though is when people attempt to choose only one to indoctrinate or use their own version to push for laws that remove freedoms and rights from others.

We see that in the abortion debate even though the religious works say there is no soul until first breath. The issue is they pick and choose what they want to believe and ignore the rest.

That said, if someone needs religion to be a good person — they are not.

 

I can’t imagine what could possibly be wrong about encouraging young people to be “virtuous citizens”.

 

Is that the usual political and religious "proven belief"?

 

Christian fundamentalism is exactly like muslim fundamentalism.

Dangerous and violent.

 

Exactly is the wrong word. muzzies blow up planes and towers and buildings and behead people. Not even close.

 

Nope, it's exactly the same.

 

I specifically mentioned things muzzies have done lately that Christians have not. When is the last time a Christian hijacked a plane?
Now, go away you’re just being silly.

 

Key word: Lately.

They are exactly the same. The Islamic types may be a little behind is all.

 

Religion was used to be racist not so long ago. As in: mankind was made in the image of God. God is portrait as a white person. (just google around) And so white people are part of that mankind thing according to that train of thought. Colored people, not so much and hello racism / slavery. And I mean, it's not as if scientist didn't try their best to make it seem like black people were more like apes vs humans. New York even had a black pygmy held captive in their zoo to displayed like a monkey, like a century ago. Go figure.

 

According to the story that's the whole problem. The program seems to be acting as if being a good citizen and a good Christian are exactly the same.

 

No, you hate the way they are destroying your ideology and replacing it with their ideology. If, frex, they were saying that diversity is bad and abortion is murder you'd be all for it