School Field Trip to Teacher's Lesbian Wedding Sparks Controversy

[AetheriusLamia]

First-graders in San Francisco took a field trip to City Hall to celebrate the marriage of their lesbian teacher on Friday, but opponents of same-sex marriage in the state say the field trip was an attempt to “indoctrinate” the students, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The field trip was suggested by a parent at the Creative Arts Charter School, and the school said the trip, where students tossed rose petals on their teacher and her wife as they left City Hall, was academically relevant.

"It really is what we call a teachable moment," said Liz Jaroslow, the school’s interim director, according to the newspaper. She said same-sex marriage had historic significance. "I think I'm well within the parameters."

California will vote on Nov. 4 on Proposition 8 which seeks to ban same-sex marriage in the state, and supporters of the measure say the field trip shows that allowing same-sex marriage will mean it’s taught to school children, the newspaper said.

"It's just utterly unreasonable that a public school field trip would be to a same-sex wedding," said Chip White, press secretary for the Yes on 8 campaign, told the Chronicle. "This is overt indoctrination of children who are too young to have an understanding of its purpose."

-- http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,436961,00.html

How absolutely horrible. This outrage is one more indication of the deplorable state our government-run schools have become. I wish more would home school their children. They may actually go to university prepared. This indoctrination would not occur, and we would see less college students taking English 1010, writing thought pieces (they are not even essays) with the grammar and spelling of fourteen-years-olds.

 

[Zaac]

-- http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,436961,00.html

How absolutely horrible. This outrage is one more indication of the deplorable state our government-run schools have become. I wish more would home school their children. They may actually go to university prepared. This indoctrination would not occur, and we would see less college students taking English 1010, writing thought pieces (they are not even essays) with the grammar and spelling of fourteen-years-olds.

I hope folks tax dollars aren't paying for this.

 

[Crazy Liz]

-- http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,436961,00.html

How absolutely horrible. This outrage is one more indication of the deplorable state our government-run schools have become. I wish more would home school their children. They may actually go to university prepared. This indoctrination would not occur, and we would see less college students taking English 1010, writing thought pieces (they are not even essays) with the grammar and spelling of fourteen-years-olds.

Going to university prepared is not what I've seen of homeschooled kids. Since I haven't seen any go to secular universities for undergrad studies, I can't be sure if they're prepared or not. Those I know well have all gone on to sheltered Christian colleges, and if they chose a major outside of religion, they found themselves not able to get into grad schools, because their Christian colleges didn't prepare them for higher levels of university. They were found not to be prepared for grad school. And this is even true of kids who got top SAT scores and went to the larger and more prestigious Christian colleges - not Billy Bob's Bible Institute.

 

[HaloHope]

Meh, bit of a stupid decision on her part not to get parental consent to take the kids to her wedding, bound to stir up some controversy. But obviously id have no objection to someone taking my future kids to such an event for educational purposes assuming it was of relevance. Legalisation of gay marriages is going to continue to happen in more places and is an important cultural change children should learn about.

 

[brightmorningstar]

Its child abuse.

 

[Andreusz]

-- http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,436961,00.html

How absolutely horrible. This outrage is one more indication of the deplorable state our government-run schools have become. I wish more would home school their children. They may actually go to university prepared.

The best preparation for university (I speak as a university lecturer) is to be taught to think. Which means, among other things, being presented with different viewpoints, not being sheltered from reality.

--
This indoctrination would not occur, and we would see less college students taking English 1010, writing thought pieces (they are not even essays) with the grammar and spelling of fourteen-years-olds.

You mean 'fewer college students'. 'Less' is used with uncountable things, e.g. 'less ignorance', 'less prejudice'. 'Fewer' is the correct word to use with countables.

(N.B. -- I have used British punctuation above, which allows the quote mark to appear before the comma or full stop.)

 

[Andreusz]

Meh, bit of a stupid decision on her part not to get parental consent to take the kids to her wedding, bound to stir up some controversy. But obviously id have no objection to someone taking my future kids to such an event for educational purposes assuming it was of relevance. Legalisation of gay marriages is going to continue to happen in more places and is an important cultural change children should learn about.

A parent suggested the trip as a surprise for the teacher, parental consent was asked for, and given in all but two cases ... and those two kids stayed home.

 

[Andreusz]

Its child abuse.

I honestly believe that allowing parents to teach children their religious prejudices is a horrible form of child abuse.

 

[brightmorningstar]

She isnt suitable as a teacher in my view. I would teach the children what the other teacher thinks is dysfunctional.

 

[HaloHope]

A parent suggested the trip as a surprise for the teacher, parental consent was asked for, and given in all but two cases ... and those two kids stayed home.

Oops, im at work and didnt read the article. In that case its not a big deal at all. Shouldnt even be news.

 

[AetheriusLamia]

Legalisation of gay marriages is going to continue to happen in more places and is an important cultural change children should learn about.

What you don't seem to understand is that marriage is a sacrament between man and woman, regardless of what our government says, and the point of that trip was not to teach them the truth, that the government is allowing people to go astray.

 

[AetheriusLamia]

The best preparation for university (I speak as a university lecturer) is to be taught to think. Which means, among other things, being presented with different viewpoints, not being sheltered from reality.

When you're in first grade, do you start showing kids instances of rape, murder, stealing, etc.? No ... You show them what's right, then when they're older, say, high school, you discuss what's wrong.

You mean 'fewer college students'. 'Less' is used with uncountable things, e.g. 'less ignorance', 'less prejudice'. 'Fewer' is the correct word to use with countables.

What if I meant the amount to be uncountable?

 

[Sitswithamouse]

I don't see anything wrong,as long as consent was given. (as it was in this case).

I certainly don't see the harm in showing children that when two people love each other they are prepared to commit themselves and do it legally if they so choose.

 

[HaloHope]

What you don't seem to understand is that marriage is a sacrament between man and woman, regardless of what our government says, and the point of that trip was not to teach them the truth, that the government is allowing people to go astray.

What you don't seem to understand is that marriage being only between a man and woman is completely up for debate and peoples right to happiness cannot be trumped by other peoples personal religious beliefs. I mean not even all Christians think homosexuality is wrong and there are many non-Christians lives to consider too.

Government/Religion should be entirely separate, they have no business promoting any morality other than the sensible "do not hurt others". Children learning about other families out there is not a bad thing if it leads them to be more loving and accepting of those different from themselves. I'm going to be a parent in a same-sex family in the future, I don't want our children to suffer from lack of acceptance at school when it can and should be a non issue (fortunately in the UK its part of the normal curriculum in a lot of schools now).

 

[Crazy Liz]

Meh, bit of a stupid decision on her part not to get parental consent to take the kids to her wedding, bound to stir up some controversy. But obviously id have no objection to someone taking my future kids to such an event for educational purposes assuming it was of relevance. Legalisation of gay marriages is going to continue to happen in more places and is an important cultural change children should learn about.

Schools always get parental consent for field trips.

 

[HaloHope]

Schools always get parental consent for field trips.

I vaguely remember going on them randomly when I was a kid without any letter or consent.

 

[catlover]

What you don't seem to understand is that marriage is a sacrament between man and woman, regardless of what our government says, and the point of that trip was not to teach them the truth, that the government is allowing people to go astray.

FYI this is a secular government not a theocracy...

 

[Dogbean]

I voted for public school even though I disagree with some of the things they do. I pay tax dollars to help those schools operate, and if I homeschool, I don't get a tax break. Neither I or my wife have the energy to homeschool, as we have 5 kids.

I'll just have to monitor what they learn, and correct any mistakes at home.

 

[Dogbean]

Government/Religion should be entirely separate, they have no business promoting any morality other than the sensible "do not hurt others".

Yes, gov and religion should be separate but schools don't take field trips to regular weddings, why should they take trips to gay weddings? That's sick! This is indoctrination. This is this teacher's probably one and only chance to force gay education into the curriculum. That kind of stuff should be taught at home, whether gay or not, and not done by the shool system. Stick to english, math, science, history, etc. Leave the moral education, whether it's Biblical or immoral, to the parents. Parents can take their kids to a gay wedding if they want, it's not for the schools to do that.

 

[Crazy Liz]

The question is...

Was this a school sponsored event or something organized by the students or parents of students?

If it wasn't a school sponsored thing... it doesn't matter. What people do with their own time, money and children has nothing to do with the state or state funded schools.

The answer to that was posted already.

A parent suggested the trip as a surprise for the teacher, parental consent was asked for, and given in all but two cases ... and those two kids stayed home.

I'm sure this kind of thing has happened before when a teacher has gotten married. I know similar arrangements have been made for school children to attend religious services when a student or teacher has died.

Should a state-sponsored school allow that?