The movie Ruby Bridges removed by Pinellas County school board

[eleos1954]

No, children do not belong to their parents. Their parents are tasked with caring for their kids, not owning them. If parents want to control every aspect of their kids' lives, they really should home school their poor kids.

Children have some rights independent of their parents. Schools are for educating and exposing their charges to new ideas as well as how to become productive automatons of society.

I know my son was born to me and my husband and we together had the responsibility of him .... not anyone else. For as much as we had control over ... yes we did limit exposure to some things early in his childhood .... to allow him time to gain some maturity first.

Now that he is older .... he has thanked us for doing so.

 

[eleos1954]

Sure, it can be, but that's not to say it should be. History in our schools is generally made as boring and unrelatable as possible.


I disagree as the students can be assigned writing about the movie they viewed. Generally, writing does improve reading skills.


Should we strive to make education as insipid as possible?

You are looking at things from an adult perspective (maturity) .... young children don't have that to rely on. They are exposed to things way too early in their life.

I stated somewhere else .... it's doesn't matter now .... the cow has already been let out of the barn.

 

[keith99]

Tell that to my social studies teacher. (Though I suspect he was a bit overworked as our school was small so each class he taught was on a different subject. That requires a lot of prep work. He also clearly wanted to engage us in a variety of ways. We had quiz competitions on the material and pop quizes. You never quite knew what would be the case any particular day.)

In 3 years of history (1 world, 2 US) we watched several things a few I remember included a movie on Peter the Great, on the English Reformation, a movie or mini-series on the American Revolution, and one of the two contemporary mini-series (the non-soap opera one) on the Civil War. There may have been a few others I don't recall.

We also watched the Caine Mutiny and Oedipus Rex (stage production) after reading them in English class.



And the Ruby Bridges movie is entirely appropriate. What likely disturbs some of the parents is the realization that they (or in context, their parents) would have joined the crowd harassing young Ruby. Ms. Bridges is still alive (she's about 70) and so are many of those who harassed her as she entered the school. (The same is true with many of the well known integration incidents -- the anti-integration students are still alive.)

I would add that what disturbs some probably includes the fact that the children viewing the film will see Ruby as a person. When reading a bare bones account the characters involved remain largely abstract. Not so with films or more detailed writings.

 

[Hans Blaster]

You are looking at things from an adult perspective (maturity) .... young children don't have that to rely on. They are exposed to things way too early in their life.

I stated somewhere else .... it's doesn't matter now .... the cow has already been let out of the barn.

For example, Ruby Bridges was just a small girl in elementary school when she had to be escorted to school by armed men. I think other children can handle the external, and vicarious view of these events.

 

[eleos1954]

For example, Ruby Bridges was just a small girl in elementary school when she had to be escorted to school by armed men. I think other children can handle the external, and vicarious view of these events.

There is always two sides of a coin.

Again ... it don't matter .... the cow has left the barn.

 

[Hans Blaster]

There is always two sides of a coin.

Again ... it don't matter .... the cow has left the barn.

What cow is this now. You keep writing that phrase, but it isn't clear what you are referring to.

 

[eleos1954]

What cow is this now. You keep writing that phrase, but it isn't clear what you are referring to.

Movies being shown in the public education system and the educators deciding on what will be shown.

 

[DaisyDay]

What cow is this now. You keep writing that phrase, but it isn't clear what you are referring to.

Cow, horses…I think it’s that the schools are already teaching stuff such that the parents are not in absolute control.

 

[Say it aint so]

If some parents think their kids would have their feelings hurt watching this film. May I offer a little inspiration and maybe an example of how to toughin up and mitigate those feelings. Like this little girl:

 

[ToddNotTodd]

I think he's just being funny (and perhaps trying to annoy people out of boredom).

There's probably a "Comedy for Dummies" book they could pick up. I think it would be a big help to them.

 

[eleos1954]

Cow, horses…I think it’s that the schools are already teaching stuff such that the parents are not in absolute control.

Yes .... this is true .... the parents should have the opportunity to view the movies and/or written material for that matter if they want to .... and opt their children out if they want to ... without repercussion ..... parents never have absolute control over their children .... but that don't mean they shouldn't have some control .... that's part of parenting.

 

[Pommer]

For example, Ruby Bridges was just a small girl in elementary school when she had to be escorted to school by armed men. I think other children can handle the external, and vicarious view of these events.

Now all students need “armed men” to protect them in schools!
Progress!

 

[Hans Blaster]

Movies being shown in the public education system and the educators deciding on what will be shown.

That's been going on since the widespread availability of VCRs. Most of today's teachers had that experience as students.

 

[essentialsaltes]

That's been going on since the widespread availability of VCRs. Most of today's teachers had that experience as students.

Going back a generation... lack-of-gods bless those teachers who let us run the films backwards on the projectors.

 

[rjs330]

Maybe that's because you were indoctrinated. Many people of the older generations were not horrified.

I was? Good to know.

 

[Pommer]

Going back a generation... lack-of-gods bless those teachers who let us run the films backwards on the projectors.

I longed to be the A-V nerd!

 

[essentialsaltes]

I longed to be the A-V nerd!

As a student, I got to be Mrs. McPhee's aide in one of her junior high science classes and ran all the films! It is indeed a joy.

 

[durangodawood]

As a student, I got to be Mrs. McPhee's aide in one of her junior high science classes and ran all the films! It is indeed a joy.

My first job was at the school district film library where we'd gather each schools requested films for the next day and also repair (splice out) the damaged portions of film.

 

[rjs330]

No, children do not belong to their parents. Their parents are tasked with caring for their kids, not owning them. If parents want to control every aspect of their kids' lives, they really should home school their poor kids.

Children have some rights independent of their parents. Schools are for educating and exposing their charges to new ideas as well as how to become productive automatons of society.

Yes children belong to their parents. They are individuals, people with their own rights, the right of all citizens. However they are not independent. Not until they are either emancipated or turn 18. They belong to their parents. The parents have a right to tell them when to go to bed, when to wake up, what to eat, what to wear, how they can wear their hair, and what chores they are responsible for. The parents can tell them what they are allowed to watch and read and listen to. In essence they belong to their parents.
Parents also have a responsibility to raise them properly, keep them safe, help them maneuver in this world, become independent, feed them, clothe them, teach them, coach them and in my opinion love them. The parents should teach them right from wrong, make sure they are taken care of medically.

So yes while they do not own them, like a piece of property, for they are not property, the kids do belong to the parents. If they didn't the state and anyone else could just take them away for no reason. That's why there is such a thing as parental rights. And the state has to prove they have harmed the child before they can be removed from the parents custody.

 

[ruthiesea]

Yes I have ..... I think schools should get back to basic core fundamentals .... and teachers actually teach not show movies.

Even documentaries can have (and often do) put forth information that is not necessarily totally factual.

In regard to children .... the parent should be able to decide what movies their younger children can watch ...

I just think young children are being exposed to many things too early in life .... and because of that causes a lot of confusion ..... give them time to mature (develop emotionally) before exposing them to more complicated things ... and it should be up to the parent to decide when that happens.

According to your point of view students should not be taught history because, as it has been said, history is written by the victors. So do not teach anything that is not 100% verifiable. That results in no critical thinking, no discussion, and no learning. You would be surprised at how young an age children are mature enough to distinguish right from wrong and to understand that there is more than one side of the story.

I remember a picture of an African American female being escorted to a newly integrated Little Rock high school. Behind her was a woman reaching for the teenager with a look of hatred on her face. I remember the governor of Mississippi standing in the door of the University of Mississippi to prevent an African American from entering. The student had to be protected by the national guard. When Ruby Bridges was enrolled in a New Orleans kindergarten class she was escorted by US marshals. Many parents withdrew their children. People threw things at her. Only one teacher was willing to conduct the class which contained a single student, Ruby.

These are facts that I watched on live TV. Not everything in our history or anybodies history is all blue birds and happiness. We must learn the good and the bad and integration had plenty of both.

I regret to say that bigotry and prejudice is still alive in our country. We can either ignore our history or learn from it.