Right wing propaganda in Ohio schools

United States
March 29, 2012 6:56pm CST
For years we have heard that schools are all run by left wing nuts who want to mold young minds to their way of thinking. However, today my wife was helping our son with the prep work for the Ohio Standardize Test which is REQUIRED for graduation in the State of Ohio. In the language arts section of the prep work they used a rant that sounded more like an Op-Ed from a right wing website. Since when has political subjects been used as examples for correct grammar? In the article the "author" called environmentalist spoiled brats, and one of the correct answers was that environmentalist would grow up and learn that they were wrong. Should we really be feeding middle school kids propaganda that serves either side? Do you think the people that put this out should be fired for forcing their political views on young minds that DON'T HAVE A CHOICE?
2 people like this
7 responses
@Runite (307)
• United States
30 Mar 12
Why can't people just be unbiased? Those kids would eventually be biased and think how perfect is it. :\ Yes those people should be fired, don't teach the kids biased crap, that's your opinion not fact.
2 people like this
• United States
31 Mar 12
I remember when I was in school these small stories were always vague, and NEVER used company names, or anything that you could make out as a name brand. There was another article bashing the building of a stadium in Cleveland back in 1999. I have no idea what this company that made this book where thinking, but it looks like they were just lazy, stupid, or had another motive.
@Fatcat44 (1141)
• United States
30 Mar 12
SO is it okay for the left to teach their stuff? The left does it all the time. This is the first time I have ever heard of the right stuff being taught. And the left go ape on one occasion. The right has to put up with this crap all the time. Welcome to our world. I take this is an eye opener for the lefties. There is two sides of these types of issues, and the kids need to be exposed to both so they can study and decide and not be brained washed as the left is doing now. It is pretty bad that the only way the right can get anything in to these kids is to sneak into stuff like this. You want fare. The school needs to teach both sides. I.e the schools teach that we are causing global warming for many years, yet there are many experts who disagree.
• United States
31 Mar 12
This is NOT a teacher doing this, it is a STATE APPROVED booklet to help students pass the state test. Once you see this you will understand it is completely one sided, and actually makes the point of the story more ignorant. I have no problem with both sides being represented, but that isn't the case here. It is the story, and questions bout the story The expert that they site in the article is from the "Best Fossil Fuels of Ohio, Inc." who says that "finding alternative energy sources is costly and premature". There are many experts that believe global warming is happening, the problem is when ONLY one side is presented!!
• United States
31 Mar 12
Fat, I haven't personally come across left wing political propaganda, especially at the eight grade level. I understand that this happens often in Colleges, but at that level you have already learned what you want to know about most things. At the age of 13 or 14 you can be influenced by just about anything.
@Fatcat44 (1141)
• United States
31 Mar 12
Like I say, why don't you raise the flag on all that the left are doing? All I see is you complaining about the right. Why don't you look at the left some day?
@smacksman (6053)
30 Mar 12
It's the same the world over to a greater or lesser degree. The teacher has a powerful position and each person has a personal view that can be imprinted on receptive minds. I'm an engineer but I helped out at a girls high school teaching maths when they were desperate for a teacher. I swear it was more of an education to me than it was for the girls! I realised that if I was a fanatic I could turn the minds of those girls so easily. Quite frightening really.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
30 Mar 12
Do you have a link or any actual evidence of this? As you know, I always post articles and videos of left wing indoctrination when I start such threads.
• United States
31 Mar 12
There is no link because this is from a work book that is sent to students to practice for the state test. I can scan it and sent it to you if you would like.
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
30 Mar 12
I'd really like to see an excerpt from that article. Never in all my years of schooling nor during the years my children have attended school have I ever seen any teaching that one could call slanted to the right. In fact, my daughter had to read and analyze Op-Ed pieces for her language arts class and the teacher required those articles to come from two specific publications - both very left-wing. Now, although I feel there is more to this article than you are letting on, you would certainly be right to contact the local school board and voice your complaints. It isn't that no political content should be studied. Content from both sides of an issue ought to be studied and the students asked to read and analyze. Teachers should teach children HOW to think, not WHAT to think. I tend to think you wouldn't have minded the political views if you had agreed with them. I wouldn't mind political views if they were presented equally and in context so that kids could see all sides.
• United States
31 Mar 12
Like I said in my post it is in a work book, there isn't a link. However i can scan it and send it to you along with some of the other questionable articles. I have NEVERseen anything like this in my school career, and I was shocked when my wife read this to our 14. This isn't only political, they used an articled that attacked the stadium that the Cleveland Browns use. I think I wouldn't of minded if there was both sides presented, but just given one side, and hammering it into kids head like it was done I don't think I would have approved of it being political at all.
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
30 Mar 12
Which probably WAS the case in this example. Hence, no link given.
• United States
31 Mar 12
Deb, there is NO link, I can send it to you.
@crossbones27 (48456)
• Mojave, California
30 Mar 12
You know what they say, teach them while they are young and impressionable." While I do not agree with this method of teaching. I am undecided if they should get fired. I thought the point of teaching kids was to have them form their own opinions. If you are forcing one point of view down their throat, then that is not them finding their own views of things. That is the teachers point of view, and it takes away from the kids uniqueness. Then what happens they go off to college or work in the real world and most of what they were taught turns out to be not true. You can end up breaking a kids spirit this way. That is why it is very important for the parents to teach them take everything with a grain of salt. The problem is many parents just do not care what is taught in schools these days.
• United States
31 Mar 12
This isn't put out by teachers, but a company that helps kids with the state test they need to pass to graduate. The passage that bothered me the most was the one about enviromentalist, but there are others attacking spending money on the new (1999) stadium for the Cleveland Browns. I just couldn't believe they would use such opinionated articles, but when you look at the governor it makes total sense!
• United States
1 Apr 12
I just don't understand why you would use an opinion piece like this for learning material. When I was younger we had similar articles, but they were so generic so you didn't worry about what the story was about. It is sad that they are trying to influence kids at this young of an age. I guess I can understand why younger Americans don't like politics.
• Mojave, California
31 Mar 12
I guess that is even worse because that means it is going to schools through out the state instead of one class that the students are taught in. I am really starting to believe we live in a time that is just a more sophisticated version of the 20's with all the scandalous things people in power are doing.
1 person likes this
• United States
30 Mar 12
I think that students should have a choice when it comes to school and they shouldn't be forced to believe in anyone's point-of-view because that's just ridiculous. Then again, it seems like everyone is trying to force their political point-of-view on everyone nowadays.