Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site cybvax0.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!cybvax0!mrh
From: mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: "Secular Humanism" banned in the US Schools.
Message-ID: <743@cybvax0.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 11-Sep-85 11:42:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: cybvax0.743
Posted: Wed Sep 11 11:42:01 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 13-Sep-85 03:59:25 EDT
References: <1072@ulysses.UUCP> <607@hou2g.UUCP> <11384@rochester.UUCP> <314@rruxo.UUCP> <11463@rochester.UUCP> <10334@ucbvax.ARPA>
Reply-To: mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz)
Organization: Cybermation, Inc., Cambridge, MA
Lines: 37
Summary: 

[Cross-postings eliminated: who needs them?]

In article <10334@ucbvax.ARPA> mcgeer@ucbvax.UUCP (Rick McGeer) writes:
> 	In short, my friends, the real trouble is not what the public schools
> teach, it's that there are public schools.  It's absurd to expect that a
> homogenous institution can faithfully serve a diverse society.  Why not
> permit people to send kids to the school of their choice, within certain
> (rudimentary) guidelines, and give them vouchers that can be redeemed by the
> school for a (fixed) amount of cash?  If the school wants to charge more, that
> comes out of the parent's pocket.  But this way, every kid gets educated, at
> the school of his parent's choice.  And you people can choose the school that
> is right for you instead of fighting over the shape of the one you have.

One of the stong points of our society is that there is as much homogeneity
as there is now.  I'm not in favor of reducing it by segregating children
into idiologically pure institutions.  There's a great deal of value to be
learned by exposure to the variety within our culture: that is one of the
important homogenizing factors, that which makes us a melting pot.

The number of "objectionable" things taught in public schools is extremely
small.  There are already two established routes for those with objections:
private schools, and "sunday" schools.  My RC parish provided free schooling
on saturdays in RC beliefs for those students who didn't pay to go to their
regular school.

Finally, I view public standards for schools (including private schools)
as an important check on the power of parents in favor of the rights of
their children.  Frankly, I consider some of the indoctrination and
practices at some private schools as illegitimate as sexually abusing
your own children.  For this reason, I'm not enthusiastic about encouraging
private schooling.  I'd much rather see tools for enforcement of quality
in public education (such as successful suits against school districts
that provide poor education overall, just as suits have been successful
for segregation.)
-- 

Mike Huybensz		...decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!cybvax0!mrh