PARENT RIGHTS VERSUS PUBLIC SCHOOL CONTROL

PARENT RIGHTS VERSUS PUBLIC SCHOOL CONTROL

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

On October 31, 2019, the Houston ISD, Independent School District, unanimously passed radical sex education for 3^rd through 8^th grade students. Most parents voiced their emphatic religious and cultural objections to the plan. Yet there was not one board member who voted against this sex education agenda. It openly demonstrates the will of the parents was insignificant as compared to the power of the educational establishment. Parents have in effect been ousted from the primary right and responsibility to teach their children moral values.

In 2014 the Austin ISD board rejected a sex education proposal. The parents fought to adopt an “abstinence-only” birth control policy. Over the next years the school board internal politics changed to support and assist the expanding acceptance of LGBTQ students in the school environment. This progressive policy was not only for school approval but also overall cultural change. This reversal was coming from the top of the bureaucracy, not from the grass roots. The public school is dedicating itself to be a societal change agent not educating academic skills and rational thought.

They have passed this new sex education curriculum, which is an affront to biblical teachings in Christianity, Judaism, Islam and anyone who has studied mental health issues. Just because the person “feels” a certain way does not make it real. Just because an individual “feels” like a lizard, it does not make him one. A young adolescent going through hormonal and sexual changes is often confused making them think they are different than their birth gender.  One’s feelings that are the opposite of reality until very recently were an indication of insanity. Changing reality to increase the acceptance of disturbed youths instead of treating them contributes to their insanity.

The Houston Independent School District teaching anal sex through a pornographic film has no legitimate justification for this biblically perverted act. Teaching an underage person how to role-play to hide their deviant lesbian relationship with a 17-year-old seducer from their parents is inappropriate for a school. This is undermining parental authority for the purpose of promoting a radical sexual agenda.

Government schools have no right to even consider teaching this kind of information to children. The shrewd way the education elite bureaucrats have gotten around parental objections is by saying they can opt out of the curriculum.

Parents are not sending their children to school to be indoctrinated in progressive sexual behaviors that alter traditional societal moral norms. These educators knowingly or not are ushering in a Sodom and Gomorra-like chaotic world. This focus on self-gratifying sexual activities will weaken and obliterate the industrious fiber of the nation.  It will lead us down the path of internal moral decay. Eventually we will have to surrender to a totalitarian government without the support and assistance coming from strong family loyalties.

Public schools were established to educate children to become literate citizens. The education was to give them the ability to develop reading, writing and math skills to be able to learn on their own.  It was not supposed to brainwash them to adopt self-destructive moral values. All non-academic learning was left to the parents. They made the choices to develop the child’s character. The freedom of parents to be responsible for their children, not the state has been effective in molding strong, productive and law-abiding citizens. Ever since the government has interfered with the sanctity of the family, our societal problems have increased.

Moral, value, spiritual, nutritional, and physical development of our children should be left to the family. Our government schools have done a pathetic job even teaching students simple reading, writing and math. Parents should not allow government education to destroy the moral character of their children by presenting age inappropriate ideas, socially inaccurate information to our youngsters. This is simple indoctrination.

Government schools are dysfunctional and should be stopped from poorly performing the services that used to be done by the family. They should be held to higher academic standards and leave moral values to the church and the family.

Local public schools should be removed from the state bureaucrats and returned to the local community. The number of state educational bureaucrats should be reduced significantly, and schools decentralized for more parental control. The parents will have a strong impact on every facet of the school that will reflect their wishes and needs.

Let us rid our public schools of socially radical elites whose purpose is to undermine and transform our country into a weak, immoral one that collapses from within. Parents’ strong voice will strengthen and save our children and our nation from evil forces.

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. Dr. Maglio is an author of weekly newspaper articles, INVASION WITHIN and a new book entitled, IN CHARGE PARENTING in a PC World. You can see many of Dr. Maglio’s articles at www.drmaglioblogspot.com.

COMMON SENSE HAS TO BE TAUGHT

COMMON SENSE HAS TO BE TAUGHT

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

The introduction of YouTube has helped in solving practical problems around the house, in sports, mechanical techniques and a host of other issues that pop up daily. It has made life easier for highly motivated and skilled problem solvers. Arriving at this point to know how to carefully watch and listen to detail then to follow through successfully completing the project takes many skill sets. People often clump these skills under “common sense.”

The foundation of common sense is usually taught at an early age by loved ones. As the child matures the observation skills increase along with the knowledge we call “common sense.” This process is becoming less and less common for a large segment of our youth.

The cultural factors affecting the decrease in what we call common are undeniably

powerful. Modern children have less time to observe and learn from their parental figures and siblings. Most parents are working outside the home while family size is diminishing. Both parents and children are riveted to their electronic devices, disengaged from each other. Family members doing things together around the house has practically vanished.

The rapid breakdown of the family has created many lost opportunities for parents to be the primary teachers of their children. Instead the children are chauffeured off to activities where the main focus is to develop skills in the arts and sports. These instructors point out methods of the specific skills of the discipline but not the more global habits that are common to almost all productive individuals.

Modern children often have little parental instruction or observation on how to do household chores. The job of washing windows is no longer common. Most children will do a slipshod job leaving the window cloudy and streaked rather than clean. They appear to be unaware of what is expected and how to do it since no one took the time to teach them.  Another example of this is when there are several things to pick up in the yard and the child carries each to the stationary wheelbarrow instead of moving the wheelbarrow to the objects to pick them up.  Adults would see this as using common sense but it has to be taught to most children.

Often homework is done with several other things distracting the child from totally concentrating on it. Too often schoolwork is done in a quick, haphazard way when the environment is not quiet enough to internalize the material.  Most youngsters have to think several steps ahead to become more efficient.

As the child matures the common sense skills continue to get more complicated. Instead of focusing directly on the task presented to them, their minds wander. Applying one’s undivided attention to any problem is more effective than trying to do several things at once. This used to be “common sense.”

This ability of the individual concentrating can be reinforced and improved by the parents or the child developing his own methods of doing it. Parental role modeling of the manner of learning encourages and assists the child’s picking up ideas and motivation to develop methods to solve complex issues that frequently occur in our everyday lives.

Common sense is not given to a person at birth. We have to learn it by doing things to the best of our ability. Adults, usually a parent or other significant role model, can make the process easier for the child through their suggestions and guidance. These respected people assign a chore to the youngster to be completed in a specific time period. The outcome often works better if there is an adult working with them rather than have them learn through their mistakes.

Often the adult will ask questions to help the child be more efficient and effective which increases their thinking process that is part of developing common sense.  These questions help the child make more appropriate decisions by helping the child think through the process of what they want to accomplish. 

You have to be with a child over an ample time period to understand how he focuses and attacks problems. These everyday events can be more revealing to the parent than taking the child to an amusement park or other fun activity to learn how the child processes information and uses his energies to do what he is supposed to.

Many youngsters who have no one to teach them have overcome this circumstance by learning through observations of others. These are exceptions to the general rule. Most children have to be shown numerous times how to incorporate lessons of common practices and logical ways of thinking into their everyday experiences. Most of us need repetitive lessons by our role models to qualify as having common sense. Common sense is taught, you are not born with it.

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. Dr. Maglio is an author of weekly newspaper articles, INVASION WITHIN  and a new book entitled, IN CHARGE PARENTING In a PC World. You can see many of Dr. Maglio’s articles at www.drmaglioblogspot.com.

LEADERS NEED TO BE IN-CHARGE, NOT LIKED

LEADERS NEED TO BE IN-CHARGE, NOT LIKED

By Domenick J. Maglio Ph.D. Traditional Realist

In our modern culture, being “liked” by everyone especially one’s children is considered a great virtue. The more social networking and Facebook “friends” you have, the more likely you are held in high esteem by yourself and others. This happens even though many of these “friends” never have had personal interaction with each other. Reputation is based on the virtual presence we script ourselves not on our actual behavior and deeds.

When we are in a leadership position such as being a parent, CEO of a business, politician, teacher or any other in-charge position the long term results matter more than one’s likeability. Leaders have to set down the behavioral rules for everyone involved in reaching specific goals for the individual and group performance.  Any productive leader has to hold members accountable for their overall performance. This often does not make the head of an organization a popular figure.

All effective, responsible leaders have to make difficult choices for the group over the individual. This means the individual who has been disciplined is going to be greatly upset. Depending on how the person reacts to the leader’s actions it would determine that subordinate’s future. If he becomes indignant he will probably end up being reprimanded or even fired. When he learns his lesson without being reactive, he will more than likely be given another chance.

Respect of the person in-charge is far more important than likeability. A sports coach who is winning will keep his position while one who is loved by his players will eventually be dismissed if he does not win. This merit-based policy is still an accepted value of our culture. 

An in-charge, demanding parent might be considered mean spirited or worse in the short run but usually transforms into a kinder person as the child matures into an adult. As the child matures and learns the lessons learned were true dividends to elevate the level of respect for the parent.

Not wanting to be disliked is a weakness that undermines leadership. Many great leaders were appreciated and loved by their subordinates not for their weaknesses but for their strengths. If the leader makes a decision based on the possible negative reaction of a person rather than the unit, he will lose the respect of the group and his power. 

These committed associates believe in the objectives and purpose of the mission. They understand that the positive accomplishments are more important than whether if they are liked or not. Leaders have to set the goals and have everyone using all their skills and energies to reach these expressed goals.

Whatever method the person in-charge employs, it should align with the group’s perception of the way the world works. It should be based on the same values and objectives that were previously spoken that inspired the group to achieve the mission that was emphatically stressed by the leader.

Being liked is easy when you give people what they want. A phony who lies can initially get the group temporarily to back them. Although using this tactic makes it almost impossible to establish group cohesiveness and energy to fulfill the set goals. Sooner, not later the lies come to the surface exposing the insincerity of the leader.

The reverse happens when a leader is authentic. An in-charge person is one who wants to get things done and has to focus on goals and objectives. The head has to consistently remind the staff that their position is essential in achieving their mission and the group’s goals. There is little time and energy to waste on political niceties to establish that the person is a nice guy.

Instead these goal driven people let the chips fall where they may as long as they reach their specific objectives. In this process the people witness the positive results. The satisfaction of being successful builds the confidence and motivation of the employees’ mission as attainable. This solidifies the groups’ determination that they are working for more than a paycheck. The staff comes to realize they are creating a legacy for the good of others.

Likeability of the person may give the receiver and sender a warm, fuzzy feeling. However, it does not do anything concrete to produce a better life or future for others.

Developing a system, ideas or a product that enhances the life of others is more permanent than likeability. When the first leaders, the parents, demand normal appropriate behavior from their children they may not be liked but eventually they would be proud of the children they raised. 

Domenick J. Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. Dr. Maglio is an author of weekly newspaper articles, INVASION WITHIN  and a new book entitled, IN CHARGE PARENTING In a PC World. You can see many of Dr. Maglio’s articles at www.drmaglioblogspot.com.