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In an ideal world, children would be able to attend schools which reflected their family's values and beliefs. Sadly, we do not live in an ideal world; a majority of students are entombed in the public school system, a system which has proved itself ineffective at teaching even the basics of education and civility. What insanity to trust this system to teach or even touch on the moral and sexual values most parents wish to instill in their children.

Many parents are not aware of the efforts being made even now by liberal-minded faculties to promote the homosexual life-style through library books, classroom materials and discussion. Although parents are usually given notice and allowed to remove their children from certain presentations, this is not always the case, In far too many instances, parents have discovered after the fact that their child was exposed to material with which the family may not agree or may find downright objectionable. In addition, if a teacher chooses to address these issues in their classroom it can come up for discussion in any subject with no advance warning.

While schools are an excellent place to learn about life and how people relate to one another, it is foolhardy for us to assume the lessons learned there are positive ones. It is likely that children learn more about avoiding bullying at school than they learn about academics. I'm intimately acquainted with a public school which affords no help to its unpopular or struggling students. The teachers may have a mild interest in observing some situations, but have no inclination to be a positive force in the lives of the students. While there are certain facts everyone must learn about the realities of life, it is unfortunate that they must be learned at such a young age, from someone who should be guiding them in a positive manner. I personally would not want these people teaching my children or grandchildren about sexual orientation or alternate lifestyles as their behavior does not indicate a concern for any aspect of the students' welfare.

Even in the best case scenario, in these days issues that touch on morality and personal beliefs are better taught at home. While at one time the country was united in a belief in Christian values, today prayer is forbidden in public school, as is anything that could possibly carry a connotation of the Christian faith or Jesus Christ. How dare the same institutions who have rejected these time-honored traditions now presume to teach children that any behavior is right or wrong, or even acceptable? While I am personally opposed to the homosexual lifestyle, I would think homosexuals themselves would object to having it taught in a school setting, presented to young children who are often too young to comprehend what they are being told, or to others who make crude jokes during or after the presentation. Many parents are not even aware of how early this indoctrination takes place, often before the well-meaning parents have realized that their children are not too young to be told the facts of life.

While our society is in many ways a hands-off society, with little restriction on freedom of expression and life style, we fail to recognize that often one person's freedom is restricting the freedom of another. Since tolerance is so important in our day, parents should be free to teach their children the beliefs of their family, and inform them of alternate lifestyles as they see fit. Can we not agree that, right or wrong, everyone is entitled to their own opinions and beliefs and should have the freedom to teach their children? And, if the schools need to be involved, let them enforce the concept of tolerance and respect for every viewpoint.

Learn more about this author, Brenda Halverson.
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