Parents wanting more control over what their children are learning is a trend that seems very popular now. In a public school setting, it is difficult to please all the people all the time, and the trend seems to be getting worse.
A few years back, I had a student who came from a religious Christian background, and her mother banned her from sitting in history class for any history that involved any topic that referenced religions or races. We had to have her sit in another classroom during the time we talked about Muslims, Jewish People, Buddhism, even Christianity as it is presented throughout European history in our history books.
Furthermore, she was not allowed to attend the health classes that involved relationships and sexual education for pre-teens. The students felt bad for her but she shrugged it off. She was a quiet and timid girl. There was, though, a certain amount of ostracizing that went on amongst her peers.
Left to her own devices, or the "devil's" devices, who knew what the child was learning? Parents may be able to control the schools, but what about social media, internet and friends?
With a lot of false information out there, it's important to teach students certain information, especially in light of all the false information and lies out there and how to tell the difference.
Some would say ignorance is bliss...the less we know the better. I say ignorance is ignorance. The wider our educational realm is, the more information we have to form our own opinions. That is the purpose of education. The more education and information we have at our disposal, the more equipped we are to face the future and have an understanding of, not only ourselves, but the greater good and multiple sides of a situation.
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