I confess, I’m a little annoyed by Earth Day. Before you start throwing things at your computer screen, let me clarify. I’m as offended by litter as much as the next guy/gal and kudos to Erin Brocovich for bringing PG&E to justice after they polluted their neighbors into ill health. And I do believe in conservation because my father was a Depression era child and he taught me to hate waste. And although many may think it quaint, it is my belief that overconsumption is a form of gluttony which is a sin. But those issues are all about private property and civil liberty not Mother Earth.
Given this recent volcanic ash business I would think the message would be getting out there that Mother Earth can wreak a lot more havoc than anything us puny humans manage to do. And I have no patience for people who are more concerned about the spawning habits of the urban dung beetle than feeding starving children or keeping them warm in the winter. But my lack of patience with politically motivated enviroganda (environmental propoganda) is not what has set me off on this beautiful Earth Day. No, I’m more annoyed by what is going on at my children’s school today.
You see, my sons have been having issues concentrating in class lately. My oldest has brought home some bad grades and his teachers report that he has issues focusing. My research tells me that regular 15 minute breaks help children focus better in class, but I’m told that there is no time for my son to even have recess let alone regular breaks to blow off steam. Instead hours of work are crammed into a few days so that there is time left over to devote to extracurricular activities like Earth Day. I wouldn’t mind so much if this were a day devoted to actual science or even civics (such as the individual rights philosophy this country was founded on). But instead, my sons will be bombarded by satements based on faulty science at best and outright falsehoods at worst and then taught that humans are bad because they are ruining the mating habits of the dung beetle (because my sons needed something else to feel guilty about).
If the school wants to address Earth Day – how about an optional after school activity or science projects based on real-time observation? How about we use school time to focus on things like reading, writing, math and real science – you know, the kind based on actual facts as opposed to highly skewed research designed to perpetuate government grants or destroy business competitors. How about recess on a regular basis instead of sporatic half days devoted to controversial nonsense. Just sayin…
[...] oldest son’s academic record, we’ve been dealing with performance issues all year (see Earth Day Annoyance). It seems like from the time they get home in the afternoon until almost time for bed all we [...]