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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-05-10, Page 7haw wants full paren BY JEFF SEDDON Parents should be encouraged to get in- volved in the operation of, u'volvedmueoperatbonof` eduction systems rather than have to fight for any say at 1I. That was a message Dr. Blair Shaw, a psychologist frono 8ob' vil/o. innpmrted U) about 250 concerned citizens at a public meeting in Clinton recently. Shaw told hie parents they should let absolutely nothing stand between them and their desire to control the education of their children. Be told the group that any attempt by parents to advise or request teacbora, principals or school administrators may result in conflict the parents didn't want. But he addethat the conflict may be due to "arrogant" school ad- ministrators of the opinion that parents can offer nothing con- structive to he1p educate their children. Shaw said he had en- countered one such ud- miniytcutoc, a school priodpuL. His three children were enrolled in a seperate school and he wanted them to be per- mitted opouittod to opt out of family life classes and religious sessions. He said he was told by the school principal that the principal d his staff would decide how the children would be educated. Shaw sub- sequently withdrew his children from the school. Later he withdrew the children from a Port • Credit public school for similar reasons. Be now has the childreneorollod in an Oakville public school because of the schools he checked out ie found it to be the best of, the three. That isn't to guy Shaw is happy with the Oakville school. Anything he feels is unnecessary for his children he doesn't allow taught. If he feels a teacher in any subject area is incompetent for any reasons he witb'` draws the children from that course and teaches it hin-iself, at home. But Shaw doesn't ad- vocate parents with- drawing their children from schools. The thrust .of his comments centered around parental control of the education of children. He says it is the right and the respon- siblilty of parents to determine what and how their children will be taught, not the school's. Shaw spiced his comments about school * * ��N� �� ' 0 0][ N �� N� N � � N � . w * °fmmmpage G a particular. noyoL It merely fought for parents' rights to have their children taught from material the parents approve of. Be said Renaissance was not a fundamental sect nor did it have any religious overtones as the media and bonk. publishers have in- dicated. It a group devoted to having classrooms in Canada reflect the values of homes in a pluralistic society idh a Judeo- Christian heritage. udeo'Cbriadaobocitago. Renaissance in'' volvement with literature used in classrooms stemmed from book selection policies used by the education system. The movement wants book selection policies that guarantee parents the right to determine what their children are taught ' - -' • Campbell's attack of education systems bucking Renaissance drew a revival type response from the crowd. His criticism of school udnuin|ytrutoirs that are "unbelievably arrogant" and school policies that require parents to ex- plain why they don't want a book used drew a' chorus of ''umone" from the audience. Be told the parents there was no way any "self respecting parent with any personal worth or dignity should have to write an essay telling , why he or she doesn't want a hook red". "All that has to besaid is l don't want that book read....game o e e iod.'' said Cam ell. Be' said school ad- ministrators and bourda. did not "have the right to impose values on my home". He said parents should "reject the totalitarian concepts of dhoscohi|doaduooco^. Campbell said all Renaissance wanted was educators to observe the good neighb�r policy. Be said the good neighbor policy shows respect for people's difference's.' Be said that policy permits parentsthat have ob- jection to literature used in schools appeased by providing their children with alternatives. He 'said literature parents chooset� have in their hone is their own business but literature used in classrooms should show the good neighbor policy.'• Be said any literature • that "creates fiction and tensitn is unacceptable in a public school room serving a pluralistic sooiety^ Campbell told the crowd he did not know why educators' and publishers held up works that have a theme with a ')u of despair eypuir and rneuning|oouneuo" as shining examples of modern literature. Be said the youth of today arc suffering from the "despair of meaqinglooynovs''adding that he found novels that fostered that feeling more objectionable than novels containing ' "an occasional blasphemy". • -''~E ),S� PREVENT FIRE *m% of our calls originate from a chimney fire. 98% of those could likely have been prevented had the chim ney been swept. In your spring clean up don't forget your chimney. Use a mirror to look up into It. Then DECIDE. Either CHANCE A FIRE next year or call: 524-8055 systems in Ontario with sarcastic humour about board of education tcuetoes, school ad- ministrators uud teachers. In a somewhat tangled fashion he told the uudieuon, a group of parents upset about material 'umed in ctaoornnnn, hn -H-uron Cuuuty, that when educators put parents off when those parentswant something done in the schools they are not doing their job. Shaw said what educators should be told is what the parents want for their children. Purentx, he said, should be telling educators "we set the objectives you help us carry them out". Anything short of t6it is a "wild intrusion into the privacy of parents raising their children" Be told the audience it was not ^'arcuguut" for parents to take the position that they control the eduction system and want teachers to advise them when they are asked. He said movements for more parental control in schools was a "ground 'swell that couldn't be stopped even if the parents wanted it stop-. ped". He said conventional input parents had into the operation of schools simply wasn't working. He said home and school associations are designed as a |iaaon between the parent and the•school but he felt those associations had become ineffectjve. Be said home and schools now consisted of "voting abQut how many apple tarts had to be sold to buy a slide for the school playground or giving books to .the library to get a picture in the paper". • "What a waste of dme.^beu|ojnned. Be said schools were also guilty. of wasted .effort and nneoey. He cited aptitude, tests .�� - examples. lie said schools are constantly subjecting students to those, types of tests calling them ^rn|nkoy mouse". Shaw did �ot spare teachers in his com- ments. He said teachers may be smart but that many were /u000^potoot. ,He said teacher's college was a waste of time because teachers learned nothing from it. Be said the colleges were a "snow job" and didn't turn out "professionals" as the teachers prefer to be called. He told the group parents should take a careful look at what their children are being taught and sbocUd also look at the quality of the teacher. Be said the teacher may be proficient in that subject area but may not be profipient at teaching. Be held up the three novels currently under fire in Huron County as examples. Many of the parents in the audience I. CO supported a move by the concerned citizens to have the three novels...the Diviner's—by Margaret Laurence, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck...taken (Alt of secondary school classrooms. The effort resulted in the board of education de -listing The Diviners. Bookpolicy�� ^��-� �^ BY JEFF SEDDON As pf Monday ap- proval ...or p'prova|...or diaap' provuL.of textbooks for use in Huron County schools will be tSandled by the book. The Huron County board of education gave its final approval to policy Monday that sets out procedures to be followed to approve textbooks for classroom use and to handle com- plaints or concerns about omn'yiuiotaorcouoecusabuut those books. The policy approved by the board was the third draft prepared by board adnoioiotrution, school yriooipa|o, department heads and teachers. Guidelines for the policy were set several months ago and a draft prepared for the board's perusal in April. That draft was re- written and the board gave the final nod to it Monday at its regular monthly meeting. Board approval of textbooks is only required for books not previously approved by the ministry of education. The province decides what texts will be used in subjects like ,outboruuboo, sciences and languages leaving material for use in English classes up to. individual boards. Not having u'po\ioy for approving of textbooks or for handling complaints about those texts caused the board a great deal of anguish last year. A group of oitizono, upset about the content of scsme English literature textv, prevailed upon the board to '6avo those texts banned from classrooms. That request upset a group that felt that banning books was a restriction of fpeedom and the board found itself caught in the midd1e Amnjvue to prevent a recurrence of those problems the board decided to establish policies that would not only support any Turn to page 8 • INFORMATION MEETING for the HURON COUNTY PORK PRODUCERS re: "Haemophilus Pneumonia" Panel Discussion ur��~ ��on with: Dr. Ernest Sanford, Huron Park Dr. Soren Rosenthal, University cfGuelph Dr. Mike Weber, University mvGuelph Dr. Friendship, s"=fn,thVeterinary Clinic at the LONDESBORO COMMUNITY HALL THURSDAY, MAY 10 at 8 P.M. Sponsored by your local H.C.P.P. and H.F.A. * {;OD2DICBS{GN&L-STAR'THURSDAY, MAY 0.073—PAQ27 trol Shaw said be per- sonally had no objections ocooued)ybaduoubjectioua to any of the novels but stressed that that was his opinion. He said what he wanted for his children may not be what another parent wants. Be said he respected the wish of panents,notto have denm*els-used in classrboms and he *,anted his opinions on that and other education mnteriu| respected the same way. DID YOU KNOW �� YOU COULD k�� N ELIGIBLE ~~��.~~~_� � �� FOR��U� N NU� ��==~ �~m' TO�� the CHIP � under new ��° ��m�� MAY 131 ELIGIBLE: Find Out From GODERICH INSULATION N��0N��N� 524-6844 mmBennett o. G"ae,=a.«o",. Sorry for the inconvenience-. OPEN AS USUAL ��.ct.Ytt?��`�~�� mm �~. �� ,~ DURING ( r�w � REN0VATION�� MEN -APPOINTMENTS �� NOT ALWAYS `. �\ Call today and make an cippointment with Judy Lewis, Joanne Shoemaker, Liz Redmond or Doug Doer. N�� N�� HEATHER N�� ^�� N�� NN��U��U��NN�� . ��| mn~n�m.��mmmmm�°,�w�mm.^~m° °n^u-�~�-nwwm Just for morn U °F or 3 days only ! • , Ak U Jackets & Blazers, Some call ,hem ma carts. We call them: plant stands, moveable servers, bars, towel hold== entry tabus, bath boutiques, beverage centre, and so many more. 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