Why don't you just say what you want to say?  Exactly what is the programming these kids are supposed to be receiving?  My boys are in public schools and they ARE learning.  They know about history and algebra and how to write a short story. 

I never said they didn't learn. They just get taught too much crap with the good acceptable stuff.

And, how is that different than 20 years ago?  You never can have a perfect learning environment, especially when you have such diverse classrooms.

Nonsense. The perfect learning environment makes everyone feel safe, challenges everyone, and uses only efficient curiculum.

Diversity has nothing to do with it. Diversity should be accepted, not viewed as a problem. Individual tutoring may be necessary for those who learn differently, but it would not cripple the system.

And where are you going to get the money for that individual tutoring?

I'm a Christian teaching in a public classroom.  I guess I'm a little confused as to what you think public school teachers are "brainwashing" their students with.  I "brainwash" my students to treat one another with respect and dignity, and I REQUIRE it in my classroom.  For the small percentage of the day that I have them, I do the best I can to try to teach them to be good thinkers, kind and generous people who care about themselves and others.  I don't think that's "crap."  We learn how to tell time to the nearest five minutes, we learn comprehension strategies and we learn how to decode tricky words.  We learn about the Pledge of Allegiance, our flag, and our country.  We learn about the life cycles of butterflies.  We learn how to estimate and how to count money and make change.  We learn how to add and subtract two digit numbers with regrouping.

I don't think any of that is crap.  I think its necessary.  Sex ed in school?  A necessity.  Parents have the right to take their child out of things like sex ed if they'd prefer they not learn it in school. 

Schools are not perfect by any means, and that is because we are imperfect people.  Teachers make mistakes, students make mistakes, parents make mistakes.  And it's all a part of learning and growing, and that is what school is all about.

That's good. But don't you ever wish that you had freedom to teach your own culture? The most about Christianity I got taught was from Romeo and Juliet. Or the hate-speech.

But the problem is that people are brainwashed via extremes, not trained to tolerate. It's one thing to let something continue, it's another entirely to break down moral fiber.

Though, I was private schooled until high school, so maybe I only saw the worse half.

So why don't you specifically state what your issues are?  You think that public schools should have a Christian curriculum?  You think there should be prayer in school?  I wish you would just come out and say what you are trying to say.  Exactly what do you think is the problem.  I can't really tell because you are writing in such huge generalities. 

Yes.

I think that the curriculum is to the point where it's willing to defend anything but Christianity, and goes out of its way to attack it.

I went to Catholic school and prayed every morning and I felt no difference between that and when I went to public school. If I wanted my boys to pray at school, I would send them to a religous school. I don't think prayer in schools is this magical thing that makes society better or worse.

So you think there should be a Christian prayer at school? You think non-Christians should have to say a prayer that they don't believe in? Should the Christian children be forced to say a Jewish/Muslim/Hindu prayer? We don't live in a theocracy, thank God!

I think that there should be a freedom for teachers and students to do what they want on both sides of the spectrum, not just one.

Soon they'll be singing hymns to Darwin.

Prayer in school isn't going to "fix" the ills of society, unfortunately.

As a teacher, it's not my job to say yea or nay to Christian beliefs or any other beliefs. That is for families to decide. That DOESN'T stop me from *trying* to show my students Christ's loves without wearing a "JESUS LOVES YOU!" shirt and making me pray. Living by example, the best we can, is the best way to show people, especially kids, about God's love. People don't care what you say, they care about how you treat them.

Also, as a teacher, I don't put the kebash on students' talk about God. I don't get involved, and I let them have their conversations. It's interesting what 7 and 8 year olds have to say about God. They're way smarter than we give them credit for. If a child asks if I go to church, I say yes, but I don't go any further. If they ask me if I'm Mormon, I say no, and I don't go any further. Catholic students last year asked me to their first communions and I went. A Mormon student asked me to his baptism, and I would have went had I not been ready to puke.

I don't know ANY teacher that I've ever had that has blantantly stated there is no God. I think most teachers realize that kind of teaching is for the home. If you're that worried about your kids being brainwashed, make them a tinfoil hat or something, dude.

Yes, but it's a token gesture towards equality.

As a teacher, it isn't your job to say yea or nay to Christian beliefs. But schools teach a "nay" standpoint.

Teachers aren't supposed to put "the kebash" on students' theological discussion. Nor are they supossed to guide it.

I know of at least one teacher that I have had that has tought only the Evolution (hey,  it's a religion) side of orgin, not Creationism, and that in itself is saying that there is no God.

I don't have children.

Prayer in school is NOT a gesture towards equality, it's exclusive.  I live in a fairly religious area, but my guess is that less than 50% of children in America's schools attend church or even know what prayer is. 

How do you know schools teach a "nay" standpoint?  When was the last time you were actually in a public school?  Evolution is NOT a religion, it is a theory.  I believe in evolution as a Christian.  Evolution is the process by which something changes as it progresses.  It does NOT mean that humans began as a one celled organism that spontaneously happened and crawled out of radioactive sludge.  Humans have changed as human history has progressed.  We are taller.  People who live in sun-saturated areas have darker skin and eyes.  That is evolution.  Maybe my small school in the middle of nowhere was unique, but we were taught the "big-bang" THEORY.  We also learned that there is a THEORY that a higher being created our universe.  I know what I believe, but in my high school, neither was presented as fact.  The fact is, no one was there for either theory, but we know SOMETHING happened, because we're here, aren't we? 

If you have a problem with what is taught in schools, talk to your congresspeople.  Write letters, emails, call.  You CANNOT generalize your experience with one school, and one teacher, to schools ALL across America.

It's a moot point whether or not you have children.  If you're that concerned about whether your FUTURE children might be brainwashed in a public school, you'd better start saving tuition money.

Erathoniel, I think you are way off on this one. If you have a problem with public schools, when you have children, by all means send them to a religous school or homeschool them.

Yes, but if they do not know what prayer is, but know what Evolution is, is it fair?

I've been through the Evolution scholarly set, and it's a religion. It's everything I hate about Christianity. I'm not saying that it couldn't have happened under God, but secular "Big Bang -> Evolution" progression is a religion in and of itself. I was never taught a "creation theory" in my textbook, only my mediatonary science teacher taught that.

I notice your lack of faith in my ability to write here, but not to congress.
I am not generalizing. This is what is taught, everywhere.

I'm not terribly concerned about future children at this point, not yet. And even then, why be concerned about only my children?

I was homeschooled at one point, and I may consider it for any future children of mine.