NORTHWOOD – An NIT reader feels that children in the Northwood-Kensett schools are being “indoctrinated” rather than being taught.
The reader sent a worksheet assigned to a 5th grade class. The worksheet tasked the children with re-writing phrases to make them “less wordy.” Some of the phrases that were to be re-written were:
– “The job of a president is not easy”
– “The people of a nation do not always agree”
– “The choices of the president affect everyone”
– “He makes sure the laws of the country are fair”
– “The commands of government officials muct be obeyed by all”
– “The wants of an individual are less important than the well-being of the nation”
The NIT reader said Friday that “This was brought to my attention that 5th grade students are being indoctrinated not educated. This is how our kids are being taught things without really being taught. The lesson attached is political and partisan, and has no business being part of an English lesson in our indoctrination system, or so called “education system”. Teacher: Lisa Hagen School System: Northwood-Kensett.”
What is your opinion? Is the worksheet a good teaching tool or are the phrases teaching the children the wrong ideals?
45 thoughts on “Indoctrinated or taught? Worksheet for North Iowa 5th graders questioned”
Have the right conversations with your kids at home and you won’t have to worry about what the world is inadvertently teaching them. As a parent, I would see this as a perfect “teaching opportunity” to have a good conversation about the truth of these statements. Your kids are going to be asking a lot tougher questions than this in the future, so why not start now with an open and honest discussion about your political beliefs?
Great idea
Your dead wrong if you think talking to kids is going to fix this indoctrination.
Folk have been talking to their children about our corrupt Government. Didn’t help!
Look at the way the last generation has turned out. Self-Centered, Selfish, Liberal, numskull.
Sorry
@Watchdog- You are correct. As well, if only a politically slanted test had not been administered to fifth graders in the 50’s, we could have prevented all the drug laden “free love” era of the 60’s. Folks take a look at your 5th graders tests and analyze the crap outta it, because it’s going to change the thinking of an entire generation.
^That’s the dumbest thing I’ve read yet on this forum yet. You’re just jealous you weren’t getting an hippie girls.
Straight from the Common Core curriculum. Education these days is not about imparting wisdom from one generation to the next and how to think…it’s only about WHAT to think. Think wrong, and you’re guilty of a hate crime and need rehab…
It was an ENGLISH assignment not civics, social studies or a class regarding government. The subject matter did not matter. It could have been about unicorns and leprechauns (and probably should have). People are way too myopic and thin skinned these days.
You missed the point if you only think it was an English class.
Wake up!
Obama doesn’t have anything to do with this. He will be long gone before the effects of this indoctrination is felt.
This has nothing to do with Fox News. How lame is that?
Got to hand it to those Government Schools we subsidize. They know how to create little robots with minds of mush.
Only a liberal minded person that makes decisions with their emotions would conclude this is education and not indoctrination.
The commands of government officials must be obeyed by all. Huh?
President Obama haters should not given attention in the media like this. Ya, it’s clear this complaint comes from someone upset with the current president, however it is not indoctrination in any sense of the word.
I don’t like obama but that was the last thing I thought when I read the article. I read it as whomever is president makes all the rules and is totally in charge, NOT.
“The commands of government officials muct be obeyed by all”
Well try to even disrupt a cop and he’ll put a felony on you, take away your freedom and put you in a government cage. Try to smoke a joint in your own home. We are subjects that must obey because that’s the way you want it.
– “The wants of an individual are less important than the well-being of the nation”
Well people who have various deceases need and want cannabis, but that’s less important than the needs or perceived well-being of the nation.
Look, we are NOT free in America. That is a MYTH! This is a Republic and the Republic imprisons more subjects that all other countries in the world by far.
I don’t like it and fight against it, but don’t kid yourself for a minute. No soldier is fighting for your freedom because we have no freedom. Out lives are highly restricted because that’s the way you want it or you wouldn’t vote that way. You willingly VOTE your freedoms away and like to do it that way. You enjoy giving up your rights and giving them to the Republic for which it stands.
For instance the good people of Iowa say that, God forbid you get cancer, you WILL NOT use cannabis or the Republic can and will seize your property for forfeiture and take your freedom away and put you in a government cage. And we have soldiers that protect the states freedom to do that.
YOU WANT IT THIS WAY. You want to give rights to the state or you wouldn’t have these policies.
You chose to dissect the statements also. WE think a lot alike Iowa Sucks. You know, I’m watching an episode of Cops right now, and this officer Brazz something was saying that he plays guitar in a band, and then talks about his church band that he’s in, and it occurred to me that what we are saying is absolutely correct: America is run by Christian indoctrinated government police and military forces which are pushing the religious values of their preachers on the population. Look at those prison programs that allow people to get out of prison sooner by following faith based programs while incarcerated…which is very similar to what Islam does by allowing prisoners out of jail if they memorize the Koran.
This is for real folks. The drug war is an extension of religious doctrine, and the police are agents for their pastor’s values. I know this isn’t true in all regions, but in many of these Bible Belt regions in America…the local police ARE HEAVILY indoctrinated by religion.
The drug war makes no sense other than when looked at from a religious prohibition standpoint. What would a supposed FREE GOVERNMENT of and by FREE PEOPLE care what people put in their bodies if it weren’t for scriptural prohibitions?
My job on NIT is far more important than I previously realized. Iowa Sucks, make your arguments very carefully and poignantly. We are on the verge of liberating many minds. Refrain from gutteral engagement with detractors.
I believe we will actually win this debate.
MN has a program called “teen challenge”. It’s not really about teens.
It works like this. Say you are sentenced to jail or prison for drugs. A person from teen challenge comes to the jail to sign people up. Instead of doing a 5-10 years in prison for drugs, you can enroll in an intense 1 year course of Christian religious study and get out in a much shorter period of time.
How do you pay for it? If you own a home teen challenge assumes ownership of your home equity.
I should add that “teen challenge” hands out these inverted pictures of Jesus that work on your optic nerves or is an optical illusion. You stare at the inverted image for one minute, then close your eyes and you will see an image of Jesus. It really works, I’ve seen and used one. It’s nothing magical though, it’s science. The mind fills in the inverted parts naturally.
See right there. What you describe is a clear violation of separation of church and state, and therefore a violation of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. The 1st Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion nor preventing the free practice thereof.” Coupling a a punitive jail sentence with a religious program is clearly a violation of the 1st section of the 1st amendment. One is not preventing the prisoners from practicing their religion, but is also not recognizing it for any governmental “credit” or merit.
Nice work.
You should turn it to SPIKE TV right now and watch this incredible police brutality that I’m seeing. This cop just completely slammed this guy to the ground without knowing anything. It’s based in Portland, Oregon. Comply or be slammed and tazed. Absolute authoritarianism.
I’m still watching the Portland Cops Episode:
Now they arrested this black guy saying he threw a punch at the officer who completely ran at him like a raging bull and slammed him to the ground in the cafeteria. Wow. A complete lie. The skinny black guy didn’t do anything other than flail his arms around after being attacked by 2 cops. And people sit and watch this stuff as entertainment. Then they advertise another War movie to be released called Lone Survivor w/ Mark Wahlberg. And people don’t think we have a police / military state?
This country is a mess. No fixing it now.
more police violence
http://whotv.com/2012/05/30/tasing-trouble-restrained-woman-tased/
And most of these Cop episodes are based on drug arrests. So what would happen if drugs were taking off the menu as an option for Cops to make arrests…no longer interfering into people’s freedom? I think until the “drugs” can be linked to other crimes, that Cops should not have authority to arrest as a primary offense. The very first step towards reversing this bogus Drug War is to make drugs a “secondary offense” meaning that Cops don’t have the right to interfere or search you unless the drugs could be linked to other crimes that suspects have committed.
@A/R-If you think the police are bad here just go to the west coast. It is well known out there if you get pulled over for any reason, put your hands on the wheel where they can see you and do not move until they tell you. If you do move you will probably be shot. We saw a homeless man get shot because he was shooting cans with a BB Gun in a dry river bed and was unfortunate enough to be hard of hearing when they told him to drop the gun. He turned to see what they wanted with the B/B gun at his side and they shot him 105 times. My god, a 105 times and nothing done to them. They killed a girl by shooting her 38 times while she slept in her car and it goes on and on. They are nothing around here.
And I saw a homeless man sitting at a bus stop in Modesto, CA get railroaded by a group of 5 cops with leather gloves on…totally slamming him to the ground with no warning or directions. They just ran up to him and swarmed him and hit him hard. I asked someone what was going on and they said he had threatened someone on the city bus and the driver must have called it in. This guy was wiry, disheveled and old…like some drunk bum type. The use of force displayed startled me. Needless to say I didn’t stay long in Modesto but got on the Greyhound and kept traveling. I guess maybe we are all saying that we don’t want it to end up like in California and other places where the police are brutal and mean. Does the saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” mean anything to you? How about “head it off at the pass”, or “nip it in the bud”.
All that being said, there are also a lot of cops killed out there. I guess after a while they get gun shy and go to the other extreme of taking care of themselves.
It’s a tv show for peets sake. Do you believe everything you see on tv. Reality tv is fake.
My goodness Peter, I gave you more credit than I should have.
Of course Cops is real. It’s filmed on location. There was nothing fake about it. The cops may actually be on far better behavior than they normally would be, but also they could also be acting “tougher” than normal when the camera is on. But it’s not fake. That dude got tazed and totally pumelled by those cops.
You forgot to use the word “innocent” and the phrase “just minding his own business”.
Well actually in that particular instance, the man was only reported as “suspicious” and he was on a college campus. He was only charged with running from police, and then the bogus “striking an officer” which if you would have watched the video was clearly not true. Yes, the man fled from the cop who was ordering him to “get on the ground”, but how would you react if some cop came into a building and immediately ordered you to the ground. As the black man who was cuffed in the cop car stated “Why not, ‘hey man what’s up, what are you doing here?’, rather than ‘GET DOWN ON THE GROUND…NOW!'”. The guy had a valid point. And the force this cop waged against him was tremendous. When the other 2 cops charged into the cafeteria and saw the white cop holding the guy in a “Full Nelson” while the black guy was basically in a seated position in an eating booth…he ran across the room full force throwing chairs out of the way, and completely, violently tore the guy away from the white cop and pummeled him to the ground throwing him into a a table and chairs. Then the other cop tazed him. The Mulatto cop who did this was displaying extremely violent behaviors, and the use of force was way over the top. I’m not saying that every suspect is innocent, but I do see why people mistrust the police. They are very aggressive, extremely authoritative and invasive, and their orders are “absolute” and cannot be questioned as to the validity of their intervening in your life. Only after you are subdued, and compliant will they act reasonable to you. The first stage is found in subduing your person and bringing you into their control. I question the validity of the level of control that we give officers…or that they have assumed.
This complaint is insane! I’ll tell you why someone thought this was indoctrination. Because they HATE the current president. A FOX news watching idiot like LVS, that can’t stand to even read these sentences. Had Bush been president he wouldn’t have cared in the least.
The only one seeking to indoctrinate anyone is the nut case who thinks this is indoctrination.
Let’s leave comments without attacking the other people that comment on NIT. Final warning for everyone. Comments that name-call or threaten will be deleted as they are found by staff.
Does that apply to the aforementioned poster?
Everyone = Everyone. Yes. We will implement a reporting system for comments so we can more easily find the questionable comments.
@IowaSucks
Whats wrong with you?
I always thought the poems I had to learn in school were far too wordy myself. Maybe the politicians should learn not to be so wordy with the laws they enact. More words means more ways to milk the system.
I agree with your statement. Law should transmit the message in the simplest and most accessible fashion. Like the Pharisees of past, the profession and institution of law seeks to keep accessibility to the initiated. Tradesman used to protect their crafts, and lawyers seek to protect their “craft” as well, securing their services to help decipher and navigate the often wordy and treacherous waters of “law”.
You are referring to job security, I agree with you
What a terrible story. This is not news, not even close.
I beg to differ. If someone was concerned enough to send this to the news media, then they felt it was newsworthy. If you don’t care what’s being taught in the schools, then you can bury your head in the sand, but we have to live next t these kids once they grow up and become adults. Looks like they are being taught to be sheep, you like already are, and that’s sad for the future of this country.
If you have a child in the school system, it matters. BTW I accidently hit the report comment instead of reply, oops sorry!
Babyboomer55 and NITReader, I disagree. I think you have this notion that the teacher at first will hand this assignment out, and by the end of the year, perhaps these kids will be saluting a foreign flag and spouting some pig latin or something. I have 3 kids in the “school system” as you put it and I have a relative in the Northwood school system, and what I see in the picture, I have no issues in it. I think you underestimate kids…you know kids can form opinions and think for themselves in a positive manner with good self esteem if you allow them to. In a college statistics class, I had a professor that constantly talked about the Titanic, and ratios of poor and rich, and how many more poor were killed on the Titanic because they couldn’t afford the tickets on the upper levels, better services, etc., I mean we had a whole semester of data to pour through and it was pretty clear that the more money you had, the better chances you lived..and that slapped in my head for 16 weeks! If I wanted to be a following sheep, I guess I could say..”being poor is bad, rich is better, therefore poor people are bad.” I could, but I could separate the two, and I think most kids do to and will. I guess if my kids came home with this assignment, I would talk with my kid and probably get a non answer type answer, which means it doesn’t mean anything to them and then we move on.
Wow! It looks like AR needs to be dispatched to Worth County on the double. Holy moly that is about as indoctrinated as you can get. Geepers that gives me the creepers and substantiates pretty much what I’ve been warning about. Hilarious…yet downright revolutionable!
These are the 3 lines that I would take issue with:
– “He makes sure the laws of the country are fair”
This line is a subjective “ideal” statement of the author, and doesn’t actually fit the real job description of the Presidency. The Supreme Court would fit this statement better.
– “The commands of government officials must be obeyed by all”
This line is absolute bullsh**. Commands? Sorry it doesn’t work that way…we follow laws that are drafted by representatives which are elected. Despite the actual legitimacy of the process, it’s theoretically supposed to work this way. This line is teaching children to OBEY and not think. The better way to have worded this is “Laws that are good for the safety of people, animals, and the environment should be followed and respected for the benefit of our planet and each other.”
– “The wants of an individual are less important than the well-being of the nation”
This line perhaps was taken directly from a 1930’s German classroom during the reign of the 3rd Reich. Encouraging humans to follow social morays and group values rather than their own personal knowledge and insight. This line also is a precursor to military service and could be a recruitment tool. By eliminating the “individual” in a child, children are taught to accept their situation, and possible abuse or neglect for the greater good of something other than themselves. Go into that mining shaft and work for the good of the nation. Work around that asbestos for the good of the nation. Go and kill people in foreign lands for the good of the nation. This is dangerous in my opinion.
Looks like the worksheet came from here
http://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZu64
Is this real??