5/17/2023 0 Comments Mindup constitutionalityWhen their assigned public school is not working, because a season of controversy has arrived again, parents should have the option of enrolling their children in a public charter school. Teachers at private and independent charter schools avoid politics and focus each day at the vital task at hand - educating the children parents have lovingly entrusted to them. And of course private schools stayed open too. That is why, when union-called strikes shuttered public schools across the state, charter schools remained open. That is why officials in states like Arizona, Florida, Wisconsin and others give parents public school choice. Parents with education choice, either public or private, find they do not have to wrestle with controversies like MindUp or teacher strikes. All children deserve to go to a great school, and all parents, not just those who can afford private schools, deserve to have their views heard and respected. Parents deserve more options than they are currently allowed in public education. Late start school days and early dismissals Here is a partial list of education issues over which public school parents have little control: Students are assigned to schools by zip code and there is often little parents can do about it. The root cause of the controversy seems clear – it is the lack of education choice by parents and families. At the same time, as an education researcher, I notice private schools are hardly every embroiled in controversies, let alone a seemingly unending series of lawsuits, strikes and disputes.Ĭontroversy in public education is as common as rain in Seattle. Sure, parents could file lawsuits, launch street protests or work politically to defeat school board members in the next election, but none of these is a very effective way to get involved in your child’s education. Every middle school in Bellevue will have to implement it. If Bellevue school officials decide to adopt MindUp, parents and teachers will quickly discover they are stuck. My concern is not so much the MindUp proposal, it is more about how unending controversy and parent disappointment seems to be endemic to our system of public education. Regardless of which view may be closer to the truth, MindUp is clearly making some parents angry – which in itself seems unmindful and unkind to me. Some parents, however, are uncomfortable with this approach, concerned about introducing religious-based practices in public schools. She says MindUp is based on her practice of Buddhism and is intended as a way to teach children how to “mindfully” develop their interpersonal skills. MindUp is being promoted by actress Goldie Hawn. Bellevue public school officials are considering adoption of a program called MindUp, a new social and emotional learning curriculum for middle school students.
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