Here's the story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050923/...ians__daughter
There was a statement they released, which you can see here:
http://www.ocschools.org/letterfromsuperintendent.pdf
and that lead me to more questions, so I wrote them an e-mail. I exaggerated a few points and didn't take the time to break my habit of run-on sentances, I havn't really found my religion, and it's actually more buddhist than anything, but whatever, this was my email:
Hello,
I'm sure you're plagued with e-mails full of convictions and rants and so forth due to the media getting a hold of the story of the girl getting expelled, so while I am an avid supporter of *** rights and acceptance, I assure you I'll steer clear of said convictions and spare you the pains of one of my favorite debates, if you would do me the honor of reading on. I have read your statement, and it brings more questions than answers. There is one thing I would like to know, and make sure the ministry has thoroughly considered. It is a noble intention to want to include the whole family in the education of a student, however, I don't see the benefit in making this a requirement. While parental involvement is critical in the proper growth and development of a child, it is a sad fact that many parents simply aren't there, don't have time, or have some affliction which keeps their involvement to a minimum, if they are involved at all. Another possibility can be conceived by the situation in my family. I am decedent of various sects of strong Christians- Baptist, Episcopalian, Methodist, and Catholic. However, now as I come of age, because Christianity is taught from a historic point of view, a point of view I could never understand very well, I am looking into other religions, and proceeding to, as it is written, "try the spirit," question and discover for myself if I have reason to have faith in what can never be known. It has greatly benefitted me in that before I had to question the accuracy of a historic pass down, and now I can say with assertion that there is a god. I can better understand what it is I'm supposed to know when following an Abrahamic religion, now that I've figured out how they all come together, the result being able to use Judaism's more scientific approach, which I understand better, as a definition for the message of Christianity. But say it were the other way and I was the strong, to the word, one sect Christian, while my family ran with my hybrid religion. In that case, while I would be interested in enriching my life both through religion and education, my opportunity would be denied because my family couldn't or perhaps wasn’t capable of taking the word for what it was. Why is it that, if I were young enough to be in one of your schools and were in any one of these situations, because my parents aren't on the same page with me, I would lose out on the benefit of a fine, carefully selected (as obviously you would research a private school) education? Yes, I know, it would seem I just answered my own question in that you research a school before you join, and if you don't agree to the specifics of it, don't join. Be that as it may, the fact remains that you don't offer the opportunity, and I was hoping you could offer some justification for it, and I would like to suggest that perhaps you include the answer in your statement to the public. Which, by the way, mentions a voluntary partnership with parents, while requiring that at least one parent be eligible for said voluntary partnership, apparently should the partnership be accepted or not. I can thoroughly understand a family oriented curriculum, however I can not understand the reason for a lack of flexibility, should a student desire an education but have been blessed with a unique experience (their parents) rather than with a life free of the stressors of the uncommon. Or, perhaps better stated, why, if this is a voluntary partnership, there aren't restrictions on simply the partnership, rather than the pupil's eligibility.
Thank you for your time,
F.D. Tristan Webster
So what's your take on this event?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050923/...ians__daughter
There was a statement they released, which you can see here:
http://www.ocschools.org/letterfromsuperintendent.pdf
and that lead me to more questions, so I wrote them an e-mail. I exaggerated a few points and didn't take the time to break my habit of run-on sentances, I havn't really found my religion, and it's actually more buddhist than anything, but whatever, this was my email:
Hello,
I'm sure you're plagued with e-mails full of convictions and rants and so forth due to the media getting a hold of the story of the girl getting expelled, so while I am an avid supporter of *** rights and acceptance, I assure you I'll steer clear of said convictions and spare you the pains of one of my favorite debates, if you would do me the honor of reading on. I have read your statement, and it brings more questions than answers. There is one thing I would like to know, and make sure the ministry has thoroughly considered. It is a noble intention to want to include the whole family in the education of a student, however, I don't see the benefit in making this a requirement. While parental involvement is critical in the proper growth and development of a child, it is a sad fact that many parents simply aren't there, don't have time, or have some affliction which keeps their involvement to a minimum, if they are involved at all. Another possibility can be conceived by the situation in my family. I am decedent of various sects of strong Christians- Baptist, Episcopalian, Methodist, and Catholic. However, now as I come of age, because Christianity is taught from a historic point of view, a point of view I could never understand very well, I am looking into other religions, and proceeding to, as it is written, "try the spirit," question and discover for myself if I have reason to have faith in what can never be known. It has greatly benefitted me in that before I had to question the accuracy of a historic pass down, and now I can say with assertion that there is a god. I can better understand what it is I'm supposed to know when following an Abrahamic religion, now that I've figured out how they all come together, the result being able to use Judaism's more scientific approach, which I understand better, as a definition for the message of Christianity. But say it were the other way and I was the strong, to the word, one sect Christian, while my family ran with my hybrid religion. In that case, while I would be interested in enriching my life both through religion and education, my opportunity would be denied because my family couldn't or perhaps wasn’t capable of taking the word for what it was. Why is it that, if I were young enough to be in one of your schools and were in any one of these situations, because my parents aren't on the same page with me, I would lose out on the benefit of a fine, carefully selected (as obviously you would research a private school) education? Yes, I know, it would seem I just answered my own question in that you research a school before you join, and if you don't agree to the specifics of it, don't join. Be that as it may, the fact remains that you don't offer the opportunity, and I was hoping you could offer some justification for it, and I would like to suggest that perhaps you include the answer in your statement to the public. Which, by the way, mentions a voluntary partnership with parents, while requiring that at least one parent be eligible for said voluntary partnership, apparently should the partnership be accepted or not. I can thoroughly understand a family oriented curriculum, however I can not understand the reason for a lack of flexibility, should a student desire an education but have been blessed with a unique experience (their parents) rather than with a life free of the stressors of the uncommon. Or, perhaps better stated, why, if this is a voluntary partnership, there aren't restrictions on simply the partnership, rather than the pupil's eligibility.
Thank you for your time,
F.D. Tristan Webster
So what's your take on this event?
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