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To the Editor:

One of the most important lessons we can teach our children is that we are privileged to live in a great nation founded on principles of freedom and we are all indebted to those who were and are willing to fight and even die for the freedom we enjoy.

One would think that public school officials, those who work for a governmental entity such as a school district, would especially appreciate the value of instilling patriotism in our youth. But the BBH School Board has shown it places greater value on instilling in our children a sense of responsibility to the “global society.”

Recently, the Board approved seven BBHHS educational objectives, one of which is to teach children responsibility to a “global society.” In May, the Board overwhelmingly rejected (for the second year in a row) a member’s suggestion that the school add the educational objective of teaching children responsibility to their country.

It’s a sad day in America when officials entrusted with the education of our children would send a message that it’s more important to be a good member of the “global society” than it is to be a good citizen of this great nation. Those who died for our freedom did so out of loyalty to our nation. We pledge allegiance to the United States of America, not a global society.

Tell the Board: if our schools are going to teach social values, then one of those values should be patriotism.

Renee Engelhart

July 7, 2011
On May 23, 2011, when the Board approved the High School Student Handbook, it approved everything contained in that handbook, including the High School’s “Quality Statement.” The Quality Statement includes 7 educational objectives, (go) one of which is to teach children their responsibility to the “global society,” but there is no mention of teaching children their responsibility to our great nation. For the second year in a row, the Board overwhelmingly rejected Board member, Dave Tryon’s suggestion that the Quality Statement add an educational objective to teach our children their responsibility to be good citizens of the United States of America. Last year when the Board rejected the inclusion of an educational objective to teach our children responsibility to their country in the Quality Statement, Dave Tryon voted against the adoption of the High School Handbook. This year, however, Dave Tryon voted for the Handbook. It looks as if Mr. Tryon has softened his position.

One really shouldn’t be surprised by the fact that teaching children their responsibility to the “global society” is an educational objective but teaching patriotism is not one of the educational objectives because it simply reflects the Board's MISSION. According to Board Policy, the District's "Mission" is to "inspire and prepare students" to be lifelong learners, to be flexible, and "to be effective as well as ethical contributors to our global society." Inspiring and preparing our children to be effective and ethical contributors to our great nation is not a part of the District's "Mission." (go)

Unless we have a Board committed to the basic concept of teaching patriotism to our youth, it’s unlikely that our schools will ever make teaching our children their responsibility to our nation an educational objective. It’s ok to teach students to be contributors to a global society; but our responsibility to our nation should supersede any responsibility to a global society. When our educators include responsibility to a global society in a mission statement and educational objectives, but exclude any mention of responsibility to our nation, then our educators are sending a message that it’s more important to be a responsible citizen of the globe than it is to be a responsible citizen of this great nation. That’s the wrong message. It’s ok to teach students to be contributors to a global society; but they should be taught that our duty to our country is greater than any duty to a so-called global society.

To read about the Board's rejection last year to include teaching our youth their responsibility to our country, go to "Who's in the Doghouse?"