What does Christmas mean to you?

Be careful how you answer . . .

A religious rights advocate is troubled by a recent occurrence of censorship at a Mississippi school.

Hattiesburg, Mississippi, sixth-grader Andrew White was given a creative expression assignment as part of his language class. Students were allowed to choose from three topics, and Andrew chose "What Christmas Means to Me." Andrew wrote a poem titled "A Great Christmas" that reads: "The best Christmas ever is when everyone is there. It is when everyone is laughing here and there. That is the Christmas I want to share. Christmas is about Jesus' birth. About peace on Earth. This is what Christmas is about. It is when He lay in a manger. And the three wise men come to see. That's what it means to me." After Andrew referenced Jesus in his poem, his teacher Latasha Atkins docked his grade and told him that mentioning Jesus was not allowed. She then instructed him to write a new poem. Matt Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, disagrees with Atkins' point-of-view. "The good news is that the principal, Carrie Hornsby, eventually sided with Andrew and his parents, changing his grade to a 100 and conceding that there was nothing improper in using the name of Jesus," he notes. The most horrifying part of the story, according to Staver, is that this sixth-grader was told that Jesus is not allowed in public school. "I think some educators need education that the story of Christmas, and the birth of Jesus, is not banned from our public schools," he points out. Principal Hornsby did, in fact, tell school teachers to write letters home to parents informing them that religious expression is permitted under federal guidelines. However, Andrew's paper was supposed to be displayed at the Winter's Writers Board, and it was not.

"Rent" comes to a Phildelphia public high school

My drama directors showed me this - Read THIS!

Here's my favorite part:

'Assistant Director Tracey Krause says this is not a big deal at Truman High. "We have a very strong gay, gay and lesbian and straight alliance. We've had same sex couples at the proms for years. So it really isn't an issue, as odd as that sounds," says Krause. '

Email me when the first colorado high school puts on this show.

A good article for the DLHS youth and government students . . .

Others have also felt the frustration of ignorant souls who use the phrase "separation of church and state." Here is a an excerpt from a great article:

Let’s consider the 2002 case of Kala Brotos, a five-year old kindergarten student from Saratoga Springs, NY. Before eating her lunch, little Kala simply prayed out loud and gave thanks for her meal. Her teacher then scolded her before the entire the class, claiming that Kala violated the separation of church and state – Roger Baldwin’s version, that is. The teacher even claimed that Kala committed a “crime against humanity.”

Read the whole article HERE!

A beauty of a post from another blog!

A snippet from one of my favorite blogs . . . . the whole post can be seen by clicking on the Discover Christian Schools blog on the right.

How many Christian parents are failing their children on an issue with eternal stakes far greater than digital TV? This Christmas, how many Christian parents will sacrifice to provide their children with new toys, outfits, and electronic gadgets, while failing to provide what their children need most—the one thing God has commanded parents to provide for their children—a knowledge of God, a Biblical worldview?

How many Christian parents who would never, knowingly place their child in physical danger, will more than willingly place their highly impressionable children in spiritual danger every day in a public school system which must, by law, teach moral relativism? How many Christian parents will continue to enroll their intellectually curious children in a public school system which must, by law, artificially remove the truth of God from every academic subject, and which must, by law, remain not neutral (for neutrality when it comes to God is impossible) but anti-God (for acknowledging the creation without acknowledging the Creator is the epitome of idolatry)?

Have you seen the video for the Gemstone Initiative?

NO Baked Goods for YOU!!

California public schools are non-stop entertainment - read here.

Ultimate in hypocrisy!

Great article about how those at the highest level that advocate public education are the very ones that will not use it, inlcuding our new president. Click Here

Here's an excerpt: Many Members of Congress choose private schools for their children. Senators Edward Kennedy and Hillary Clinton have been outspoken opponents of school choice yet have sent their children to private schools. According to a 2007 Heritage Foundation survey, "...37 percent of representatives and 45 percent of senators in the 110th Congress sent their children to private schools -- almost four times the rate of the general population." Yet many of them vote against letting the rest of us have the same choice.

Open to posting comments

Anyone now can post comments to this blog - beware.

Halloween is bringing out the loonies . . . .

I guess this kid would have been better off dressing as Buddha - read here.

On a more serious note, another tidbit of craziness from the California public school system. Here is to hoping that Proposition 8 passes - I guess for the sake of kindergartners - read here.

The big question is: why sign the permission form?

Again, prepare to be shocked (or not if you read this blog regularly). Read here.

Another great example of public education thought process . . .

At first when you read this, you'll think, "Are you kidding me?" Nope. Email me when the first one pops in Denver. Read here.

Using the bathroom at Pitt!

Add this to the list of questions to ask on your next college visit - click HERE!

The importance of family on student success

At the secondary education level, high parental expectations continue to yield significant schooling benefits.[66] In one study of high school seniors, "parental expectations for achievement stand out as the most significant influences on [their] achieve­ment growth, high school credits completed, and enrollment in extracurricular academic high school programs."[67] High parental educational expecta­tions are also associated with math and reading scores, interest in school, academic self-discipline, future planning, and motivation for school work.

A snippet from a great article - Click here.

What every parent should know about public schools.

This might be common knowledge, but here are some obvious facts - click HERE.

No Good News Clubs

Soon Minnesota schools may have to be considered in the same breath as California schools. Click Here for an interesting article.