The case against IB - and a call to action

Drastic times call for drastic measures. I didn't want to but I finally did it and I wonder how many others are thinking about doing it too. After the "Schools of Choice" meeting last week, I removed my child from Hayden Meadows registration rolls for next year because of the contentious International Baccalaureate/Primary Years Programme (IB/PYP.) I did it because...

* Concepts, not facts are emphasized

* The program teaches that truth is relative as noted in the IB mission statement. Lake City High's principal when asked by a board member if the program teaches that truth is relative, after stammering and evading the question finally publicly admitted "You know, I don't know how to answer that." He deferred to several other people who might be able to answer the question but he couldn't do it. Astonishing! Is it true or is it not true that the program teaches that there is no definitive truth? Ironic.

* The program doggedly emphasizes global citizenship while at the same time IB is on record as discouraging kids from identifying with one's nation.

* The program encourages a collectivist mindset and continually emphasizes the idea of interconnectedness and being a part of one whole.

* Environmental activism is a common theme

* One-sided viewpoints presented. The April section on HM website shows 4th graders study "why migrants venture into the unknown" and "the confrontations and challenges emigrants face," and "the attitudes and profiles of migrants."

* Program does not discuss ideas of independence and individual liberties which would be opposed to the collectivist mantra of the United Nations sponsored IB/PYP program. While it is true that a patriotic teacher integrate these ideas, it is also true that in discussing America's independence they would be discussing ideas diametrically opposed to the IB philosophy.

* Kids are constantly asked to participate in fundraisers and precious school time is spent on assemblies to promote and fund the IB program. Also, why is the school board funding this controversial program when they declared an official financial state of emergency at a recent board meeting?

* At the high school level, a superb Advanced Placement option already exists.

* A teacher who wishes to remain anonymous stated that IB has at past offsite IB teacher training meetings, offered to lead the teachers in a Pledge to Mother Earth. What are the implications for a teacher if they disagree? Can they speak out without losing their job? What is the process if they don't want to teach collectivism?

* Our kids (5th graders) learn the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish.

* I believe high school level classes are optional (I'm still learning about LCHS IB program) whereas, at the elementary level, PYP is mandatory 100% participation. The IB philosophy is integrated into every subject.

* In creating these "Global Citizens" what are the implications later in life; will they have any sense of patriotism, will they be willing to serve in our military which requires a heartfelt devotion to our country?

* Encourages our kids to become environmental activist

* Radical thinking is transmitted through leading questions. The IB website gives leaders suggested discussion questions (they call them "guiding" questions) as follows: "Terrorist or freedom fighter, what's the difference?" and "Does it matter that some people are much poorer than others?" or "What are the implications of uneven access to digital technology?" or "Is a 'natural disaster' a disaster only if it effects people?" and lastly the activist "guiding" question, "What can we do individually to play our part and respond to these issues?"

Make no mistake; this UN backed program's stated goal is to create a "Global Citizen" who identifies with no one nation and are only part of the collective. Our great country was founded on individual freedoms for a reason, because this collective bologna doesn't work. This kind of thinking is oppressive and does not truly help anybody.

CDA School district 271 cannot implement a radical leftist program like the IB/PYP and expect there not to be a up-rising. Admittedly, I was asleep at the switch. When we enrolled our kids two years ago, if you had told me this was an IB/PYP school, I wouldn't have blinked an eye because I had no idea about what that meant, those were just letters to me. Sure sounds good, where do I sign? I thought I was just signing up for a neighborhood school.

It wasn't until a concerned parent and friend asked me if I knew what IB was about. Seeing the debate in the paper helped (kudos to CDA Press for allowing this debate to take place since the school board won't do it) but later I did my own research, go to www.IBO.org. Also helpful was the "Programme of Inquiry" on Hayden Meadows own website which lays out the entire year by grade level. These kids will be our future leaders, school board members, elected officials, business owners, police, teachers; these kids will have an impact on the community in years to come. You may not like what you find but you will be informed and it is an important exercise.

I guarantee if I had known what PYP stood for when we enrolled, I absolutely would NOT have enrolled my kid there. There is more concern about creating a collectivist mindset than individual freedom. This is not the Borg, we are not the collective and we will not be assimilated. Thank God some people in our community have the courage to suffer inflammatory accusations and public scorn in order to raise awareness.

I have filled out the Open Enrollment form at the district office to remove my child from Hayden Meadows and I hope others will consider doing the same. Another option is to add their names to a list in order to notify the board they are ready to do leave, in droves. I know they speak the language of funding, or lack of it, and they will have no choice but to listen.

Also, the District is opening a can of worms when it comes to transportation. They said at the "Choice" meeting that the district will pay for transportation for those who want to transfer out. Where will a district in financial crisis find these funds? Not to mention the fact that I don't want my kid to have to be bused away. That doesn't seem like much of a "choice" to me.

Why have so many accommodations been made to implement this highly controversial program. Is it because they made this decision so many years ago and the district has spent so much money that they feel they cannot go back now? Is it that they would look foolish to admit they should have researched the IB/PYP program further? Is it that they don't want to admit that our community is not ready for a program with such a leftist philosophy. Or is it that they simply didn't ask the parents. I don't mean a few, I mean the whole community. I for one would forgive all of the above if they would just remove the program.

Here is my "choice"...for my kid to go to the local school she loves, in our own neighborhood, with the teachers we love like Ms. Tanner, Ms. Naccarato, Mrs. Ewert and so many others. My choice is that my kid goes to a school that reflects the fierce national pride of our local community and says the pledge in English only, a school free from IB, where the kids would learn detailed accounts of the miraculous birth of our nation, where the school officials are less concerned about every one having their own version of being right and where they would be more concerned about the hard cold facts of the real world and the wonders of science.

Trust me, this is not easy. Many parents feel these things but don't want to say them out loud. Who wants to come out publicly and do this? As a parent, I don't want to be contentious, we love the people there, the teachers, the staff, administrators. I am fighting against the poisonous ideas of the IB/PYP programme and not the people. It's uncomfortable speaking out, but it's time to get a little uncomfortable. If we sit by, watch and do nothing, these radical ideologies will be accepted as the norm. Where do we draw the line? Are we going to remove our flag and replace it with a tree flag like the Veterans Memorial over in Kellogg? Will we turn our flag upside down like the high school in Montebello, CA? What a slap in the face to anyone who has ever served in our nations' military.

IB/PYP PARENTS - A CALL TO ACTION:

They have awoken a sleeping giant with this issue. If you are fed up with a small number of people deciding that your child should learn these radical ideologies without the parents' input, if you are ready to take a stand, there is no need to picket or go on TV. Simply send me an email michellerenegarcia@gmail.com. I will personally take the concerns to the next school board meeting. Send me your name, your kids' school and why you would be willing to remove your child. I think I can tell them in three minutes or less how many parents are fed up. It has been said that those who don't stand for something will fall for anything. Are you ready to stand? Please email me immediately.