or, Finding Humour in Little Things.
I'm bemused by the advertisement Google has placed above this latest example of thick headedness by the Queensland LNP (the political party in power up there).
The representative of the good people of Noosa, a man named Richard Pearson, has "attacked the "false prophets who would poison the minds of our children in our schools". (link here)
Strong words to describe tertiary educated science teachers, and hardly the sort of comment to warm the cockles of your heart if you're a normal, decent, hard working teacher who loves your subject and enjoys your chosen career.
It's also extremely discouraging for students who love science, to hear a political representative undermine their teachers by calling for mainstream climate science to be cut from the state's school curriculum.
It's just what we don't need; politicians choosing what to be included and excluded from the curriculum. Can you imagine where this would lead? Books being printed to present the views of one group of politicians and the vested interests who support them financially, then when they're voted out, the whole curriculum being changed, new books printed, videos made, retraining undertaken.
It's certainly not an economical or sensible way to invest our meagre educational resources. When this kind of thing happens in other countries we're often critical and sometimes outraged. But perhaps Mr Pearson or the people who voted to remove a valid part of the curriculum, haven't considered where this kind of manipulation could lead.
However, back to the rather black humour here and the advertisement in question. It's in blue (or turquoise if you're 'into' colour).
If you are experiencing stress in your life, please seek help from your health-care professional or local professional organisation such as:
http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/
http://www.mensline.org.au/
http://www.lifeline.org.au/
And a last comment. Let's support our students and their teachers by celebrating their achievements. As a society we face many challenges, not least regarding our changing climate and the massive implications of that. Undermining those who devote their lives to educating our future leaders at the expense of common sense and forethought isn't helpful for any of us.
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2 comments:
We're dealing with way too much of this in the US right now. People sitting on school boards with an agenda, who vote to include or exclude in school textbooks things supported by their religious views, rather than science.
Glad you Aussies are standing up to them.
Writing Goddess, the level of stupidity evident in some of these recommendations is embarrassing. I often wonder how we've managed to elect people with such appalling inability to look beyond their own minuscule burrow. The effects of these decisions are so far reaching.
We're doing our best to stand up to them, but sometimes it's a herculean effort!
thanks for dropping by.
Sue
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