EXODUS MANDATE-WV
2014
Articles, Letters and Op-Eds Urging Folks to Rescue Their Children (Plus some miscellaneous articles of interest to truth and enlightenment seekers.)
Notes:
1. Typos are fixed when found.
2. Some hyper-links were added on this page after article were published.
3. Be sure to see the reports of West Virginia public school test performance look for "Report of West Virginia public school test performance" on individual WV News pages (not all pages have the data).
Social-Emotional Learning and Spirituality
By Karl Priest November 5, 2014
Notwithstanding yoga in the schools, the way New Age religion will be accepted in government schools is through Social-Emotional Learning.
It sounds so good:
“Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.
“SEL programming is based on the understanding that the best learning emerges in the context of supportive relationships that make learning challenging, engaging and meaningful.
“Social and emotional skills are critical to being a good student, citizen and worker; and many risky behaviors (e.g., drug use, violence, bullying and dropping out) can be prevented or reduced when multiyear, integrated efforts are used to develop students' social and emotional skills. This is best done through effective classroom instruction; student engagement in positive activities in and out of the classroom; and broad parent and community involvement in program planning, implementation and evaluation.
“Effective SEL programming begins in preschool and continues through high school.”
(http://www.casel.org/social-and-emotional-learning/)
The claim is made that research shows:
>better academic performance : achievement scores an average of 11 percentile points higher than students who did not receive SEL instruction;
>improved attitudes and behaviors : greater motivation to learn, deeper commitment to school, increased time devoted to schoolwork, and better classroom behavior;
>fewer negative behaviors : decreased disruptive class behavior, noncompliance, aggression, delinquent acts, and disciplinary referrals; and
>reduced emotional distress : fewer reports of student depression, anxiety, stress, and social withdrawal.
(http://www.casel.org/social-and-emotional-learning/outcomes)
A professor at the NYU Child Study Center wrote:
“A growing number of educators recognize that students who receive an exclusively academic education may be ill-equipped for future challenges, both as individuals and members of society -- it's just not enough to feed only the mind. The field of social and emotional learning (SEL) has emerged from these new understandings of the nature of biology, emotions and intelligence and their relation to success and happiness. Through social and emotional learning children's emotional intelligence (EQ) is bolstered, giving them an enormous edge in their personal and professional futures… Studies show that EQ is the best predictor of a child's future achievement; better than any other single factor. EQ is a better predictor of success than IQ and technical skills combined. In the l980s, Howard Gardner, in his important work on multiple intelligences, outlined the presence of seven domains of intelligence; two of them were interpersonal and intrapersonal - these combined were the forerunner of what we now know as emotional intelligence.” (http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Social_Learning_What/)
SEL has gained avid support such as:
“Here at Committee for Children, we believe teaching social-emotional learning is as important as teaching math or language.” (http://www.cfchildren.org/second-step/social-emotional-learning.aspx)
Clinical psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Kress acknowledges that there is a spiritual aspect to SEL:
“The spiritual dimension to SEL “manifests in two main ways: internally and externally. First, there is an introspective, contemplative side to spirituality that connects to SEL elements of self- and emotional-awareness. Spiritual practitioners often use mindfulness or a sort of attentional focus and self-control to achieve spiritual awareness. Second, both spirituality and SEL relate to how one interacts in and with the world.” (Emphasis added—See Becoming Mindful of Mindfulness.)
Religion will always be a part of schooling and that is proven in Kanawha County Schools.
We MUST rescue our children!!!
The Third Corner
By Karl C. Priest August 29, 2014
Can public schools be reformed, revived, resuscitated, or retaken? The answer is attained from pieces of evidence that can be represented as parts of a triangular shaped jigsaw puzzle. The corners are 1974, 1984, and 2014.
One corner comes from parents in West Virginia who were some of the first (if not the first) to comprehend America’s children were under attack. The account of that 1974 event provided the first letter in the answer.
The second corner and letter in the answer is found in Child Abuse in the Classroom, edited by Eagle Forum’s Phyllis Schlafly. The book consists of condensed transcripts of 1984 presentations from citizens all over America at U.S. Department of Education hearings on “proposed regulations for the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment” (The Hatch Amendment). People all over America testified about what they had witnessed and researched that was in violation of the Hatch Amendment. Schlafly said (page 19) that “Strangely, there was no media coverage” about those hearings.
Originally, parents were concerned about the compilation of student personal information by the schools. Schools were getting political, mental, sexual practices, income, and more about the students and their families. Eventually Planned Parenthood came into the schools along with yoga and other New Age religious concepts. Christian values were covertly critiqued and sometimes Christian students were overtly criticized by teachers and classmates. All of this was done under academic freedom in a variety of classes including English and primarily with Health Class and Guidance Counseling subterfuge using a variety of acronyms for federally financed programs. It was often done by discussion, surveys, questionnaires, and role-playing.
The Hatch Amendment was supposed to allow parents to inspect “all instructional material… which will be used in connection with any survey, analysis, or evaluation as part of any applicable program shall be available for inspection by the parents or guardians of the children” and to provide parents with the ability to consent to any testing or teaching that is designed to elicit personal information.”
Passed in 1978, the amendment provided protection of parental rights regarding what was taught to their children in public schools. After the Hatch Amendment was passed the Department of Education did not provide regulations allowing for enforcement until after the 1984 hearings resulting from the public outcry about the influx of “public” school humanistic programs best placed under the umbrella of “Values Clarification.”
Values Clarification is described in detail by one of its true believers: “Have you ever stopped to really think about who you are and where you are going in your life?” and by a Catholic: “Children are prompted to make decisions primarily based on information (and feelings); not based on moral law, on parental dictates, or on conscience. In fact, when children learn to fashion their own unique code of morality, conscience is destroyed.” The dictionary definition for Values Clarification is: “A method whereby a person can discover his or her own values by assessing, exploring, and determining what those personal values are and how they affect personal decision making.” A former teacher says that “Values Clarification, which has now been taught to millions, leads children to believe truth is just a matter of opinion, which means right and wrong are just matters of opinion.” and asks a self-evident question, “Could a government experiment using our children as guinea pigs erase the population's sense of right and wrong?”
The wife of a pediatrician who was a school board member is the best example of the situation and frustration. “The child I took to school in the morning was not the child I picked up after school in the afternoon…They seemed to be desensitized to the morals I had been trying to instill in them…I found that the thrust of the schools had turned from education to indoctrination…” (p. 195-196) She said her job was to deprogram her children each day.
Sadly, Mrs. Schlafly proclaimed (p. 22), “All over the country, armed with this book, people are starting to assert their parents’ and pupils’ rights under the Pupil Rights Amendment.”
That may have happened in a few places initially, but history has shown that the few teachers who objected were suppressed and parents who questioned the system were treated as the enemy.
During the 1984 hearings a mother declared, “No matter how hard I worked in parent teacher organizations, no matter how many times I attended school board meetings, no matter how often I consulted with teachers, school counselors, and administrators, I as a parent and as a taxpayer had no control over my children’s education. Not only that, but the people whom I elect to serve on local school boards have no real control over the local schools either.” (p. 225) “Parents were confronted by a solid block of intimidating professionals who claimed to have the so-called expertise to direct young minds—and expertise beyond the mental grasp of the untrained mother of father.” (p. 307) Another parent said that, after extensive effort, he got particularly offensive material removed but it was replaced by other of the same sort under a different name.” (p. 101) If only that would sink in to the minds of conservative and Christian leaders!
A former teacher prophetically proclaimed that “No greater act of treason, in my estimation, can be performed than to establish a national uniform teaching program which may inevitably control the minds of the nation’s youth. As the youth are formed, so does the nation grow.” (p. 254)
We now know the reality of this treason in the Common Core State Standards set to be implemented in most states in 2014. All over America, folks are fighting against those standards. It will be fruitless. That provides the punctuation mark of the answer to the question, “Can public schools be reformed, revived, resuscitated, or retaken?” N- O- NO!
The answer is clear. What started in 1974 and was supposedly settled in 1984 has been for naught.
The year 2014 makes it clear that we MUST rescue our children.
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Also see Prudent Perceptions.
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Press On
By Karl Priest May 30, 2014
After serving with the fine folks of Exodus Mandate and Operation Jericho Project I have come closer to comprehending Philippians 3:13-14: Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Led by Ray Moore (a modern Moses) and Christina Michas (another Esther) the brothers and sisters in those ministries have undergone afflictions and adversities common to this corrupted world, but they have endured the added attacks from the Adversary who comprehends where the battle lies—the hearts and minds of children. One of our chief concerns is the confusion and compromise of our fellow Christians.
There is a redneck term for not quitting until success is achieved—“Get ‘er done!” In other words, “Press on!”
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The Problem is NOT Politicians
Note: The article (“The Problem in NOT Politicians”) has been moved in order to make it a subject of its own. It was submitted to the Charleston Gazette and the Charleston Daily Mail. Following is the exchange between the editors and me.
CENSORSHIP BY ANY OTHER NAME…
Items dated in red are from the editors (censors). Items dated in blue are from me.
GAZETTE CENSORSHIP
April 3, 2014
(I sent the above article to the Gazette editor.)
June 24, 2014
Hello:
Is my article in queue?
Thanks.
Karl
July 3, 2014
Hello,
No, we do not have a submission from you currently pending.
Dawn
July 3, 2014
Hello:
Was my submission of The Problem is NOT Politicians "declined"?
Thank you.
July 16, 2014
Hi, Karl,
Your submission was declined. Thank you.
Dawn
July 16, 2014
Please tell me the reason.
Thank you.
July 28, 2014
Dawn:
On July 16 I wrote:
Please tell me the reason.
Thank you.
I know you are busy, so I will assist you.
My article was censored (oops >declined<) because:
a. It was grammatically below Gazette standards.
b. It would offend the many preacher subscribers.
c. It would have brought the word ratio of me and local liberal contributors to more than 5 to 1000.
Karl
July 28, 2014
Hi, Karl,
I no longer have your article to remind myself why I declined it. I'm sure it wasn't A., so let's go with B.
Dawn Miller
July 29, 2014
Knowing the liberal mind, I think it was C.
DAILY MAIL CENSORSHIP
June 26, 2014
Hello Mr. McElhinny: (Note: Somehow, probably due to the website, I got the name wrong.)
May I submit a guest column?
Thank you.
Karl Priest
June 26, 2014
Mr. Priest.
I am Mr. Kelly Merritt, editorial page editor of the Charleston Daily Mail.
We will happily consider an opinion column for consideration. Please keep it to about 600 words or less. No promises that we will run it, but we will consider.
Send it to editor@dailymailwv.com.
Thank you.
Kelly Merritt
June 26, 2014
Hello Kelly:
Thank you for considering this column. The Gazette used to run my articles on occasion as a token conservative. They seem to have stopped.
I'd like to make my new home at the Daily mail which I used to deleiver as a boy.
Karl
June 30, 2012
Thanks Karl.
We try to keep letters to about 250 words. This is 500. Can you reduce it by about half?
Thanks.
June 30, 2012
From your 6-26 email: (I quoted his email.)
July 1, 2014
I did say that, didn't I? :-)
I'm sorry, I was thinking of a letter to the editor instead of a column. I will pass this along for consideration.
Thanks.
July 28, 2014
Hello Kelly:
Will my article be published?
Thank you.
Karl
July 29, 2014
Karl
Thanks for sending. I don't plan to publish this piece. I'm sorry, but as a reader, I find it difficult to follow and stay interested in.
If you want to work on it and resend, you may. The steady repetition of P words is one of the things that makes it difficult, I believe.
Or, if you want to shorten it as a letter (250 words max) you may, which may make it an easier read. But as a column (and I know I offered you that) I'm afraid it doesn't hold the reader's interest as written.
Thanks again.
Kelly Merritt
July 29, 2014
Here you go. This IS NOT a letter. It is a short column which I can add to if you want. Thanks.
Praying for the Creator God to touch the hearts of politicians is not enough!
The best politician will not waste taxpayer’s money. But, it is obvious that politicians will not fulfil a primary duty of government which is the protection of human rights of the pre-born. If politicians will not stop the mass murder, then it must be done by preachers.
America’s problems (particularly the carnage of children) are mainly due to preachers.
First, the false shepherds as described in 2 Corinthians 11: 13-15. A news report disclosed there are atheists filling Christian church pulpits. The baby butchering Planned Parenthood has a “Clergy Advisory Board”. There is a “Clergy for Choice Network.”
Next are televangelists suckering folks into thinking God will bless them if they send money. They have done more harm than all atheists. Not far behind those shysters are mega-church “no hell” preachers.
Last, too many “my ministry” local preachers only want membership and money.
After I exposed blasphemy of Jesus Christ in local schools not one preacher called for Christians to rescue their children from those pagan seminaries. Failure to do so produces mindless voters for Republicrite and Demoncrat baby-killers.
A pro-life message alone is inadequate. A place to start is the “40-40 Face the Facts” plan. Piety must be mixed with courageous action to stop the annihilation of the precious babies!
I pity America without pastors like those who have preceded them.
July 31, 2014
Kelly:
Will the piece be published as an article?
Thank you.
Karl
August 4, 2014
Kelly:
I hope you are well.
What is your decision?
Thanks.
Karl
August 5, 2014
Thank you for the reminder. I didn't mean to ignore your previous note.
My editor and I have reviewed your letter and elect not to publish it in the Daily Mail.
Thanks for submitting, however.
Kelly Merritt
August 5, 2014
Censorship, even the way you phrase it, is censorship.
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The blatantly liberal Gazette has published a few of my articles over the years. I almost considered myself their token conservative. The pseudo Daily Mail, to my recollection, has never printed a word of mine other than in the letters column. Curing the Great Textbook War we always had more respect for the Gazette’s integrity.
"Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." A.J. Liebling
I cannot locate the email, but previously I informed Ms. Miller that the Gazette is guilty of censorship. She told me that newspapers cannot censor. That contradicts the definition of censorship:
Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication or other information which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, politically incorrect or inconvenient as determined by governments, media outlets, authorities or other such entities. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship)
Censorship can be carried out by the government as well as private pressure groups.
https://www.aclu.org/free-speech/censorship
“What Liberal or Right Wing Media? It's Just Corporate Media.”
In 2013 I began to get irritated with the Gazette. Hereis an email I send to the Editorial Page Editor, Dawn Miller.
3-11-13 (After she refused my request to respond to an attack she published.)
Dawn:
Your decision is disappointing, but not surprising.
Since you allowed a personal attack (not on the merits of the content of) on me after my last article, without allowing me a response, it became apparent that the Gazette has a limited amount of a sense of fair play and the values of TRUE liberalism.
Coincidentally, I recently read something related to the subject of the "duties" of a local newspaper. See
http://www.schoolleadership20.com/profiles/blogs/parents-have-a-right-to-know-more.
Karl
I would love to see a comparison word-count of conservative guest op-eds to liberals.
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See Censorship by Any Name is Still Censorship!
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