If you live in Southwest Missouri, there is going to come a time very quickly when you begin to realize Congressman Billy Long is good with a sound bite (or tweet), but offers no convictions in his leadership beyond that sound bite. One of today's tweets is the perfect example of just how out of touch Congressman Long is with the local community in the subject of education.
Long tweets today:
However, Long has been noticeably absent from issuing any type of public statement or criticism over a high school in the Seventh District that is moving pass the disaster that is federal education, and are looking to the United Nations and a foreign governing body to help develop their curriculum. Why is that Mr. Long?
A group of Constitutionalists and conservatives have been waging an information war against Ozark Public Schools. Led by retired Master Sergent Ronnie White, these concerned citizens are fighting the efforts of the Ozark School boards full speed ahead and non-transparent attempts to turn over control of part of their curriculum to the United Nations approved International Baccalaureate. While Billy Long tweets he is for local control, there is no evidence of him issuing any statement of support to this group of Constitutional conservative Americans fighting the school board from implementing the global agenda despite numerous editorials in local papers addressing this international governing body ready to educate Ozark school children with radically liberal and unAmerican ideals.
This group of citizens knows what the federal government did to education and began looking at the agenda of the International Baccalaureate with great horror. Like I said, where is Mr. Long in all of this? Tweeting he is for local control, but not fighting for local control. Long should be more aware of the issues in Southwest Missouri, and should have already contacted Master Sergent White to see how he can ensure federal money doesn't wind up in Ozark and other school districts' pockets to fund this globalist education agenda.
In fact, I think White's letter in the February 2, 2011 Christian County Headliner is worth Long noting:
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| Ronnie White |
Since October 2010 a minority in the community has been trying to awaken the voters to what the board is about to bring to bear on our students. We have been stifled at every turn by the local news media to inform the community about IB, with the exception of the Headliner News. Even Suddenlink, which provides our local cable channel, channel 6, refuses to carry any type of advertisement about the IB issue.
In an article last week titled “School Board Races Set in April Election” an incumbent school board member stated “We’re really in the middle of determining the direction we want the district to go.” There is a lot wrong with that statement in light of the application for the IB program. Who in this community has come forward and said the Ozark School District needs to become a world school in the International Baccalaureate Organization, an organization founded by and with very close ties to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. The school board is moving the district in the direction it wants to go, with no opportunity for input from district patrons.
In that article the incumbent stated “I think it’s a very important opportunity to provide a rigorous educational program for hard-working, ambitious students. It’s not just limited to gifted students. It’s available to anyone who wants to make academics their focus. I think it encourages community service, writing skills, critical thinking skills, and I think that those are hard things to teach in just the regular classroom.”
The only thing rigorous about the IB program is the number of hours students will need to complete the courses. Facts are IBO stipulates that at least three and no more than four subjects must be taken at higher level, comprising 240 teacher-studentcontact hours; and the rest at standard level comprising 155 teacher-student contact hours, plus the enormous amount of homework that will be required.
These courses will not be open to just anyone who wants to make academics their focus. In application “A”, the district has already stated that students will have to meet entrance or selection criteria in order to be enrolled in the IB Diploma Program. Their stated criteria: “Successful completion of a total of five honors classes in English, history, science or math in their ninth and 10th grades combined.”
IB does not encourage community service; facts are IB requires students to complete 150 hours in creativity, action, service. Creativity activities include things like dance, drama, theater, music, model United Nations, 50 hours outside the classroom. Action activities include things like team sports, individual sports and development assistance such as Habitat for Humanity, 50 hours outside the classroom. Service activities are services to the disadvantaged and/or environmental projects, 50 hours outside the classroom.
Now let me address the critical thinking that everyone so eloquently parades before us. Theory of knowledge is that piece of IB that stresses critical thinking and its tentacles run throughout all lessons in the IB curriculum. Facts are TOK is central to the educational philosophy of the IB curriculum and 100 hours over two years is required. TOK and an extended essay are compulsory for all diploma students. The extended essay of 4,000 words can only be chosen from 60 subjects provided by IB. IB recommends that students spend 40 hours in total on this essay. Both TOK and the essay are valued at three bonus points only, but yet a student cannot earn the IB diploma without successfully completing both. TOK will challenge students to ask, “What do I believe in?” “What are my reasons for believing?” and “Are those reasons good ones?” TOK is difficult, it is compulsory and teachers outside their specialty may teach it, perhaps against their will.
All hours required for the IB diploma equals 680 hours over two years. Will these hours meet the state requirements for graduation or will students still need to take state core curriculum courses as well? Taking into consideration the state requirements for 1,044 teacher-student contact hours and the hours required for completion of IB, the students involved will have little time for themselves, their families, or their friends. We also need to remember that no additional funding is earned for hours in excess of 1,044 that students attend, so instruction time above that will not come with additional state funding. So where will the funds come from for positions like IB coordinator, CAS coordinator, and TOK Instructor.
Through TOK, students will be taught to view all subjects through the prism of being a world citizen and secular humanist. Our Constitution will be in question. Religion will be in question. Everything that parents have taught their children will be in question and evaluated through that world citizen-secular humanist viewpoint. This program is subversive. I do not take the implementation of IB lightly. This was a serious decision made without much investigation by the school board and now they defend their decision.
Lift your voice. Apply your intelligence. Defeat the planned regimentation of your children by voting for school board members that don’t have a progressive, liberal agenda. Parents and guardians should work ceaselessly to secure for their children a life founded on the incomparable American principle of “Freedom Under God.”
Ronnie L. White is an Ozark resident and a retired master sergeant with the United States Army.
End of Letter.
Since Mr. Long and his staff are well aware of this blog and hit it daily from the House.gov computers, here's some more information Congressman Long might be interested, that is if he is really serious about restoring local control to Southwest Missouri schools and he's just tweeting.
John P. Holdren Wants to Indoctrinate Global Warming School Kids: Sounds Like a Communist Educational Belief
The International Baccalaureate Ties to Infanticide (Radical Abortion): Ozark High School Parents Pay Attention
Welcome 24th State to the Fight Against the IB at Ozark High School
Ozark High School Now Secretly Pushing Radical Left Wing International Baccalaureate Application Through
George Soros Has Ties to the International Baccalaureate: A Warning to Ozark High School Parents
International Baccalaureate Supports Gun Control: Ozark High School Parents Beware
Ozark High School: A Parent's Guide to the International Baccalaureate
A Look at a Community Similar to Ozark, And What Happened After They Adopted the IB
The IB's Thoughts on Christianity
A Look at the Rhetoric Ozark High School Officials Are Using to Sell You on the IB
The Globalist Agenda of the IB
It's Un-American and A Foreign Governing Body Decides the Curriculum of Your Child's Education
The IB's Connection to Radical Left Wing Domestic Terrorist William Ayers of the Weather Underground
IB is Simply the Wrong Path for Your Child
Here's some comments from freedom loving Americans who responded to White's letter:
I'm waiting Congressman Long. When are you going to stop tweeting and actually fight for what you claim you believe in?
Zoey78 posted at 1:15 pm on Sun, Feb 6, 2011.
Mary McGarr posted at 10:57 am on Sun, Feb 6, 2011.
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read more (about 3 more lines)ibeenthere posted at 1:47 pm on Sat, Feb 5, 2011.
So, begin with the end in mind. The program is archaic in today's world. Kids need an
American based education. There are extreme cost to the taxpayers for this program.
There are extremes to the students with little to no advantage. Kids in 11th and 12th grade get the most difficult schedules and course load while trying to get good grades on SATs, ACTs, apply for college, etc. Outside the US, this is not the norm.
their nonsense.....or ask them to prove it....your kid is better off doing a standard
honors cirriculum with AP in any US high school for preparing for college.
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read more (1 more line)ruthraa posted at 7:55 pm on Fri, Feb 4, 2011.
Teacher posted at 7:10 pm on Fri, Feb 4, 2011.
MOMwithAbrain posted at 7:07 pm on Fri, Feb 4, 2011.
Truth About IB posted at 6:37 pm on Fri, Feb 4, 2011.
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read more (1 more line)Veteran73 posted at 6:02 pm on Fri, Feb 4, 2011.