Friday, February 5, 2010

Relax and be strong!

I am such a pansy when it comes to confrontations
And I hate to rock the boat
But....
Have you heard of Time For Kids Magazine (TFK)? It's supposed to be a news magazine for school age kids. But the more I read it the more I HATE IT!!!!
I'm thinking of sending the following e-mail. What I'm wondering is- do I just send it to the teacher so he knows how I feel? Or do I send it to the parents e-mail group, hoping there is some support but risking judgement of my daughter's friends' parents?
Why do I even want to raise a stink???? Because I don't think schools should teach our kids what to think.... but should give them both sides of an issue and let them learn to think!

My e-mail:
The more I read Time for Kids Magazine, the more I dislike it.

Even though there are allegations against the IPCC of fraudulent studies and exaggerated information (think of the e-mails that recently came into public view) TFK consistently pushes the problems of climate and environmental issues into their articles. There are numerous studies going on which support the fact that climate change may not be entirely man-caused, yet this never seems to be addressed in the magazine.

But it's not just the "hooray for hybrids!" and "what made you want to help the environment?" statements that bother me. Most recently, in the Jan. 29 issue, there is an article entitled, A Shift in the Senate, regarding Scott Brown's Senate seat. Most of the article seems informative, then there is this statement:

"This means that Democrats no longer hold a 60-seat Senate supermajority. Now, Republicans will be able to block legislation that the Democratic majority wants to pass, including a health-care bill."

This is the extent of the information given on the voting process. It's very one-sided and comes across as if Republican's are only in the Senate in order to thwart the health-care bill.

What is the purpose of reading TFK in class?
Surely there is a balanced news source out there for our children?
Is there ever any class discussion on the other side of the issues?
How many classes use TFK?
Is it really necessary?

I'd love your feedback!

3 comments:

Sondra said...

Hey Shannon
I agree with you! I read it when me kids would bring it home and I would shake my head and wonder about WA (king county) schools. Then I learned that my daughter was taught that the twin tower fell because of an accident not an attack. That blew me away. I am glad to be out of that school for those reasons! Good luck and just make sure you take to your kids and make them challange what they learn in school. Sondra

Jon said...

I *HATE* TFK.
Send the mail to the teacher, the superintendent, the principal, and most importantly, the members of the school board.
And send it to the parents group too.

Unknown said...

I agree with JOn, and add to that list a letter to your editor. You are NOT the only parent that feels this way, more will join you if you make your voice heard.
I feel this way when I see Disney and all the stars sitting around talking about going green....it makes me sick. We recycle, we reuse, etc, but to make these poor kids feel like they are ruining the earth because mom and dad drive a truck is just too much! And we wonder why our kids are over stressed and anxious!