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Put Down Your Nanowrimo And Leave The House
Sox Shuffle Continues
The Illinois House approved legislation today that requires a moment of silence at the start of classes. This is the most pressing thing in the State's agenda? Not...say....transit funding? Or that 7-percent cap on property taxes? Or, oh, anything else? We're going to take a little moment of silence right now to think about that. Everyone hush.
OK, we're back. The new law doesn't define how long a "moment" is, nor does it mention any penalties for not observing the moment, nor is there any evidence to suggest moments of silence help kids learn (according to the teacher we talked to; she said "that's a fucking stupid idea"). But we all know there's nothing better or more logical than legislators deciding how classrooms work.
Rep Monique Davis (D-Chicago), a proponent of the bill, argues that "[Kids] come to school listening to their iPods...To just have a moment in a child's life where he or she can be guaranteed a moment of silence, we don't want to give them that?" Opponents of the bill say moments of silence take time away from teaching, plus there's the whole prayer-in-schools angle.
Predictably, Eric Zorn has a pretty thorough smackdown.
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That's just super! Will people *please* wake up and realize there is a difference between a Washington Democrat and an Illinois/Chicago one and stop reflexively voting for the person with a "D" after their name??
Since there are no penalties, we should write our local school boards and principals and ask them to please ignore this ridiculous mandate.
I'm just so glad to see the legislature focusing on *important* issues for once.
Sure, this is a dumb bill, but so what? I grew up in Virginia, and we had a moment of silence every day during the morning announcements. It lasted all of about 5 seconds (or 1/720th of an hour). So "it cuts into learning time" is a stupid argument. And a moment of silence does not constitute state-sponsored religion. That's equally ridiculous.
Cutting into learning time is a ridiculous arguement for the people against this, but why mandate this? Is there not adequate time in homeroom/recess or before class between bells for reflection/prayer? If a child decides to giggle or talk during that moment of silence, how is that enforced by a teacher? Do they have a longer moment of silence? Does the child get in trouble?
This is just another way to bring religion into public schools. If I were a teacher, I wouldn't have a moment of silence. It's stupid and pointless. I think this was created to appease the Christian voters.
But, this is a state that also has prayers in Chicago City Council meetings. It doesn't suprise me.
Thanks for the WBEZ liberal Goo Gooo logic that their is a a difference between a Washington Democrat and an Illinois/Chicago one. I don't expect you to be able to logically explain this.
Any way, its good that Chicagoist are looking deeper into Illinois ethnic politics than Stroger, Jesse Jr, etc.
Rep Monique Davis D ( D for dumb) is another representative of all that's wrong in the African America community in chaos. She is nothing but a shrill voice who represents herself as a "Mau Mau" on the surface, but is just another poverty pimpstress. And the fact that she is a former public school teacher, only adds a footenote of the ironic and stupid.
All the comments just go to show what an ass-backwards state Illinois is.
Other states have passed these laws decades ago.
It's a good law, individual students have the freedom to pray, meditate, relax or just shut the fuck up for a moment to start the day.
If they're going to institute a quasi-religious moment into the school day, can churches at least return the favor and add a brief algebra lesson before prayers?
Guest #6 -
You're right - but nobody should MANDATE that you need to take that moment of silence.
It's just a backdoor way to get prayer in school.
Why do kids need this at school? Can't they get this at home?
I love how dumbass religious types pretend that Christainity is under seige--and make no mistake, this is a idea to spread prayer in public schools--when NO ONE is limiting one's right to go to church or pray or say oaths to that bad-ass Jesus motherfucker on non-school time.
Can't we all just grow up and say NO to silly superstitions already?
And the decline of America continues ....