topic Re: Safe Schools Programme. in Community Spirit

Safe Schools Programme.

k0llectable5 — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 21:33:57 GMT

I just read this article from Sydney Morning Herald;

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-turnbull-orders-review-of-safe-school-lgbti-program-after-right-wing-pressure-20160223-gn16rg.html

An independent review announced on Tuesday will advise Education Minister Simon Birmingham on whether the program's material is "age appropriate" by mid-March.

The issue dominated discussion in Tuesday's behind-closed-doors meeting of Coalition MPs and senators.

In the meeting, Liberal senator Cory Bernardi called for the $8 million program to be defunded because he was concerned it was being used to "indoctrinate children into a Marxist agenda of cultural relativism".

Senator Bernardi added he believed the program was prematurely sexualising children, saying he was concerned young people were being instructed how to hide their breasts or **bleep**. He told Fairfax Media he had collected 9500 signatures in a petition from "concerned Australians" in less than a week.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-turnbull-orders-review-of-safe-school-lgbti-program-after-right-wing-pressure-20160223-gn16rg.html#ixzz411pOMHJZ

Does anyone know much about the framework for this programme? I thought this safe schools programme was about eradicating bullying etc.

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

village_person — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 21:59:33 GMT

@3ksandpj wrote:
I just read this article from Sydney Morning Herald;

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-turnbull-orders-review-of-safe-school-lgbti-program-after-right-wing-pressure-20160223-gn16rg.html

An independent review ...

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-turnbull-orders-review-of-safe-school-lgbti-program-after-right-wing-pressure-20160223-gn16rg.html#ixzz411pOMHJZ

Does anyone know much about the framework for this programme? I thought this safe schools programme was about eradicating bullying etc.

That's how they sell these things to the great unwashed. You hear 'safe schools' and you assume anti bullying workshops and other allied stuff. It turns out to be all about sexual orientation. It's like the multicultural tripe dished up. We were told that multiculturalism would enrichen the tapestry of the Australian way of life but it didn't turn out that way.

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

k0llectable5 — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 22:19:40 GMT

@village_person wrote:
@3ksandpj wrote:
I just read this article from Sydney Morning Herald;

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-turnbull-orders-review-of-safe-school-lgbti-program-after-right-wing-pressure-20160223-gn16rg.html

An independent review ...

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-turnbull-orders-review-of-safe-school-lgbti-program-after-right-wing-pressure-20160223-gn16rg.html#ixzz411pOMHJZ

Does anyone know much about the framework for this programme? I thought this safe schools programme was about eradicating bullying etc.
That's how they sell these things to the great unwashed. You hear 'safe schools' and you assume anti bullying workshops and other allied stuff.

Which is all good and I'm sure the framework covers all that. Of course it is hard sometimes, imo, to distinguish the difference between bullying and just kids being kids in the schoolyard..... But still it's something that needs to be addressed by all schools for sure.

It turns out to be all about sexual orientation.

I dont know that it is ALL about that. And I think it's important these days to make kids aware that bullying people for their sexual orientation is never on (so to speak) but teaching kids "how" to be transgender is really not necessary at all. I think schools need to tone down the whole sex ed thing. Sure teach them the basics about puberty, in high school though (because thats what they are going through at that age) primary schools dont need sex ed imo. And be done with it. Focus the kids attention on music or drama or dance or something that will cater for every person of any gender.

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

esayaf — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 22:28:43 GMT

May as well stop sex education as they aren't taught how to read or write and talk correctly. Makes you wonder why they go to school at all

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

latina4621 — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 22:33:43 GMT

I know for a fact a school ran a program last year , which involved both the bullies and the victims and a child was given an award for participating in it the program was called S@@t Happens!

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

azureline** — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 23:39:39 GMT

Goodness, what schools are they? My grandchildren can all read and write and speak correctly.. We must be lucky.

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

debra9275 — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 23:47:14 GMT

just on reading your first link 3Ks

is it compulsory or is it something schools can choose??

and I have to say 9,500 signatures on Bernadi's petition is not very many considering he's been campaigning hard on this for awhile. also from the public comments at the bottom of the article, it seems most support the program

VP who are the great unwashed?? the public, the shoolchildren or the teachers??

I wonder how much this investigation is going to cost us

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

myoclon1cjerk — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 07:46:56 GMT

"We were told that multiculturalism would enrichen the tapestry of the Australian way of life but it didn't turn out that way."

A WASP might see it that way,but a lot of us don't.

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

johcaschro — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 15:27:34 GMT

Well, we now know some things about some cultures which we find challenging to say the least and abhorrent to say the most.

Should we just be accepting of the "challenge" we might encounter and strive to deny or even to make apology for any "abhorrence" which we might feel?

Not all cultures are equal or deserving of considerations of equality.

Cultural relativism. . . If we accept that all cultures are equal (even relatively so) then that leads us down some rather darkened pathways, does it not?

Maybe there's a deep rooted fundamental reason behind why some particular culture's ideas don't attract more popular support where others' do ?

You want a safe school?

teach the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic and teach the lessons about the equality of all peoples no matter what their sex, their age or their religion.

Teach people to think for themselves. Step back with all your money and with all your religion, hoping to produce easily led little pawns in your cynical game.

When I was a kid a safe school to me meant one where the older children didn't harrass and bully the younger ones nor trip them up when they walked to their lessons.

A safety bonus would have been if my teacher didn't lean heavily on my shoulder digging his fingers in while asking me some obscure question which I couldn't answer because i was distracted by the pain.

A safe school is one where children can attend in safety, and will be taught the bascis of that which is required to survive and even to prosper in our modern day civilisation.

Multiculturalism.

but what if some cultural ideas require that women are not to be considered as the equals to men? Is that acceptable?

What sort of cultural identity do we ultimately aspire to?

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

village_person — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 21:58:22 GMT

@myoclon1cjerk wrote:
"We were told that multiculturalism would enrichen the tapestry of the Australian way of life but it didn't turn out that way."

A WASP might see it that way,but a lot of us don't.

So you enjoy FGM and female subjugation to name but two episodes of enlightenment.

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

k0llectable5 — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 23:07:52 GMT

@johcaschro wrote:
Well, we now know some things about some cultures which we find challenging to say the least and abhorrent to say the most.

Should we just be accepting of the "challenge" we might encounter and strive to deny or even to make apology for any "abhorrence" which we might feel?

Not all cultures are equal or deserving of considerations of equality.

Cultural relativism. . . If we accept that all cultures are equal (even relatively so) then that leads us down some rather darkened pathways, does it not?

Maybe there's a deep rooted fundamental reason behind why some particular culture's ideas don't attract more popular support where others' do ?

You want a safe school?

teach the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic and teach the lessons about the equality of all peoples no matter what their sex, their age or their religion.

Teach people to think for themselves. Step back with all your money and with all your religion, hoping to produce easily led little pawns in your cynical game.

When I was a kid a safe school to me meant one where the older children didn't harrass and bully the younger ones nor trip them up when they walked to their lessons.

A safety bonus would have been if my teacher didn't lean heavily on my shoulder digging his fingers in while asking me some obscure question which I couldn't answer because i was distracted by the pain.

A safe school is one where children can attend in safety, and will be taught the bascis of that which is required to survive and even to prosper in our modern day civilisation.

Multiculturalism.

but what if some cultural ideas require that women are not to be considered as the equals to men? Is that acceptable?

What sort of cultural identity do we ultimately aspire to?

Debra; Yes as far as I know it's not compulsory for schools to take part... yet...

Johncaschro; Thanks for your thoughts on this (and some other related) topic/s.

Cultural relativism. . . If we accept that all cultures are equal (even relatively so) then that leads us down some rather darkened pathways, does it not?

Such a relevent question. Rhetorical yet easy to answer in the literal sense. The answer has to be yes.

And I agree with the remainder of your post, but I would argue that multiculturalism is just an ideal at this point. Like any political ideology it can seem rightous and fair in theory ie; Marxist socialism but in reality, all it really does is divide the people.

And as Australians we are encouraged to be accepting and tolerant of other cultures, and at the same time have no pride in our own (western) culture only guilt and shame. I've argued with peeps on here about Australian culture or lack thereof. So if we cant say Australian culture then it has to be western culture that we should be embracing and encouraging every single person that moves here to do the same.

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

k0llectable5 — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 23:08:37 GMT

@myoclon1cjerk wrote:
"We were told that multiculturalism would enrichen the tapestry of the Australian way of life but it didn't turn out that way."

A WASP might see it that way,but a lot of us don't.

Sorry what is a WASP?

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

moonflyte — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 23:46:23 GMT

WASP: White anglo saxon protestant.

Now if you are white and aad a christian you are now denigrated by the progressives who are mainly WASPS themselves.

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

esayaf — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 23:56:47 GMT

I'm a WASA. The road to true enlightenment is paved with the corpses of all believers no matter the denomination

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

k0llectable5 — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 23:18:17 GMT

@djilukjilly wrote:
WASP: White anglo saxon protestant.

Now if you are white and aad a christian you are now denigrated by the progressives who are mainly WASPS themselves.

Oh right... Thanks for that.

Back to the topic though, I dont think there would be an issue if the safe schools framework didn't cover topics like binding oneself to hide sex organs. I wonder how teaching kids this stuff will make the school safer?

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

morgana2408 — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 23:22:05 GMT

@village_person wrote:
@myoclon1cjerk wrote:
"We were told that multiculturalism would enrichen the tapestry of the Australian way of life but it didn't turn out that way."

A WASP might see it that way,but a lot of us don't.
So you enjoy FGM and female subjugation to name but two episodes of enlightenment.

What has that got to do with safe schools, the topic?

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

moonflyte — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 00:09:58 GMT

There needs to be an enquire into this policy. I don't want my children forced to attend classes on transgendered and homosexuality as the norm, it isn't and never will be.

It has nothing to do with bullying this is just a back door way for other subjects. No we don't want "different" children bullied but we don't want bullying of "normal" children either and that's where the majority of bullying happens.

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

lind9650 — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 01:51:33 GMT

Children of all ages can be taught to accept others, no matter how different.

There is no need to go into details about transgender or homosexuality. There are a lot of children with physical or mental disabilities, but that does not give other children the right to bully them or exclude them from some activities.

Children can be taught to be compassionate and understanding, to count their lucky stars if they were born healthy and (what we call) normal.

Most of a childs prejudice towards others comes from home. School can teach them to think for themself and form their own opinion. Some may find that those different children can make the best of friends.

Erica

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

lloydslights — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 02:47:44 GMT

Most of a childs prejudice towards others comes from home.

Yes, yes, yes, Agree completely.

DEB

Re: Safe Schools Programme.

k0llectable5 — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 03:02:39 GMT

@lind9650 wrote:

Most of a childs prejudice towards others comes from home. School can teach them to think for themself and form their own opinion. Some may find that those different children can make the best of friends.

Erica

I think that may have once been the case Erica, but I fear that it has changed alot even the the last decade. From the school work I see, it's more about teaching kids what to think not how to think critically. Most kids will just go with the "popular" opinion on most issues because it keeps them from standing out.

It's a difficult topic imo, because it is important for kids to be aware that singling out a person for being "different" is not on, but what if a child was to come home from high school and say "Theres a guy at school who dresses in girls clothing and acts like a girl, and claims to be a lesbian, ew..." I know thats an extreme example, but would it be considered homophobic these days to even think such things? Should parents have to repremand a child for thinking such things?