Does this give you more or less confidence in the nea ?

For parents: The nation's largest teachers union, the National Education Association, attracted 9,000 delegates to its annual convention in Washington, D.C. over the Fourth of July weekend. Delegates sported buttons with provocative slogans such as Gay...

marriage causes Global Warming only because we are so hot!, Hate is not a family value, The 'Christian Right' is neither, and Gay Rights are civil rights. - Parents: Does this give you more or less confidence in the NEA ?

More confidence. Good to seem that a lot of teachers are progressive.

Wow! I don't know. I am very confused about it. I don't mind it if a teacher is gay so long as they don't try to touch my child. I don't mind it if other students are gay, again so long as they don't touch my child. And by touch I don't mean playing tag or something innocent if you get my drift. But it seems to me that lately this entire country is anti christian pro everything else. It's very upsetting.

I know that Christians will be persecuted much more soon, but I didn't think it would start with the teachers. I understand that those who are gay want equal rights, but anything involving school (especially under the college level) should keep activism at a whisper.

more confidence. liberate your mind.

Torikeene - so your saying you would be okay with it if a Straight teacher would be touching your kids?

and this is not an anti-christain country (unfortunately) ... we're over 75% christian -- about 15% have no religious affiliation.

I have a lot of teachers in my extended family, and without exception they are dedicated to their students. And Amblessed, Yes I do have confidence in both the teachers and their union that has helped to get them the wages and benefits that local government would not give them.

Well, since I'm not a mom and don't have any children, I'm not sure if this would give me any confidence as far as the Gay rights or delegates but, I can tell you, I don't believe in global warming since that to me, is more of a liberal thing.
As far as the education, what does the delegates have to do with that? Maybe you can explain this a little more since I'm kind of confused.
Otherwise, I'm not sure what to think.

It is The Education Union: NEA has powerful influence over what will be taught and publications used to mold your child's mind.

More confidence- I would want my children to be taught by people who are open-minded and progressive, NOT full of hate.

I wonder what made these teachers so full of hate (which their slogans proclaim they are) against the religious right? Being religious, but not right-wing, myself, I feel that things have got to ludicrous extremes if both sides define each other by what they hate about the other side.

I feel that the religious right have got what they asked for, in a way, setting themselves up as martyrs for a very narrow set of values. The NEA teachers have rejected the way those values were presented and the values themselves, and have defined themselves in terms of being 'anti' anything the religious right is 'for'. Someone looking at both groups from outside can see how ludicrous the situation is.

As a teacher, an evangelical Christian and a liberal voter, I am delighted to see trends which indicate that American politics and faith are moving away from these false extremes and more towards a broad committment to 'the common good', finding alliances for the good of the people, even when idealogical and religious differences remain.

Aw!

Editor, anybody who does not share your views must be full of hate huh?

No...but hearing people on this site who don't share my views CONSTANTLY bash gay people, black people, Muslim people, etc., in the name of Christianity, ARE full of hate.

And I'd MUCH rather my kid's teachers NOT hate others due to religion, race, etc. If that means being progressive and anti-Christian, so be it.

Loathe as I am to admit it, this gives me less confidence in the organization.

I disagree strongly with what rickd suggests -- that liberals (which is not the same things as progressives, whatever that is) want educators helping to mold the moral fabric of their children. What liberals want from their educators is an education free from religious or moral bias. I would want my children taught about sex in school, for example, not because I'm a forward-thinking hippie but because the subject of human health can not be covered adequately without it. I want my children taught evolution instead of creationism because one is an unproven scientific theory and one is an unproven article of religious faith.

Liberals, myself included, want desperately for the government to stay out of our private lives and for politicians to stop being so concerned with what goes on in our bedrooms. For the NEA delegates to use a Washington DC convention as a platform for moral grandstanding does not give me great faith in their abilities to keep their own liberal moral bias out of the classroom. Making me concerned with what goes on in THEIR bedrooms as in relates to their jobs is out of line.

A soldier's funeral is not an appropriate place to protest the war, an abortion clinic is not an appropriate place for a pro-life rally, and a convention of educators is not an appropriate place to incite controversy. Proselytizing is just as heinous in liberals as it is in conservatives.