COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Military Recruiting: General
Uniformed 'teachers' send wrong message
Robin Brooks, The Times Record
November 16, 2007
Parents who read the Mt. Ararat Middle School newsletter from coverto cover will be aware that students in grades six, seven and eight
will be receiving instruction from uniformed National Guard soldiers
during health class starting in January.
It is no mystery to me why uniformed soldiers are showing up in our
children's classrooms. Lacking a national draft, the military has
become creative about gaining access our young people. Regardless of
your feelings about military service, I feel that middle school is no
time for undue influence from any source, whether it is the military,
a particular religious group, or any other interest group. Our
children's souls should not be so cheap.
The School Administrative District 75 board of directors approved
this program to replace Camp Kieve, a local nature-based program that
promotes team-building for incoming grade six students. They
determined this program was too expensive and the National Guard's
program is being offered "free" to Maine schools. That is, funding
for Stay on Track comes from the Pentagon's budget, not local tax
dollars.
The National Guard soldiers will be teaching our children to "Stay on
Track," (the title of the curriculum) and "just say no" to drugs and
alcohol. All this will be presented in slick NASCAR race car imagery
with a good dose of military hardware thrown in.
Maybe you also find it ironic that NASCAR's biggest advertiser is
Anheuser-Busch and cigarette advertising also features prominently in
race car hype.
I am a parent of a 10-year old and I am a certified teacher, so my
feelings about uniformed soldiers teaching our 11-, 12- and 13-year-
old children run strong. Maybe you don't have a child in school but
feel like me that soldiers have no place teaching our children.
In no way do I mean to disparage this or any other branch of our
military. They are brave, honorable young men and women willing to
put their lives on the line for our country. This said, however, they
are not trained, certified and background-checked teachers; they are
soldiers.
The Maine Department of Education is aware that some parents may be
so offended by this program that they might wish to "opt out" their
child, which is every parent's legal right.
Whether or not you have children or grandchildren attending Mt.
Ararat Middle School, I strongly urge you to call the administrators
and School Board members of SAD 75 — www.link75.org — and
communicate
your concerns about "Stay on Track."
I am currently volunteering with the administration to support their
efforts to provide an "opt out" alternative for children whose
parents decide they don't want them to participate in "Stay on Track."
Finally, if you are wondering why this is happening, look no further
than "No Child Left Behind," the deceptively titled federal education
act that has been slowly but surely destroying our public schools
with its strict regimen of testing, punitive sanctions and the
resultant loss of local control.
Even though the "Stay on Track" program claims to be free, everything
has its costs. The cost to our children will be exposure to a program
that glamorizes the military at a very vulnerable time when they are
forming their identities and future aspirations. Please contact me if
you would like more information at benjamin@gwi.net.
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