This wire story caught my eye today:
School board members in a Minnesota district call it anti-American and anti-Christian. In New Jersey, members of one school board argue it’s a waste of money. Now, a suburban Pittsburgh school district is abolishing it over questions of politics and cost.
Supporters of the increasingly popular college preparatory curriculum known as International Baccalaureate are firing back with some of the same arguments — saying efforts to quash IB are about the beliefs and politics of the program’s opponents.[...]
High school students pursuing an IB diploma study subjects from six groups: language, individuals and societies, math and computer science, the arts, experimental sciences and a second language. The core of the curriculum is a 4,000 word-essay, a theory of knowledge class and a community service requirement.[...]
Critics, however, have argued that IB’s multicultural themes promote values that conflict with traditional Judeo-Christian values. Some opponents have called it Marxist because the International Baccalaureate Organization is a signatory to the Earth Charter, a collection of global principles created in France in 2000.
This is one of those stories that makes a person say, “what the heck?!”
I had a passing acquaintance with the IB program when I was in high school. My high school, Memphis White Station, didn’t offer it, and instead went gung-ho with AP offerings.
I was somewhat jealous of the IB program because it seemed to be viewed more highly among colleges (particularly international universities that expect more of students than what most American high schools provide), and because I found the coordinated curriculum of the program appealing. (In the 11th grade, I had a great deal of synchronicity among my AP U.S. History, Honors English, and AP Music Theory classes that made it a very good year for me.)
I didn’t recall ever hearing anything about IB being un-American.
The wire story makes reference to the Earth Charter. I hadn’t previously heard of it before, but a query to Google solved that problem. A copy can be found here.
There are clauses in there that arguably go against current policies of the current administration — it’s very pro-UN, pro-environment, and it can be interpreted as anti-corporate. However, that doesn’t necessarily make it anti-American. While I’d like the document more if it mentioned using entrepreneurship and lightly-regulated-but-otherwise-free market to facilitate its other goals…. that doesn’t make it un-American.
Have things deteriorated to the point where I’m a traitor if I think the UN is a potentially good idea, if only it could operate more efficiently? Am I unpatriotic because I’d like to see industry operate in a sustainable manner?
And un-Christian?! The Charter reads of peace, tolerance, charity, and responsible use of the bounty of creation. I fear that alleged christians who find such values to be un-Christian ought to re-examine the teachings of He whom they claim to follow.