The new family in the neighbourhood overslept, causing their six-year-old daughter to miss her school bus. Her dad, though late for work himself, had to drive her. Since he did not know the way, he said that she would have to direct him to the school.
They rode several blocks before she told him to turn the first turn, several more before she indicated another turn. This went on for 20 minutes but when they finally reached the school, it proved to be only a short distance from their home.
The father, much annoyed, asked his daughter why she’d led him around in such a circle.
The child explained, “That’s the way the school bus goes, Daddy. It’s the only way I know.”
Back in March of this year, the only thing the Hon. Scott Simms knew to do resulted in him being removed from the position of chairman of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. And what had he done? He voted against the government’s Canada Summer Jobs grant attestation clause, in accord with the concerns of the constituents he was elected to represent. The Liberal MPs were told to oppose the motion brought forward to challenge the attestation, and, out of 183 MPs, Simms was the only one who had the courage to stand up for his convictions.
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Simms said, “I thought the attestation was an insensitive measure to those who felt strongly about this. I thought it could have been handled better.”
Consequently there’s a petition being signed, asking for Scott Simms to be reinstated to his former position. This man’s courage to stand cost him dearly, but at the same time encouraged Canadians that there are men and women who are willing to represent the voice of their constituents.
So how do Canadians take a stand for what they know to be right? It’s a question with no simple, straightforward solution.
When a Canadian father decided to stand up for what he knew to be right, he was also met with opposition. He was concerned about the values his children were being taught in the comprehensive sexuality education curriculum.
As he sought out a workable solution, he asked the school staff if he could be notified when certain lessons were being taught that did not agree with his values. However, he was told this would not be possible because it would negatively impact the inclusiveness of the class if one student was allowed to be absent. When this father took his case to court, his request was denied.
Though the judges agreed that his request was reasonable and justified, they concluded the school’s need for inclusiveness should override his personal rights.
Parents in Victoria and Vancouver, and in cities throughout the United States and Australia, pulled their kids out of public schools last Monday, in a protest against comprehensive sex-ed curriculums. The protest was started by a group of concerned moms who wanted to take a stand.
John Strachan, a leader who helped form Canada’s public education system back in 1896, said, “You cannot divorce religion from education because schools will inevitably reflect the philosophical and religious (or irreligious) biases of those who direct them.” Yet I’m confident he would never have imagined that 122 years later, those biases would lead to children in classrooms being taught things like anal and oral sex.
When teens were asked what was the number one factor that caused them to engage in sexual activity, 40 per cent said it was their sex-ed curriculum.
The real question is: who is the final authority over children? The parent or the school? Parents are the most influential educators, and they need to take an extremely active role in their children’s education.
Research shows that the first information children receive becomes the filter for all other information received. They filter all future information through this acquired knowledge. Children need to receive their first lessons and guidance on sexual education from their parents.
The lyrics of a song entitled Stand Up For Something sums up this topic well. It goes like this: “It all means nothing if you don’t stand up for something. You can’t just talk the talk, you got to walk that walk.”
And when you’ve done all you can to stand, just keep on standing.
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