Re: Back off, man

[Nate Wilson <natewilson@moscow.com>]

Hurray for Joe! He is an example of how our local government schools welcome
parental help. They fling their communal arms wide and kill the fatted calf.
    When have they ever turned anyone down? Why. . . I would like to help. Can I
help out? True, my son is not yet school age, but I would like to make my gifts
available to the children of this particular village. Here is the offer:

I, Nathan Wilson, would love to come in and tutor a couple of kids (oh, let's
say fourth graders) on the subject of morality and ethical systems.

Doug Jones, has informed me that he would be willing to tutor some junior
highers on the paradigms of modernities.

And my father has kindly volunteered to help out some struggling students on the
subject of Civil War history.

    There are some obvious objections to this.
    One: we're not serious. Drop us an email and find out.
    Two: we're not well-intended. Of course we aren't, at least by the standards
of the religious establishment of the government schools. The things we would
say about pluralism, tolerance, relativism, and History would destroy those poor
kids. Which is to say, make them like us. Because we are peculiarly convinced
that we are right (what a strange thing, nobody rational ever thinks that) then
we could hardly think that coming to our viewpoint would be a bad thing.
    Three: We don't have kids in those schools. So? Is our money not enough?
Isn't a 'public' school like a public company? Aren't we shareholders? Of course
there is a difference. Nobody is forced to buy into a public company (or we're
taking your house). And not everybody is forced to buy in locally, only property
owners. I am only just now gearing up for a life of payments to MSD as my wife
and I buy our first house. But if these schools truly belong to the community,
then we have a share, and we'd like to help. But we know, though others deny it,
that we don't meet the catechism requirements.
    Four: Logos wouldn't let us do it. No, they wouldn't. Neither do they claim
to belong to the community, to embrace every smudgey paradigm and to be the
dispersers of free, neutral, information. They are private. They have and
acknowledge a worldview, and if you don't share it with them, then you won't
teach. The government schools also have a worldview, and without it you won't
teach. But they deny it.
    I'll call. Show those cards.

Nate Wilson