I have been a classroom teacher for more than 38 years. When I first started teaching, we had the Ten Commandments displayed in our school, we prayed the Lord’s Prayer, and pledged our nation’s flag. When a student misbehaved, he or she was taken to the principals office, they were paddled and sent back to class. No more behavior problems from that student. Students were aware of the difference between right and wrong. Students had a conscience.
Many years later, the Ten Commandments, the Holy Bible, and prayer have been taken out of the schools. For many students, they have families that are believers in God and the children have been taught what is correct and socially acceptable behavior and what is incorrect and not socially acceptable behavior. For other students, who live in homes where the Ten Commandments and the Holy Bible are nonexistent and no one in the family is a believer, they are never taught the difference between right and wrong. They have no conscience. They have been exposed to “anything goes” and “do anything you want to.” These children have no respect for authority, no respect for property, no respect for others, no respect for this country, and they certainly do not understand the sanctity of life.
I believe that all of these school shootings occur because those doing the shootings do not know right from wrong. They have no conscience. They do not understand the sanctity of life. They have never been taught or even seen “Thou Shalt Not Kill.” They have not been taught socially acceptable ways to resolve conflict. While I think the burden of this responsibility belongs to their parents and/or guardians, the teachers and school officials can certainly be a reinforcer of appropriate behavior and help with conflict resolution.
I am just making an observation. We never had any school shootings while we had the Ten Commandments displayed in our school, the Holy Bible read in our schools, prayers prayed in our schools, and the paddle used in our schools.
I see you trotted the tired "Every one hates me" Defense.
You Wrote:"I'm sorry that many of you have hatred in your heart for me. That does not make me love you any less."
Just once when a "Christian" writes an insulting and offensive letter deriding those who disagree with their beliefs they would not play the pity card.
You state you are a mathematics teacher yet seem totally unaware that replies criticizing you are not personal attacks...
They are rebuttals to your stated position.
Your failure to understand that concept or make that distinction causes me to question your ability to teach the logic and critical analysis that Mathematics demand.
But luckily none of my children will ever grace your classroom....... so no worries for me.
You made several statements of fact in your letter that are not facts at all and expected them to go unchallenged....
Well Good Luck with that..
You Wrote:For other students, who live in homes where the Ten Commandments and the Holy Bible are nonexistent and no one in the family is a believer, they are never taught the difference between right and wrong. They have no conscience.
I reply: This is complete nonsense....Yet you declare it factual
You Wrote:I believe that all of these school shootings occur because those doing the shootings do not know right from wrong. They have no conscience. They do not understand the sanctity of life. They have never been taught or even seen “Thou Shalt Not Kill.”
I reply: This is an abhorrent statement....Period....
You claim that as an Atheist I have no conscience...Who died and gave you that moral authority? Did it come in a cracker jack box?
So no I do not hate you...I do not even know you and only morons and idiots would hate someone they have never met over a letter. I simply find your stated position to be incorrect and vile. I do not need your love either....
You have every right to post your opinions at the RNT...The constitutions very clear about that...
It's also very clear that I have the same right to disagree with you.
It's not personal so how about you stop with the insinuations of persecution.
Rhuidean
This is exemplary of the hypocritical nature of this kind of fundamentalist thinking. When you say you love everyone, what you really mean is that you "love" everyone in the fraudulent God loves everybody so I do too way.
I would be curious to know who these many friends of yours are, because I find it hard to believe that anyone would be "friends" with one who condemns them openly. By the way, just because you sell someone a house, does not make them your "friend."
It's clear that the people who have commented below have never had Mrs. Holcomb as a teacher. She is the one of the most remarkable women I have ever met in my life, and anyone who has never had her sorely missed out. She's a role model, and never once in class has she voiced these opinions. I don't think I know a single student at Rome High that doesn't respect her.
As considering that I will graduate from Rome as valedictorian this May, I like to think that I know what I'm talking about. Let's be respectful. Thank you.
Perhaps after you take a calculus course at a real college level you will understand how unremarkable she is. Granted this holds true for most of the teachers at Rome High who are presented to the public as some kind of pedagogical masterminds.
That is not to say that there are not some good teachers at Rome. Dave Williams, chemistry, is a prime example. He receives little recognition from the administration, but is by far the best teacher I had. His AP chemistry course is on par with the college-level intro chem classes and a good bit of organic.
Considering I graduated from a top-tier college with honors, I like to think I know about what I'm speaking.
Of course, according to Holcomb, I have no conscience, know not the difference between right and wrong, and will be gearing up to massacre a group of schoolchildren any day now. I suppose you're right in some regard. She is remarkable in her ignorant, illogical, and inane statements.
I am glad that none of my children or grandchildren were ever in your class. First off your assertion that Christian families are more moral is complete nonsense.
Christians routinely trot out this fallacy when they are arguing that some awful event would not have occurred if only those miscreant children were taught the Ten Commandments.....What utter BS...
I have seen a lot of life and over and over observed devout god fearing Christians go to church and stop at the bordello on the way home, Steal, Lie, Covet their neighbors wife.. ETC...
I always advocate that religion has one place in America and thats in church. Period....
BTW students can pray in School whenever they want as long as they don't annoy or interfere with those around them.
The only change from your "Good Old Days" is you don't get to demand that prayer or recitation of the pledge of allegiance.
As someone who attended East Rome High in the mid seventies I can state that those days were horrible.
Your entire letter makes me sad for your students.
Rhuidean
Do you work somewhere where people are paid to pretend like your opinion is important? You are a bit full of yourself.
I think Rudy is over-full of himself!!
We all know that there is a grain of truth in the words of Mrs. Holcomb even though we may disagree with the extent of it. Many atheists believe that religion is useful if for nothing else, to help instill morality in the masses.
I would be willing to bet that when Mrs. Holcomb started teaching many social dynamics were different. Many of her students would have come from two parent homes, not that a child from a singe parent home will not have morality, but we all know that society has changed. That single parent often has to balance many things to meet the basic needs of the family and modern kids have more time unsupervised than kids 38 years ago would have.
Even at the age of forty I look at the younger generation and I am baffled at some of the things they do, as my parents were extremely baffled at the craziness of my generation.
I have had friends that are deeply religious lose control of their kids. In addition, I have observed families that I know offer no religious background to the ideas of right and wrong and still manage to instill values.
Therefore, I would say that someone with 38 years in the classroom would certainly be entitled to her opinion despite some of the painful generalizations that may offend some.
Personally I am more interested in the response from the system. I bet it would have been even better if she offered this letter to the editor a few months ago!
Pennsylvania, until January 17, 1974, i.e. 38 years ago, when a former student shot dead the principle of a
Chicago elementary school, there were at least 98 shootings in American schools (source:
http://tiny.cc/vs9eqw).
Church run schools have also experienced shootings, the most recent at the Christian Oikos University in
Oakland, California on April 2, 2012, in which 7 people died.
If people are not aware that killing is wrong because they were not taught the Biblical injunction “Thou Shalt Not
Kill” in school then American society has far bigger problems than the enforcement of the separation of state and
religion mandated by the Nation's Founding Fathers who seem to have been acutely aware of the dangers of
mixing the two.
"Rather than teach my kids math, I long for the days when I could preach to them and sent them to be beaten if they fall out of line."
Obviously, nobody was ever violent 38 years ago. Let's see...38 years ago...that'd be right around 1975. Nope. No immorality or violence then.
Furthermore, if you believe the Bible is the Holy word of God, then you must believe that adulterers should face the death penalty. (Leviticus Chapter 20 verse 10)
Also, you must believe that women must be silent in church and not teach Sunday school or hold any position of authority. (I Timothy Chapter 2 verses 11&12.
Too many preachers and believers ignore the passages they don't like in the Bible and claim those they do like to be the Holy Word of God. Good luck with that approach.
Read more: RN-T.com - LETTER TO THE EDITOR Nation in turmoil needs God