Iowa Bill Would Allow Unlicensed Educators at Residential School to Teach Creationism

[beam me up scottie]

Iowa Bill Would Allow Unlicensed Educators at Residential School to Teach Creationism
March 21, 201741 Comments
by: Hemant Mehta

If House Study Bill 186 becomes law in Iowa, a “private residential program for troubled youths in Fort Dodge” could have unlicensed educators teaching an unaccredited curriculum to students in its care.

The legislation would specifically let the Anchor Character Training Center use the Accelerated Christian Education curriculum, which offers questions that would be laughable if they weren’t so sad, says snow can generate electricity, and tells kids that the only way to be happy is to avoid hanging out with sinners.

It gets much worse than that, but you get the idea. Leave it to Iowa legislators, though, to try and shine a shit.

The curriculum is accredited in several states, according to a state lawmaker.

“It’s a singular fix for a singular problem,” said state Rep. Matt Windschitl, a Missouri Valley Republican who grew up attending the Harvest Baptist Church in Fort Dodge, which has served more than 600 youth since it opened in 1996.

That line about the program being accredited is a lie, says Jonny Scaramanga, who studied the curriculum for his Ph.D. At least he never came across any evidence suggesting any state finds value in ACE lessons. He added that allowing the facility to use the ACE curriculum would hurt the very kids who need the most help:

It is hard to think of anything that would be ‘fixed’ by allowing Anchor Character Training Center to use ACE. It claims to be a home for troubled teens. If you’re the kind of teen that the adults in your life are calling ‘troubled’, then your odds of success in life are already too low. The last thing you need is for your chances of going to college or getting a job to be further knocked by having an unaccredited high school diploma. Somehow, that’s exactly what the Iowa House is considering.
…

It is not just that ACE teaches young-Earth creationism as fact, or that it contains sexist, racist, and homophobic elements. It is that ACE’s teaching methods are so bad that even if you are a sexist racist homophobic creationist, you should acknowledge that ACE is simply a poor method of teaching. Young people in Iowa deserve better.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/03/21/iowa-bill-would-allow-unlicensed-educators-at-residential-school-to-teach-creationism/

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Really pushing that theocracy thing.

[beam me up scottie]

4. And as always it's the kids who are the first to pay the price.

It's difficult enough to be in that situation as a vulnerable child - to have the school abuse their authority is despicable.

[progressoid]

2. Yeah, my home state has really gone to shit in the last few years.

There has always been areas of craziness here (I grew up in one of those areas). Lately it seems to have infected most of the rest of the state. My wife and I are making plans to leave. This doesn't feel like home anymore.

[beam me up scottie]

5. I'm sorry to hear that.

You're not alone, I know several people who are trying to flee the bible belt. I came here from a blue state and I still haven't gotten used to the difference. And the fact that we're so outnumbered.

[rurallib]

11. totally agree - Apparently we look to Mississippi as a model anymore

Once I was a huge Iowa booster, now I tell people we are just like the south only with blizzards.

[progressoid]

14. My only consolation is that a fair amount of the rest of the country seems to have

gone off the deep end as well.

[mountain grammy]

3. What bullshit..

[beam me up scottie]

6. Yep.

And it's only going to get worse with Pence and the Heritage Foundation pulling Trump's strings. He's going to pack the courts with right wing judges who won't have a problem overlooking separation of church and state.

That's been the goal of the right wing all along, they finally have everything they ever wanted: both houses, the white house and soon the judicial branch.

[mountain grammy]

12. Between the world's religious fanatics,

where's an honest thinker supposed to go? I'm so fucking sick of everyone praying for everything. Husband's family has "pray for America" signs in their yard...WTF! But, I just got a reprieve. Seems the spouse isn't so anxious to venture into hostile territory either.. Saw them last fall and when my sister in law said the usual. "we pray for ya'll" I answered," don't waste those prayers on me, pray for Obama. He's a Christian man, he'll appreciate it."
Me, I ready for Norway!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/atheists-countries-list-six-world-most-convinced-a6946291.html

[beam me up scottie]

13. Oh no kidding.

I live in the bible belt where Jesus humping is so common you can't go a single day without seeing someone make a spectacle out of themselves to show how 'pious' they are.

Of course these particular Christians also believe that women and lgbt people are inferior and don't deserve equal rights - but they'll happily pray for us. It's like they're participating in some sort of contest - the Hypocrisy Olympics.



*Note to jury: this is the atheist and agnostic group where we enjoy calling out religious hypocrisy. Criticizing intolerant religious people and/or intolerant religious beliefs is not 'bigotry', it is the exact opposite.

[FiveGoodMen]

7. What other bullshit stories can just anyone come into school and tell the kids?

[beam me up scottie]

8. The poor kids are sitting ducks.

I would also worry about predators in a place like that.

[FiveGoodMen]

9. "Remember children: Jesus saved you because HE'S wonderful, but

burning to death is STILL too good for you"

That's what worries me.

[beam me up scottie]

10. They will teach them to be self-loathing at an early age.

To feel guilty for being human, for having impure thoughts, to feel inferior because you're never good enough. And if any of them are lgbt they might not even make it to graduation.