Mr Ruiz, the controversy regarding the book ‘Jack of Hearts and other parts’ needs serious consideration that runs deeper than just the question of age appropriateness. It concerns the entire issue of the purpose of public education and the role of family , religion and social context in the pursuit of that purpose. Childhood progressing into adolescence and adulthood has been a subject of scholars and the bane of parents since the beginning of time. We do not have enough time to even start that discussion. However childhood development does proceed in stages and gradients of understanding, awareness,and differing speeds of maturation that are individual and unique to each child. It is an obligation of any culture to provide a safe, nurturing environment in which the maturation of every individual can occur at its own pace. Part of the role of society is to also impart a sense of one’s place in the larger scheme of things, one’s place in family, culture and the world/universe in general. Part of that is the inculcation of some awareness of the spiritual side of life, whether it is called religion, spirituality or philosophical awareness. Our culture is , in my opinion, spiritually bankrupt because the progressive movement of the last hundred years has done well replacing religious traditions with ‘science’ and humanistic teachings. There is no right way to teach spiritual awareness to a child- he/she must discover that wonder on his own. For me, it was through nature, seeing the Creator’s work all around me. For others it is a different path. BUT… big BUT… childhood development needs time to go through the stages of learning, experiencing and processing in an orderly manner. The lack of mature impulse control, of an experiential background for rational decision making and understanding of life makes adolescent understanding of life’s issues difficult. Part of the progressive mindset has generated a generation of very narcissistic young people. It can be said that the payoff in this physical world is sensation. When young people are raised in a self centered environment and then pushed toward sexual activity at too early an age the sensations can be overwhelming and lock them into a stage of attention on sensual behavior at the expense of their emotional and spiritual development .In the classic ‘dirty book’ , Lolita , Vladimir Nabokov ends the story by saying that the ‘sin’ of the affair between an older man and a young girl was that he stole her innocence. Robbing her of the opportunity to grow up with her companions at a normal pace of growth, not pushed forward by an adult’s perspective or desires was the wrong action. Pushing Woke ideology ( the Progressive religion) into our schools , into the lives of our children, is like trying to tell an acorn how to become an oak tree faster than nature intends. That book, and the ideology behind it, are robbing our children of their innocence. I hope you will consider these thoughts as you settle into your role of leading the school district forward. Thank you . I believe you can be a very positive influence on our school district. Sincerely, Jody Kincaid DVM ND
Prayer Guide