Re: Re: Re: Re: for H.S. band directors


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Posted by Mary Ann on January 15, 2003 at 11:22:51:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: for H.S. band directors posted by Consider the Slant on January 14, 2003 at 21:45:46:

:Personally, I believe critical thinking, questioning of authority and a good understanding of and participation in the laws and government of this country are about as patriotic as one can get--regardless of the amount of flag-waving and pledging that one does.
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I live in a part of the country where bilingual education is the norm; that is, a very large portion of the school population does not have English as its native language. I see first hand the results of functional illiteracy and the total lack of the desire for critical thinking. It IS a cultural phenomenon!

Immigrants to this country from Asian cultures have a tendency to excel in our educational system. Immigrants from Mexico have tendencies in the opposite direction. Did you know that to express a negative thought is taboo for some segments of Mexican society? It is NOT an intelligence issue! It is an issue of the personal goals of the entire culture.

What is most confusing for me personally is that I do not particularly endorse the capitalism culture of our country, and I don't think it is intrinsically better for the world than some other cultures out there. So I'm not saying that the Asian culture is any better than the Mexican culture, but the results are definitely different when those two cultures encouter ours.

Mary Ann



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