“Leave the matter of religion to the family alter … “
Ulysses S. Grant
It’s no secret, the nations schools remain in a state of disarray. Even with a conscious dumbing- down of academic standards, student performance, as measured by classroom grades and scores on standardized test continues at unacceptable levels. Concurrently, vast numbers of the schools suffer from physical decay resulting primarily from budgetary neglect.
Meantime, student behavior has plunged to historic lows with many school systems now little more than thinly veiled anarchy. The mere fact there is serious debate over dealing with students who bring weapons to class suggests school boards and administrators lack the authority and the will to summarily suspend such terrorists … for at least a year and perhaps forever.
New Hampshire has not remained immune from theses plagues. Tragically, weapons continue to show up in both rural and urban schools with alarming frequency. Less threatening, although equally insidious is the now sacrosanct policy of simply passing students from grade to grade, eventually graduating them, irrespective of whether they have mastered the requisite material.
However, it appears many communities have discovered a cure to stem the tides of reduced educational standards, slumping SAT test scores, and a host of disciplinary problems … just provide a moment of silence at the start of each school day.
At the urging of primarily activist Christian parents, school boards in Merrimack, Bedford, Salem and Manchester have or will soon take up proposals to mandate a “voluntary” moment of silence. Not surprisingly, State Board of Education chairman Ovide Lamontagne is delighted with the movement and openly admits favoring “some type of prayer in school”.
Advocates predictably argue, a moment of silence will provide children with time to prepare for the day ahead. Their disingenuous discourses frequently continue with illusions to physicians or orators taking a moment or two to collect their thoughts before taking a scalpel in hand or stepping to the podium before a packed audience. It makes one ponder whether these parents insist a moment of silence for their offspring prior to their leaving for school or beginning their homework.
These folks have found ample allies in the ranks of conservative politicians who have discovered campaign contributions, volunteers and votes go hat-in-hand with support for social causes like moments of silence. At the same time, they have not overlooked the power of the ballot box and have, in some towns, made significant strides in electing like-minded “conservative” candidates to fill local school board vacancies; often under the guise of crusading for lower taxes. Once elected, many of these born-again board members quickly embark on ambitious crusades to impose broader religious and social agendas on the fellow citizens; often forgetting the pluralistic nature of the electorate they swore to serve.
Opponents, meanwhile, express concerns the moment of silence movement is little more than a “foot in the door” to leverage the imposition of other items on the conservative social agenda, including mandatory school prayers, inclusion of creation science into the curriculum, and the elimination of sex education. Others simply question whether a moment of school mandated silence will have even a modest impact on student performance or decorum.
While the public opinion jury is still out on this issue, it is more than likely many more school boards will cave in to the intense pressures the moments of silence advocates will bring to bear. Ultimately, one community after another will mandated daily periods of silence.
Yet, one wonders how educators who continually complain about disorder in their classrooms will be able to rein in their young charges long enough to observe one-quarter minute of quiet. Moreover, anybody who serious believes 15 seconds of enforced silence will become a stimulus for turning around any of the myriad of problems which plague the public educational system must also be anxiously waiting for Halloween and a chance to watch for the appearance of the Great Pumpkin.
Quiet moments of reflection, like prayer, are a great idea. However, their time and duration should be personal decisions left to individuals as a matter of choice … not enforced on students or faculties. Only in that way will they become meaningful vehicles for improving academic focus and moderating behavior.
