More on Runyon

   At the end of my last post I stated that I would like to also address the issue of my daughter coming home with false information and  as I sat down to write today I was reminded of how my daughter's teacher also tries to stifle her when she questions something the teacher has said that just doesn't sound correct.
   I teach my daughter to question everything. If something does not sound right I tell her to do her research and challenge your teacher. I instigate much of this. Let me give you an example. My daughter's class was learning anatomy and physiology for one of their subjects. I was excited because this is a subject I know quite a bit about and I really enjoy it (I personally have a background in exercise science, nutrition, I am an EMT, currently working toward a degree in nursing and will probably double major with a degree in biology).  One afternoon after picking the kids up from school my daughter joyfully states she learned what causes heart attacks.
    "What I asked?"
    "Heart attacks are caused by fat around the heart." Where the hell did the teacher get that information? Heart attacks, or a myocardial infarction is caused by a blockage in your coronary arteries, not from fat around the heart. I was stunned.  Me being the father I am taught my daughter all about the heart about the coronary arteries and how the heart muscle dies when it cannot get the blood supply it needs. I told her to go back to her teacher and actually teach her teacher.  Of course this doesn't ever go over well when I have her do this but I want my child to think for herself, challenge what she is told and what she reads and to think for herself. Every time she does this her teacher dismisses it, brushes my child aside and doesn't check the facts for herself. How can we change the world if we do not challenge what has come before us? What if scientist just take what the scientist before them discovered, we would get nowhere. I want teachers that encourage this, make their students yearn for more have their student discover things for themselves and gosh darnit not to think that they are always right.  Every revolution in human history started with people challenging authority, the French, the Mexican, the Chinese,  hell the American.  Do not dismiss our children, do not brush them aside. Give them a voice. They need to be stimulated intellectually. I will always tell my child to challenge things. Power to the People!