The wife of an elementary school principal in Texas has a message for Mike Huckabee in response to his suggestion that the gun massacre in Newtown, Connecticut was due to the removal of God from public school classrooms: "If you visited the schools you quickly denounce for removing your symbols of God, you’d find that His work actually takes places there every day."
Kimberly Burkett writes, on a site called Educate for Texas:
For many students, that public school you deride is their only constant; their only refuge; their only normalcy. Like educators across the nation, my elementary school principal husband and his staff work daily with homeless children, hungry children, abused children, broken children. He and his staff feed their bodies, characters, minds, and souls. They do it every day. They do it for little pay and they do it for lousy benefits. They do it despite the disrespect they sometimes feel from parents and the public. They do it in the face of disdain from politicos that claim they’re fleecing taxpayer money and don’t contribute revenue to the economy. They do it even as they’re called “union thugs.” Educators are God’s workers – there’s no other reason to think a person would endure so much to receive so little.
These educators, aided by school support staff and parent/community volunteers, are God-given, Mr. Huckabee. Through them God’s miracles happen every day. Through education, God’s children are provided a shot at a better life. In my state of Texas, 25% of children live in poverty (the statistics in your home state of Arkansas are similar). For some of these children, these educators are the only chance they have of breaking the poverty cycle. In those Godless government schools, they have a chance at a better tomorrow. The school is a place where they can not only explore their life’s dreams, but be provided the tools to achieve those dreams. It is the tireless men and women of the school systems that will give them those tools.
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Perhaps your efforts would be better spent, Mr. Huckabee, not in trying to bring your particular brand of religion into schools or dictating how God should appear in a classroom, but instead supporting public schools and the work He does through them. Education budgets have been slashed nationwide. Our students learn in over-crowded classrooms with outdated technology. Our teachers are being pushed out of the profession by unrealistic accountability systems and the profit-driven thirst to change classrooms into testing factories. Our state legislatures are bowing down to special interests seeking to privatize our education systems – turning a noble profession and public commitment into little more than a profitable pick for a hedge fund manager. Through systematic defunding, the decline of critical thinking skills to make way for rote memorization to pass the next benchmark test, and the political prostitution of public education for profit, the war on education is clear and ongoing. God’s work through these schools and educators is under attack, but your concern is reciting scripture in the classroom. Really?
I don't think this could be more beautifully stated. I urge everyone to read the entire post and then send it, along with your thoughts, to Mike Huckabee at @GovMikeHuckabee via Twitter or on Facebook.
NOTE TO HUCKABEE
Calling yourself a “minister” is blasphemy.
Sorry, Huckster, but far too many times you and your FOX “news” Christian co-horts come off as self-righteous, judgemental Pharisee-types who are more interested in looking the part and gathering personal gain/political power than in being real, loving, understanding Christians who actually spend time thinking WWJD.
BOR and other FOX “news” talking heads often wonder why religious participation has dropped off in this country – could it be that some people see over-the-top rhetoric/behavior of the so-called FOX “news” Christians and say to themselves “if that is what a supposed Christian acts like, then I think I’ll pass?” It’s something that you should ponder, Mr. Huckabee.
Btw, very good points about teachers, doors17.
My niece is a teacher for mentality handicapped students in East Palo Alto, California, ages 5 to 12. I sent this to her and she overwhelmingly agrees with her word for word and is sharing this with others.
We all have our share of BS with our jobs, but I honestly don’t know how teachers deal with the amount they do. I also have two close friends who teach high school. Teachers are our unsung heroes. They deserve our respect and support. These teachers in Newtown stood up to the gunman and lost their lives trying to save and protect the kids, I hope our elective representatives will have the courage to do so with the NRA and gun lobby and manufactures regardless of what political side they are on.
To me, a teacher is far more valuable to society than a building full of CEO’s. Who owe their success to teachers.
from: GOD
Dear Mike, GFYS !!!
Love, GOD
cc: Jesus
Noah
Disciples
Satan