Wisconsin IQ Academy Problems
Things were going great with Wisconsin IQ Academy. My son was working hard at the subjects, he was keeping up fairly well in most subjects, and he seemed even enthusiastic about some of
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the subjects. For example, in his HTML course he is currently getting 100%. And checking his progress was as easy as logging in clicking on “Check Grades”. But we hit a bump in the road. Actually, more like a boulder. In my son’s English class, several of the units assigned consisted of Unit 2 - Creation Myths, and Unit 3 - Flood Myths. The problem with these materials is that they in themselves come off as a proclamation of a religious stand. For example, the unit on Creation Myths sends the student to the web page at http://www.cs.williams.edu/~lindsey/myths/myths.html
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When the instructions to the student call them to write about the “Noah’s Ark Flood Myth” it is can say to the student that the biblical account of a flood is a myth and thus at least part of the bible is a myth. And there was no disclaimer to the student stating something to the effect that they are not expected to agree with premise that Noah’s Ark is a myth nor will they not be marked down for voicing any type of disagreement. Also, the student gets the impression that the instructor created these materials, possibly with some sort of anti-religion agenda. It turns out that the instructor did not create these materials. Rather this was a new English curriculum, provided by http://kcdistancelearning.com that apparently was being used in some, if not all IQ Academy schools. If you go to the website at http://kcdistancelearning.com, you will see that they provide materials to IQ Academy schools throughout the nation as well as The Keystone Online School .
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My son’s instructor informed me that this curriculum was not her choice, but she was required to use it. After some back and forth emails with the teacher of this class and the principal, the teacher agreed to send my son an email providing a disclaimer stating any religious beliefs conveyed were not necessarily her own and that my son was in no way expected to compromise his beliefs.
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The individual disclaimers sent to my son worked for my son, but I was disheartened that I never received any word from the principal or teacher that this type of curriculum would be accompanied with some sort of disclaimer for all students. What about other kids?
If you are thinking of going with an IQ Academy in your state, you might want to contact the school’s principal on this issue beforehand since the curriculum cited in this blog post may very well be used in your state as well. I am hoping that in the future new courses offered that feature religious content as discussed in this post feature disclaimers to students that will prevent any type of intimidation.
As I stated to both the principal and the instructor, I do not expect a “christianization” of their curriculum. I don’t expect this public school to teach creation science or teach about biblical events. In fact, I would rather they not teach on matters of faith. But I feel any publicly funded school should show a sensitivity and respect for individual religious beliefs. Anything short of such sensitivity is a form of religious intolerance. If such accommodations for diverse religious views with IQ Academy Wisconsin are enacted, I will certainly post again. Until then, I am considering other online alternatives in our state of Wisconsin. If you have any questions or comments for me, drop me an email.
Honestly your taking this way out of context and hand. A myth is a a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation. This is exactly what the tale of noah and is arc are based around. There is no concreate evidence besides the fact that it’s perserved in text. It’s known as a myth on the basis that it can’t be proven to be true or false, it lets the reader decide for themselves. Don’t worry, your child won’t be deprived of their religious ways.
But seriously, next time try not to become so irrational, in time your child will make their own decision on whether to believe or not to believe.
P.S you didn’t recieve an email back from the school for the same reasons i stated, because you my friend are ridiculous
You don’t get it do you? Students are very easily intimidated by instructors. As a college instructor myself I am careful to make students of all religious, political, and social backgrounds feel at ease in my classroom - it makes for the best environment for learning. My son told me he felt uncomfortable with the assignment due to the religious overtones that I so thoroughly documented in this post. No more evidence is needed.