Also on the agenda for today's state Board of Education meeting in Sioux Falls is the first public hearing for new state physical education standards. A team of 26 South Dakota PE teachers and other experts have written up proposals for helping our kids become "physically literate individuals." What do these experts expect of our physically literate kids?
- Standard 1: The physically literate individual demonstrates proficiency in a variety of motor skills and movement patterns.
- Standard 2: The physically literate individual applies knowledge of concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics to enhance movement and performance.
- Standard 3: The physically literate individual demonstrates the knowledge and skills to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical activity and fitness.
- Standard 4: The physically literate individual exhibits responsible personal and social behavior that respects self, others, and environment.
- Standard 5: The physically literate individual recognizes the value of physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, employment opportunities, and social interaction [South Dakota Physical Edcuation Standards and Grade-Level Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education, revised February 2014].
For today's workout, let's put on our Common Core tinfoil hats and see what could possibly be wrong with this effort to make our kids better, stronger, faster:
- The proposed South Dakota PE standards pretty much copy national standards written by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.
- The national task force that worked on these standards "sought to ensure that... the standards parallel common core standards language/structure." Aaaaahh! Common Core!
- The South Dakota educators slip the word environment into Standard 4. Aaaahh! Agenda 21!
- The PE standards make frequent mention of "invasion games," obviously intending to train our children in the techniques necessary for storming the Church at the Gate and forcing Pastor Hickey to pronounce homosexuals wife and wife.
- Standards S3.M18 and S1.H2 recommend yoga as a fitness activity. Aaaaahh! Hindu devils! New Age Theology!
- Also promoted by the PE standards: square dancing. Aaaaa—wait: acceptable, but only if we integrate this standard with our technical education standards and teach square dancing in skid-steers:
The Board of Education is holding a public hearing on these P.E. standards today. They're introducing the P.E. standards before Senate Bill 64 takes effect, so technically, the Board doesn't have to hold the three more public hearings that would be required by the only bill passed out of the anti-Common Core hubbub this session. But if you ask nicely, perhaps with a nice rhythmic dance routine demonstrating your physical literacy, maybe the Board of Education will oblige with another hearing.
Now, time for that nice morning walk....
p.s.: Standard S1.H2 also proposes teaching high school kids parkour. Elementary teachers sigh at seeing undone their years of labor to get kids to walk quietly and single file.
Leave it to the SD Board of Education to push square dancing, which appeals only to white skid loaders (old ones). Why don't they promote an activity associated with yellow skid loaders? Or red ones? Or black ones?
AAAGGH, is it just me or does the education official gobbledy gook make anyone else want to beat their head against a wall?
How about this; Exercise and fresh air is good for lifetime health and well being. PE classes will introduce children to a wide variety of sports and activities that are fun and will teach them skills and activities they will use to maintain their fitness over the course of a lifetime.
Do fats kids still have to participate in gymnastics? Traumatizing...
I should qualify: as a fat kid...traumatizing for me...probably hilarious for others to watch...
Nick, it's not just you. You know how I feel every time I sit through in-service discussing standards.
Advocate, everyone should be physically literate. Now drop and give me 20!
Nothing important to add, but wanted to say that the bobcat square dance made my day. Thank you!
So what's next-abstinence only education? Skid-steer loaders are amazing,they just can't two step or double shuffle worth a damn. Great for cleaning up after rethuglican pols in a parade.
Cory-20 what? Four high fives?
After reading this I asked a friend's 13 year old daughter if she knew what square dancing was, she didn't. I explained to her what is was and her response was priceless, "Sounds pretty square to me, I like to Stomp, there's more exercise in the Stomp".
I pretended to know what the Stomp was, but it does sounds pretty invigorating.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stomp_dance
I watched part of the video showing the steps. At least they manage to get to the four cardinal directions with every different step. Of course,if she was referring to the stomp from the 60s-that's a whole other animal.
Can one square dance if one only moves to the right? Is this fair and balanced square dancing being implemented?
Mike,
Like I said, I had to idea what she was referring to, there was a stomp dance of the 60's, I also understand there was a similar phase of the dance 10 or 15 years ago, perhaps they have a new version today.
At any rate, they all sound more vigorous than a square dance.
You'll notice the physically literate person will not be required to demonstrate proficiency in walking or running or maintain a BMI under 30. These standards were probably written by someone who is overweight and out of shape himself. It's too much to actually expect students to exercise and eat properly but if they can answer questions about diet and exercise it won't matter if they are unable to stand up without using their hands and arms.
While it's unnecessary to cast aspersions on the physique of whoever wrote the standards (but look at the list of teachers involved; I can attest that Leann Vette of Spearfish is not overweight or out of shape), you do raise an interesting question, Anne: should students be graded on their physique? If physical literacy matters, should students be punished for an inability or an unwillingness to translate that physical literacy into personal habits and health?
Obesity not defeating Madison...yet.
http://www.plainsman.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=75&story_id=23071
Yoga in the schools?! Don't tell Sibby!
Who was it that thought I was crazy for saying the New Age Theocrats were pushing yoga in the government schools?
that was me, sib: just speaking truth to powerlessness.
Sibson! "Theocrat" requires a concerted philosophical effort. Believe me, you will find very few philosophers or political agendists in the gym. Yoga is not a conspiracy. There is no office or boardroom anywhere where some madman is chuckling maniacally, "Once the children do yoga, our philosophy will take hold and we shall rule the world! Mwa ha ha ha ha!"
Nor is straw-hatted curriculum planner thinking, "Get them kids square dancin', and we'll get this country back to traditional Pa Ingalls values. Yee-haw!"
I think Sibby could benefit from doing a little raja yoga. Specifically the exercise that reveals you don't have to believe everything you think.
Pa Ingalls and the Little House books are products of their era. The casual racism displayed in them includes blackface minstrel shows of dancing and singing "darkies" and assumptions that the only good Indian is a dead Indian.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_rYcarouFk
Don't just take my word for it. Check this out:
So what caused Laurette to become vocal about yoga? And is yoga really all that bad? Her testimony is a bold answer to both questions.
Throughout her childhood, Laurette's family regularly attended church. "If someone had asked us, we would have said we were Christians," she says. "But we never heard the message of salvation at our church." Lacking knowledge about the Christian faith, Laurette's mom found herself drawn to New Age practices, and began reading books by Nostradamus and Edgar Cayce (both claimed to have psychic abilities) and taking Laurette to an ashram, a Hindu yoga retreat.
As an adult, Laurette immersed herself in every New Age and metaphysical practice she came across: chanting, crystals, tarot cards, psychics, channeling spirits.
"I tried everything—Kabbalah, Universalism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism —because I was spiritually hungry," Laurette says. "I call the New Age movement 'Burger King' because it's like the fast-food restaurant's motto: 'Have it your way.' That's what the New Age movement tries to do, to achieve God on its terms."
There was one thing Laurette wasn't remotely interested in pursuing: Christianity. "I thought Christians just wanted to give me a bunch of rules and dogma," she says. "I didn't know they were speaking about a relationship with Jesus."
But in Laurette's quest to find herself, she only found a deepening sense of loneliness. "God will use whatever it takes to bring you to your knees," she says. "I'd made a mess of my life. I was an alcoholic. I'd been promiscuous. I tried every form of religion, never coming to any knowledge of the truth."
One day in 1987, a thought popped into Laurette's head: What if everything I thought about God was completely wrong? Two days later, she fell to her knees. "I didn't know anything about the Bible or Jesus. I just cried out to God from the depths of my soul, 'I give up! You win! If you can do something with my life, you can have it.' "As Laurette asked God to take control of her life, she felt a physical weight lift from her body.
"I learned much later that the weight was sin," she says. "I hadn't realized sin was real. New Agers think the word 'sin' is an acronym for 'self-inflicted nonsense.' That's the deception of the Enemy, because if there's no sin, then you don't need a Savior."
She remembers the change at the moment she accepted Christ: "I felt peace descend upon me for the first time in my life."
http://www.todayschristianwoman.com/site/utilities/print.html?type=article&id=44628
So Cory, the key word from my previous comment is "Universalism". There is no truth, so nobody can be wrong. That is the worldview of liberals. It is the worldview of those who want to use a one-world religion to establish a one-world political system that will control the one-world economy. And yes, this is what the Neo-Fascist crony capitalists want as much as the Neo-Marxists.
Avera offers yoga in Mitchell, Sib: you could have your confession heard while learning to do your own prostate exam.
http://www.wellness.com/dir/1528025/yoga-teacher/sd/mitchell/avera-queen-of-peace-wellness-center#referrer
The above is exacly why Sibby needs to learn to meditate… He's letting his thoughts and the thoughts of other equally incoherant goofballs consume him.
Go ahead Bill and try some of those yogic breathing exercises:
I find it amazing that people who venture into the darkest regions of the occult and teach others to do the same also warn of it dangers and yet few heed their words. While the above is alarming enough, Eastern gurus go a step further warning of the hazards of occult practices... for example, medium Sri Chinmoy, a spiritual “adviser” at the United Nations, states: “Many, many black magicians and people who deal with spirits have been strangled or killed. I know because I have been near quite a few of these cases”.
He refers to deceptive spirits who will impersonate a person’s guru in visions and urge disciples to commit suicide. He also mentions several people who died from yogic breathing exercises. [Read Article What Eastern Gurus Say About Occult Practices] - See more at: http://www.inplainsite.org/html/alice_bailey_and_lucis_trust.html#sthash.ce35bLPl.dpuf
'There is no office or boardroom anywhere where some madman is chuckling maniacally, "Once the children do yoga, our philosophy will take hold and we shall rule the world! Mwa ha ha ha ha!"'
Cory, you must have heard about "The Plan" that was "channeled" (which requires entering a meditative state) to Alice Baily (note this ends with more "universalism"):
Bailey and her husband parted ways from Theosophy and started the Lucifer publishing company to publish her books. Changing the name of the company to Lucis Trust was but the first step in the trust's road to becoming a force to be reckoned with in the international community. Lucis Trust is a powerful institution that enjoys "Consultative Status" with the United Nations, which means a close working relationship with the U.N and influence with powerful business and national leaders throughout the world.
Lucis Trust also provides worldwide financial support for the Arcane School, Triangles, World Goodwill, Lucis Publishing, Lucis Productions, Lucis Trust Libraries, the New Group of World Servers and maintains the UN meditation room. Most of these organizations were formed so that Djwhal Khul could find a nucleus of people through whom he could work.
Purpose: And what is this work? The short answer is "the helping of the Great Ones and the rendering to Them of that intelligent assistance which will make Their plans for humanity materialize." [1]. The Tibetan uses these organizations “for service purposes” in providing a body of workers trained to implement the Plan and “prepare for the reappearance of the Christ.”
In fact almost the entire purpose behind all of these organizations is to prepare the world for "the return of the Christ", a concept that has little in common with that of mainstream Christian churches. They do NOT recognize the deity of Jesus Christ and believe He was a great teacher more in touch with his godhood than most humans are. The 'Christ' they look for could be a Christian or a Hindu by faith, a Buddhist, or of no particular faith at all, and is presently known by various groups of people as the Bodhisattva, the Imam Mahdi, or the Lord Maitreya among others.
http://www.inplainsite.org/html/alice_bailey_and_lucis_trust.html
Meditation and yoga aren't occult practices.
Believing I talking snakes is though, Sibby.
In... Not I.
Bill, meditation and yoga should not be forced down the throats of students in government schools if the First Amendment is still in force. My view is that the Constitution has been destroyed as government schools ban guns and promote the New Age religious practices of eastern Mysticism. Both the First and the Second amendments are being ignored by those whose oath says they are to defend such principles.
Neither meditation nor yoga can be forced on anyone, Sibby. That's not how it works. You can't force anyone to quiet their mind. You yourself are living proof of that.
I should be smart enough to stay away from this thread, but. . .
Sibby, you do realize that the Bible recommends meditation in Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1, and Philippians 4:8; you're translation may state "think deeply" but that's a distinction without a difference. So the big question is, if people do stretching exercises while thinking about the Bible are they sinning?
Finally, I appreciate your diatribes against relativism, but there's a huge difference between the pole that states everything is ok because everything is the same and your position that everything I disagree with is spawned by Satan.
omg
lol
Square dancing needs to come with a warning label!! When I was in junior high school we had square dancing as part of the PE program. Boys and girls had to participate.
We were sweating it out doing a square dance when my knee gave out. Down I went. My dance partner stood over me wonder "what the he**?" Long story short, I had sprained my knee.
I can see how square dancing can add to fitness because it takes coordination, speed, and increases the heart rate and breathing, but it also carries risks.
So it seems to be a consensus that everyone has no problem with government schools establishing religious universalism, but Biblical Christianity needs to go to hell. That is what I call the New Age Theocracy. Thanks to all for your help in demonstrating it.
Now are you all intellectually honest enough to admit your role in helping out the crony capitalists?
the enemy of my enemy is my friend, sib: honest enough?
My opposition to Common Core during testimony before the SD Board in November 2010 centered on the argument that Common Core violated the First Amendment as it promoted religions whose theology is based on pantheism. This promotion of yoga by the government schools confirms my argument. All it takes is some critical thinking, so let us reason:
Djwal Kul states" It is impossible to progress along the spiritual path except through the practice of [Eastern] meditation. (Djwal Kul, ancient Tibetan Master) This westernized form of Hinduism is hidden from the public. As they are not told what the gurus actually teach. True meditation leads to a self discovery of unprecedented proportions, You are God!
"MAN IS DIVINE. THE INNER MAN IS FULLY DIVINE. Vedanta teaches no other dogma...." ( Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Hindu leader of Transcendental Meditation. "Transcendental Meditation," P.58) "BE STILL.. AND KNOW THAT YOU ARE GOD ... when you know that YOU ARE GOD, YOU WILL BEGIN TO LIVE GODHOOD..." (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi "Meditations of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi," p.178) Many Gurus quote Ps.46:10 "be still and know I Am God" to support their meditations goal. But it really means to stop striving and struggling and rest in him confident of his watchful care over your life. It does not mean to discover you are God.
God says he alone is God, the creator, and the Gods who have not made the heavens and the earth will perish. Can any guru or mediator claim they created the universe? Isaiah 47:10 "For you have trusted in your wickedness; you have said, 'No one sees me'; your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you; and you have said in your heart, 'I am', and there is no one else besides me." There is only one God and there is one thing we can be sure of-- we are not Him!
Gurus tell us the problem with mankind is that man thinks he is a separate individual, we need to see the interconnectiveness of all life, all is part of God. This is called pantheism. By meditating, our life and our reality will respond to our changed thinking.
http://www.letusreason.org/nam27.htm
you have no children, steve: those of us who believe tax dollars shouldn't go to fight the war on drugs are more likely to be heard than those who equate teaching creationism with yoga classes.
Kal, from the above link you will find that there is a distinction "with" a difference. That difference is the same distinction that was discussed last week regarding Hubbel's prayer versus politicians who think. That distinction is this:
"Unlike New Age meditation, biblical meditation doesn't involve mysticism or emptying the mind. Rather, biblical meditation involves objective contemplation and deep reflection on God's Word (Joshua 1:8) as well as (Psalm 1:2; 119; 19:14; 48:9; 77:12; 143:5) works, not on images or dreams. (His Word His Person and faithfulness and works Josh.1:18;Ps.77:12, 104:34; 119:15,23,48,78, 97;148; 1 Tim.4:15).
Christian meditation calls us to look to God, not inward. The purpose is that our minds may be filled with godly wisdom and insight so that our hearts may be filled with comfort, happiness, and joy. To echo the opening words of the psalmist, "Blessed is the man ... [whose] delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:1,2). We think and use our mind to grasp what is being expressed by his word and allow it to affect our heart."
What we should all understand is that it is entirely natural for an atheist to have a very similar worldview as today's New Agers whose practices lead them to rejecting the one true God of truth and instead becoming themselves gods and creator of their own truth. That can be done by thinking or by emptying the mind. The results end up the same.
The notion that ones self is God is a thought, Sibby.
In classical meditation, all thoughts are gently dismissed, including that one.
Like ripples on water gradually giving way to stillness. Many experience that thought-free space as an infinite ocean of unconditional love and acceptance.
Some call the space God. Some don't, but either way it has nothing to do with the self. It has to do with letting go of the self.
You could say that when the self disappears God shows up, or that God was there all along and you crowded it out with thought.
You could say all of those things, but they would all be "thoughts."
And that would mean you are no linger meditating anymore and have instead gone back to thinking.